Output feedback tracking control for lower‐triangular nonlinear time‐delay systems with asymmetric input saturation

In this paper, the problem of output feedback tracking control is investigated for lower‐triangular nonlinear time‐delay systems in the presence of asymmetric input saturation. A novel design program based on a dynamic high gain design approach is proposed to construct an output feedback tracking controller. The innovation here is that the problem of constructing tracking controller can be transformed into the problem of constructing two dynamic equations, with one being utilized to deal with the nonlinear terms and the other one being applied to analyze the influence of asymmetric input saturation. It is proved by an appropriate Lyapunov‐Krasovskii functional that the proposed tracking controller subject to saturation can ensure that all the signals of the closed‐loop system are globally bounded and the tracking error is prescribed sufficiently small when time is long enough. A practical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Dynamic behavior of the discrete‐time double integrator with saturated locally stabilizing linear state feedback laws

The main contribution of this paper is to completely characterize the dynamic behavior of the discrete‐time double integrator with a saturated locally stabilizing linear state feedback law. In continuous‐time setting, any linear state feedback control law that locally stabilizes the double integrator also globally stabilizes the system in the presence of actuator saturation. In discrete‐time setting, the equivalent of the double integrator does not have the same property. In this paper, we completely characterize the global behavior of saturated locally stabilizing linear state feedback laws for the discrete‐time double integrator. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Output‐feedback control of a class of stochastic nonlinear systems with linearly bounded unmeasurable states

In this paper, the problems of stochastic disturbance attenuation and asymptotic stabilization via output feedback are investigated for a class of stochastic nonlinear systems with linearly bounded unmeasurable states. For the first problem, under the condition that the stochastic inverse dynamics are generalized stochastic input‐to‐state stable, a linear output‐feedback controller is explicitly constructed to make the closed‐loop system noise‐to‐state stable. For the second problem, under the conditions that the stochastic inverse dynamics are stochastic input‐to‐state stable and the intensity of noise is known to be a unit matrix, a linear output‐feedback controller is explicitly constructed to make the closed‐loop system globally asymptotically stable in probability. Using a feedback domination design method, we construct these two controllers in a unified way. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Output feedback stabilization for a class of stochastic non‐linear systems with delays in input

In this paper, constructive techniques are developed for a class of stochastic non‐linear systems with delays in input. Non‐linear terms considered in this paper are more general than those satisfying linear growth conditions. The purpose is to design an output feedback controller such that the resulting closed‐loop system is globally asymptotically stable in probability. The desired output feedback controller is explicitly constructed using the Lyapunov method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

A delay‐independent output feedback for linear systems with time‐varying input delay

It is well known that a delay‐dependent or delay‐independent truncated predictor feedback law stabilizes a general linear system in the presence of a certain amount of input delay. Results also exist on estimating the maximum delay bound that guarantees stability. In the face of a time‐varying or unknown delay, delay‐independent feedback laws are preferable over delay‐dependent feedback laws as the former provide robustness to the uncertainties in the delay. In the light of few results on the construction of delay‐independent output feedback laws for general linear systems with input delay, we present in this paper a delay‐independent observer–based output feedback law that stabilizes the system. Our design is based on the truncated predictor feedback design. We establish an estimate of the maximum allowable delay bound through the Razumikhin‐type stability analysis. An implication of the delay bound result reveals the capability of the proposed output feedback law in handling an arbitrarily large input delay in linear systems with all open‐loop poles at the origin or in the open left‐half plane. Compared with that of the delay‐dependent output feedback laws in the literature, this same level of stabilization result is not sacrificed by the absence of the prior knowledge of the delay.     

Robust sampled‐data model predictive control for networked systems with time‐varying delay

In this paper, the problem of sampled‐data model predictive control (MPC) is investigated for linear networked control systems with both input delay and input saturation. The delay‐induced nonlinearity is overapproximatively modeled as a polytopic inclusion. The nonlinear behavior of input saturation is expressed as a convex polytope. The resulting closed‐loop systems are represented as linear systems with polytopic and additive norm‐bounded uncertainties. The aim is to determine a robust MPC controller that asymptotically stabilizes the uncertain system at the origin with a certain level of quadratic performance. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by a numerical example.     

Event‐triggered constrained control of positive systems with input saturation

This paper addresses the problem of event‐triggered stabilization for positive systems subject to input saturation, where the state variables are in the nonnegative orthant. An event‐triggered linear state feedback law is constructed. By expressing the saturated linear state feedback law on a convex hull of a group of auxiliary linear feedback laws, we establish conditions under which the closed‐loop system is asymptotically stable with a given set contained in the domain of attraction. On the basis of these conditions, the problem of designing the feedback gain and the event‐triggering strategy for attaining the largest domain of attraction is formulated and solved as an optimization problem with linear matrix inequality constraints. The problem of designing the feedback gain and the event‐triggering strategy for achieving fast transience response with a guaranteed size of the domain of attraction is also formulated and solved as an linear matrix inequality problem. The effectiveness of these results is then illustrated by numerical simulation.     

