Synchronized output regulation of heterogeneous networked systems via the error feedback

A dynamic error-feedback controller is presented for the synchronized output regulation of heterogenous linear networked systems, where only the leader node has the information of the regulated errors while the remaining follower nodes have the information of the relative output errors with respect to their in-neighboring nodes. By using the small-gain theorem, the sufficient criterion is developed for more general networks to judge whether the synchronized output regulation can be achieved under the designed controller. This criterion can be regarded as to impose an additional H_∞ constraint on the classic output regulation problem. The synthesis problem is then addressed in terms of linear matrix inequality. The efficacy of the analytic results is illustrated by simulation examples.