Edge-Event-Triggered Synchronization for Multi-Agent Systems with Nonlinear Controller Outputs

Abstract

This paper addresses the synchronization problem of multi-agent systems with nonlinear controller outputs via event-triggered control, in which the combined edge state information is utilized, and all controller outputs are nonlinear to describe their inherent nonlinear characteristics and the effects of data transmission in digital communication networks. First, an edge-event-triggered policy is proposed to implement intermittent controller updates without Zeno behavior. Then, an edge-self-triggered solution is further investigated to achieve discontinuous monitoring of sensors. Compared with the previous event-triggered mechanisms, our policy design considers the controller output nonlinearities. Furthermore, the system’s inherent nonlinear characteristics and networked data transmission effects are combined in a unified framework. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of our theoretical results.

Keywords

• multi-agent systems
• synchronization
• event-triggered control
• nonlinear controller outputs