Semi-global Periodic Event-triggered Output Regulation for Nonlinear Multi-agent Systems

Abstract: This study focuses on periodic event-triggered (PET) cooperative output regulation problem for a class of nonlinear multi-agent systems. The key feature of PET mechanism is that event-triggered conditions are required to be monitored only periodically. This approach is beneficial for Zeno behavior exclusion and saving of battery energy of onboard sensors. At first, new PET distributed observers are proposed to estimate the leader information. We show that the estimation error converges to zero exponentially with a known convergence rate under asynchronous PET communication. Second, a novel PET output feedback controller is designed for the underlying strict feedback nonlinear multi-agent systems. Based on a state transformation technique and a local PET state observer, the cooperative semi-global output regulation problem can be solved by the proposed new control design technique. Simulation results of multiple Lorenz systems illustrate that the developed control scheme is effective.