Decentralized disturbance attenuating output-feedback trackers for large-scale nonlinear systems

The problem of decentralized output-feedback tracking with disturbance attenuation is addressed for a new class of large-scale and minimum-phase nonlinear systems. Common assumptions like matching and growth conditions are not required for the underlying decentralized system with a diagonal structure. An observer-based decentralized controller design is presented. The proposed decentralized output-feedback laws achieve asymptotic tracking and internal Lagrange stability when the disturbance inputs disappear, and, guarantee external stability in the presence of disturbance inputs. These external stability properties include Sontag's ISS and iISS conditions and standard L-2-gain property. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.