Passivity-Based Output Synchronization of Discrete-Time Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems

In this paper, we consider the distributed output synchronization problem of heterogeneous discrete-time nonlinear multi-agent systems with input shortage passivity. We propose fully distributed synchronization protocols based on the outputs of neighboring agents. By using the passivity-based control, we show that the multi-agent system can be driven to synchronization provided that the coupling strengths are weak enough. In order to reduce the communication burden and the update frequency of controllers, an event-triggered distributed synchronization protocol is proposed where the transmission of output states and the updates of controllers are only needed at event instants. Finally, a simulation example is carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocols.