Robust output consensus for a class of fractional‐order interval multi‐agent systems

This paper is devoted to the robust output consensus problem of fractional‐order interval multi‐agent systems (FOIMASs) with fixed undirected topologies, where the fractional order, the system matrix, and the input matrix are perturbed simultaneously, and there exist linear coupling relationships among the fractional order and the perturbations of the system matrix and the input matrix. According to the information of the agents' neighbors, we design a distributed output feedback protocol. A sufficient condition guaranteeing the robust output consensus of FOIMASs is derived in terms of nonlinear matrix inequalities. By the matrix transformation and the singular value decomposition, the nonlinear matrix inequalities are transformed into linear matrix inequalities, and the output feedback gain matrix is obtained. A numerical simulation example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Finite‐time stability of linear fractional‐order time‐delay systems

In this paper, a finite‐time stability results of linear delay fractional‐order systems is investigated based on the generalized Gronwall inequality and the Caputo fractional derivative. Sufficient conditions are proposed to the finite‐time stability of the system with the fractional order. Numerical results are given and compared with other published data in the literature to demonstrate the validity of the proposed theoretical results.     

Dynamic event-triggered distributed interval functional observers for interconnected systems

In this paper, we design dynamic event-triggered interval functional observers (FOs) for interconnected systems comprising $M$ $(M\ge 2)$ subsystems where each subsystem is subject to nonlinearities and output disturbances. Our design method consists of two main steps. First, we design decentralized dynamic event-triggered mechanisms (ETMs) which use only locally measured output information. We then consider the design of distributed interval FOs by using the newly proposed ETMs. Their existence conditions are established and formulated in terms of linear programming. We also derive a bound on the estimated error vector and show that this bound is the smallest. Thus, this ensures that the unknown linear functional state vector can be estimated within an upper and lower bound of its true value by the designed interval observers. Finally, we apply the obtained results to design dynamic event-triggered interval observers for linear functions of the state vectors of an $N$-machine power system.     

Sliding mode control approaches to the robust regulation of linear multivariable fractional‐order dynamics

Sliding mode control approaches are developed to stabilize a class of linear uncertain fractional‐order dynamics. After making a suitable transformation that simplifies the sliding manifold design, two sliding mode control schemes are presented. The first one is based on the conventional discontinuous first‐order sliding mode control technique. The second scheme is based on the chattering‐free second‐order sliding mode approach that leads to the same robust performance but using a continuous control action. Simple controller tuning formulas are constructively developed along the paper by Lyapunov analysis. The simulation results confirm the expected performance. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preserving order observers for nonlinear systems

Preserving Order Observers provide an estimation that is always above or below the true variable, and in the absence of uncertainties/perturbations, the estimation converges asymptotically to the true value of the variable. In this paper, we propose a novel methodology to design preserving order observers for a class of nonlinear systems in the nominal case or when perturbations/uncertainties are present. This objective is achieved by combining two important systemic properties: dissipativity and cooperativity. Dissipativity is used to guarantee the convergence of the estimation error dynamics, whereas cooperativity of the error dynamics assures the order‐preserving properties of the observer. The use of dissipativity for observer design offers a big flexibility in the class of nonlinearities that can be considered while keeping the design simple: it leads in many situations to the solution of a linear matrix inequality (LMI). Cooperativity of the observer leads to an LMI. When both properties are considered simultaneously, the design of the observer can be reduced, in most cases, to the solution of both a bilinear matrix inequality and an LMI. Because a couple of preserving order observers, one above and one below, provide an interval observer, the proposed methodology unifies several interval observers design methods. The design methodology has been validated experimentally in a three‐tanks system, and it has also been tested numerically and compared with an example from the literature.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distributed control of uncertain multiagent systems for tracking a leader with unknown fractional‐order dynamics

This paper proposes distributed adaptive cooperative control algorithms for second‐order agents to track a leader with unknown dynamics. The models of the followers and the leader are composed of uncertain nonlinear components. The order of the leader's dynamics is unknown and can be fractional. Only the single output information is shared among neighbored agents. To simplify the control design, linearly parameterized neural networks are used to approximate the unknown functions. We first present an adaptive control for leaderless consensus and then extend the method to the tracking problem. Thorough theoretical proofs as well as numerical simulation are included to verify the results. Compared with relevant literature, the new approach applies to a larger variety of systems because (i) knowledge about the structure of leader's model is unnecessary; (ii) the unknown functions in different agents' dynamics can be diverse and arbitrary, in other words, the algorithms apply to heterogeneous agents; (iii) the results can be simply used without parameter calculations.     