Pseudo‐predictor feedback control of discrete‐time linear systems with a single input delay

This paper studies the problems of stabilization of discrete‐time linear systems with a single input delay. By developing the methodology of pseudo‐predictor feedback, which uses the (artificial) closed‐loop system dynamics to predict the future state, memoryless state feedback control laws are constructed to solve the problem. Necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the stability of the closed‐loop system in terms of the stability of a class‐difference equations. It is also shown that the proposed controller achieves semi‐global stabilization of the system if its actuator is subject to either magnitude saturation or energy constraints under the condition that the open‐loop system is only polynomially unstable. Numerical examples have been worked out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Global trajectory tracking through output feedback for robot manipulators with bounded inputs

In this work, a globally stabilizing output feedback scheme for the trajectory tracking of robot manipulators with bounded inputs is proposed. It achieves the motion control objective avoiding input saturation and excluding velocity measurements. Moreover, it is not defined using a specific sigmoidal function, but any one on a set of saturation functions. Consequently, the proposed scheme actually constitutes a family of globally stabilizing output feedback bounded controllers. Furthermore, the control gains are not tied to satisfy any saturation‐avoidance inequality and may consequently take any positive value, which may be considered beneficial for performance adjustment/improvement purposes. Further, a class of desired trajectories that may be globally tracked avoiding input saturation and excluding velocity measurements is completely characterized. Global asymptotic stabilization of the closed‐loop system solutions towards the pre‐specified desired trajectory is proved through a strict Lyapunov function. The efficiency of the proposed scheme is corroborated through experimental results. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

Model predictive tracking control for a linear system under time‐varying input constraints

In this paper, we propose a tracking control law for a linear dynamical system under time‐varying input constraints. The proposed control law consists of a dual‐mode model predictive control (MPC) law and a target recalculation mechanism. As the terminal controller of the dual‐mode MPC, we propose a saturation‐level‐dependent gain‐scheduled feedback control law that ensures closed‐loop stability against arbitrary change of the position limit of the actuators. We also present conditions that guarantee feasibility and stability of the control algorithm under time‐varying input constraints. The control algorithm is reduced to an online optimization problem under linear matrix inequality constraints. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

L2‐gain fault tolerant control of singular Lipschitz systems in the presence of actuator saturation

In this paper, the L₂‐gain fault tolerant control for a class of singular systems in the presence of Lipschitz nonlinearity and actuator saturation is investigated. Both fixed‐gain controller and adaptive controller are designed such that the closed‐loop system is regular, impulse‐free, and stable. In contrast with our previous work where the saturation avoidance method is adopted, here we resort to the saturation allowance approach to tackle this issue. As a result, the obtained criterion guaranteeing the regularity, impulse‐free, and stability properties does not involve information about the initial state a prior comparing with our previous results. Moreover, the structural constraint on the feedback control gain is removed. An optimization algorithm is formulated to find the largest disturbance tolerance capability. In addition, the L₂‐gain performance of the closed‐loop system is also addressed based on the aforementioned results. An example is given to validate the theoretical results. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Semi-global stabilization of linear systems subject to output saturation

It is established that a SISO linear stabilizable and detectable system subject to output saturation can be semi-globally stabilized by linear output feedback if all its invariant zeros are in the closed left-half plane, no matter where the open loop poles are. This result complements a recent result that such systems can always be globally stabilized by discontinuous nonlinear feedback laws, and can be viewed as dual to a well-known result: a linear stabilizable and detectable system subject to input saturation can be semi-globally stabilized by linear output feedback if all its poles are in the open left-half plane, no matter where the invariant zeros are.     

Semi‐global stabilization via linear sampled‐data output feedback for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems

This paper develops a systematic design scheme to construct a linear sampled‐data output feedback controller that semi‐globally asymptotically stabilizes a class of uncertain systems with both higher‐order and linear growth nonlinearities. To deal with the uncertain coefficients in the systems, a robust state feedback stabilizer and a reduced‐order sampled‐data observer, both in the linear form, are constructed and then integrated together. The semi‐global attractivity and local stability are delicately proved by carefully selecting a scaling gain using the output feedback domination approach and a sampling period sufficiently small to restrain the state growth under a zero‐order‐holder input. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Delay‐dependent anti‐windup strategy for linear systems with saturating inputs and delayed outputs

