Controllability of heterogeneous multi-agent systems via cooperative output regulation

This paper investigates the controllability of heterogeneous linear multi-agent systems (MASs) based on the cooperative output regulation, in which the considered agents are of high- degree heterogeneity, including different dimensions, heterogeneous dynamics and nonidentical interactions varying with agent and its neighbors. A design framework is developed for nonidentical external input and interaction gains, with the help of the improved cooperative regulators and virtual triple. Some necessary and/or sufficient conditions are derived to ensure the controllability of MASs. The obtained controllability criteria require lower computational cost and are much easier to examine compared with directly performing the traditional controllability test on heterogeneous MASs. Furthermore, extended controllability analysis without regulation assumptions is also provided to illustrate the effect of interactions among diverse agents on the controllability. The effectiveness of theoretical results is substantiated finally by two examples: a 6-agents heterogeneous MAS and a practical MAS composed of heterogeneous aircrafts and vehicles.