Adaptive Prescribed-Time Output Tracking of Clustered Uncertain Euler-Lagrange Systems: A Predefined-Track Containment Control Method

In this article, a novel general clustered network framework with hybrid communication is constructed for multiple uncertain Euler-Lagrange (EL) systems. The objective is to ensure that the systems under consideration achieve containment tracking in the predefined path at the prescribed time. First, in the light of the hierarchical control design, the output tracking problem is decomposed into the desired signals tracking and the stability of the nonlinear uncertain coupled systems. Second, the wide-area network is described by a combination of a directed graph and an intermittent control scheme, then all agents are divided into different subnetworks in demand or scenarios. Based on this, a distributed prescribed-time hybrid observer under a time-varying scaling function and a novel containment error method is designed to achieve the containment tracking. In addition, an adaptive distributed prescribed-time hybrid control strategy is proposed for the uncertainty estimation. Then, the prescribed-time stability of uncertain EL systems is analyzed and guaranteed using the general Lyapunov theory and intermittent control method. Finally, the proposed hybrid control strategy is verified by the simulation results of multiple flexible manipulator systems.