This paper addresses the problem of the determination of stability regions for linear systems with delayed outputs and subject to input saturation, through anti‐windup strategies. A method for synthesizing anti‐windup gains aiming at maximizing a region of admissible states, for which the closed‐loop asymptotic stability and the given controlled output constraints are respected, is proposed. Based on the modelling of the closed‐loop system resulting from the controller plus the anti‐windup loop as a linear time‐delay system with a dead‐zone nonlinearity, constructive delay‐dependent stability conditions are formulated by using both quadratic and Lure Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals. Numerical procedures based on the solution of some convex optimization problems with LMI constraints are proposed for computing the anti‐windup gain that leads to the maximization of an associated stability region. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is illustrated by some numerical examples. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An improvement to the low gain design for discrete‐time linear systems in the presence of actuator saturation nonlinearity

A low‐gain design for linear discrete‐time systems subject to input saturation was recently developed to solve both semi‐global stabilization and semi‐global output regulation problems. This paper proposes an improvement to the low‐gain design and determines controllers with the new design that achieve semi‐global output regulation. The improvement is reflected in better utilization of available control capacity and consequently better closed‐loop performance. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

State‐feedback stabilization for high‐order stochastic nonlinear systems with stochastic inverse dynamics

For a class of high‐order stochastic nonlinear systems with stochastic inverse dynamics which are neither necessarily feedback linearizable nor affine in the control input, this paper investigates the problem of state‐feedback stabilization for the first time. Under some weaker assumptions, a smooth state‐feedback controller is designed, which ensures that the closed‐loop system has an almost surely unique solution on [0, ∞), the equilibrium at the origin of the closed‐loop system is globally asymptotically stable in probability, and the states can be regulated to the origin almost surely. A simulation example demonstrates the control scheme. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Passivity‐based sliding mode controller/observer for second‐order nonlinear systems

A passivity‐based sliding mode control for a class of second‐order nonlinear systems with matched disturbances is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a nonlinear sliding surface is designed using feedback passification, in which the passivity is employed to guarantee the closed‐loop system's stability. The passivity‐based controller comprising a discontinuous term guarantees globally asymptotical convergence to the sliding surface. A sliding mode‐based control law that satisfies the reaching and sliding condition is also developed. Moreover, the passivity‐based sliding mode observer is also developed to effectively estimate the system states. Compared with conventional sliding mode control, the proposed control scheme has a shorter reaching time; and hence, the system performance is less affected by disturbances, thus eliminating the need to increase the control input gain. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.     

Dynamical Output Feedback Stabilization Of Mimo Bilinear Systems With Undamped Natural Response

This paper considers the globally asymptotic stabilization problem of multi‐input multi‐output bilinear systems with undamped natural response. Under the conditions for asymptotic stabilization by static state feedback control and system detectability, two output dynamic feedback controllers with saturation bounded control are constructed. The global asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop system is verified by Lyapunov stability theory and LaSalle's Lemma. An example is given to demonstrate the obtained results.     

Robust feedback stabilization using high‐gain observer via event triggering

In this article, the problem of robust output feedback stabilization of single‐input single‐output nonlinear systems is studied in the event‐triggering framework. In this work, an event‐triggered output feedback law based on a high‐gain observer is constructed, which guarantees the stability of closed‐loop system. First, the high‐gain observer with a triggering scheme is designed to estimate the plant state in the presence of external disturbances subject to any satisfactory accuracy of the estimation error. The observer‐based triggering mechanism decides the transmission of plant output to the observer by observing a certain event condition. Similarly, another triggering mechanism is designed using the estimated state of observer that triggers the control signal to be updated only when it is satisfied. Under this proposed event‐triggering framework, the stability of closed‐loop system is then analyzed. Here, we provide the simplified design technique, in which the high‐gain parameter and the triggering thresholds can be selected independently to achieve any desired bound for the plant trajectory. The results are finally demonstrated through simulation of a numerical example.     

Robust control of a family of uncertain nonminimum‐phase systems via continuous‐time and sampled‐data output feedback

The problem of global robust stabilization is studied by both continuous‐time and sampled‐data output feedback for a family of nonminimum‐phase nonlinear systems with uncertainty. The uncertain nonlinear system considered in this paper has an interconnect structure consisting of a driving system and a possibly unstable zero dynamics with uncertainty, ie, the uncertain driven system. Under a linear growth condition on the uncertain zero dynamics and a Lipschitz condition on the driving system, we show that it is possible to globally robustly stabilize the family of uncertain nonminimum‐phase systems by a single continuous‐time or a sampled‐data output feedback controller. The sampled‐data output feedback controller is designed by using the emulated versions of a continuous‐time observer and a state feedback controller, ie, by holding the input/output signals constant over each sampling interval. The design of either continuous‐time or sampled‐data output compensator uses only the information of the nominal system of the uncertain controlled plant. In the case of sampled‐data control, global robust stability of the hybrid closed‐loop system with uncertainty is established by means of a feedback domination method together with the robustness of the nominal closed‐loop system if the sampling time is small enough.