High‐order sliding‐mode observer for linear time‐varying systems with unknown inputs

In this article, an observer for linear time variant systems affected by unknown inputs is suggested. The proposed observer combines the deterministic least squares filter and the high‐order sliding‐mode differentiator to provide exact state reconstruction in spite of bounded unknown inputs and system instability. The cascade structure of the algorithm provides a correct state reconstruction for the class of linear time variant systems that satisfy the structural property of strong observability. Simulations illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithm. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust nonovershooting tracking control for fractional‐order systems

A robust tracking control is proposed for the fractional‐order systems (FOSs) to achieve a tracking response with no overshoot, even in the presence of a class of disturbances. The control proposed makes use of a newly designed integral sliding mode technique for FOSs, which is capable of rejecting the bounded disturbances acting through the input channel. The proposed integral sliding mode control design has two components: a nominal control component and a discontinuous control component. The overshoot in the system response is avoided by the nominal control designed with the use of Moore's eigenstructure assignment algorithm. The sliding mode technique is used for the design of discontinuous part of the control that imparts the desired robustness properties.     

Sliding mode control-based linear functional observers for discrete-time stochastic systems

Sliding mode control (SMC) is one of the most popular techniques to stabilise linear discrete-time stochastic systems. However, application of SMC becomes difficult when the system states are not available for feedback. This paper presents a new approach to design a SMC-based functional observer for discrete-time stochastic systems. The functional observer is based on the Kronecker product approach. Existence conditions and stability analysis of the proposed observer are given. The control input is estimated by a novel linear functional observer. This approach leads to a non-switching type of control, thereby eliminating the fundamental cause of chatter. Furthermore, the functional observer is designed in such a way that the effect of process and measurement noise is minimised. Simulation example is given to illustrate and validate the proposed design method.     

PDα‐type iterative learning control for fractional‐order linear continuous‐time switched systems

For a class of fractional‐order linear continuous‐time switched systems specified by an arbitrary switching rule, this paper proposes a PD^α‐type fractional‐order iterative learning control algorithm. For systems disturbed by bounded measurement noise, the robustness of PD^α‐type algorithm is first discussed in the iteration domain and the tracking performance is analyzed. Next, a sufficient condition for monotone convergence of the algorithm is studied when external noise is absent. The results of analysis and simulation illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm.     

State estimation and decoupling of unknown inputs in uncertain LPV systems using interval observers

This paper proposes a linear parameter varying (LPV) interval observer for state estimation and unknown inputs decoupling in uncertain continuous-time LPV systems. Two different problems are considered and solved: (1) the evaluation of the set of admissible values for the state at each instant of time; and (2) the unknown input observation, i.e. the design of the observer in such a way that some information about the nature of the unknown inputs affecting the system can be obtained. In both cases, analysis and design conditions, which rely on solving linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), are provided. The effectiveness and appeal of the proposed method is demonstrated using an illustrative application to a two-joint planar robotic manipulator.     

Robust stabilization of fractional‐order plant with general interval uncertainties based on a graphical method

This paper concentrates on the robust stabilization of fractional‐order plant suffering from general interval uncertainties by using fractional‐order controllers. General interval uncertainties mean that the coefficients and orders of the denominator and nominator of the fractional‐order plant are all uncertain and lie in specified intervals. Two main contributions are presented, as follows. (i) Based on a graphical method, a necessary and sufficient criterion is proposed for the stabilization of the general interval fractional‐order plant. By adopting some well‐defined multivalue functions, the proposed method can explicitly construct the nonconvex boundary of the value set of the fractional system. (ii) Two alternative methods are presented to improve the computational efficiency of the stabilization test. Based on a newly developed redundancy elimination technique, the first method can avoid computing and plotting many segments, which are in the interior of the value set of the fractional system. The second method utilizes a novel convex polygon bounding approach. It can efficiently construct a convex polygon to bound the nonconvex value set of the general interval fractional system. Examples are followed to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.     

Positivity and stability of mixed fractional‐order systems with unbounded delays: Necessary and sufficient conditions

This article provides a comprehensive study on quantitative properties of linear mixed fractional‐order systems with multiple time‐varying delays. The delays can be bounded or unbounded. We first obtain a result on existence and uniqueness of solutions to these systems. Then, we prove a necessary and sufficient condition for their positivity. Finally, we provide a necessary and sufficient criterion to characterize asymptotic stability of positive linear mixed fractional‐order systems with multiple time‐varying delays.     

Dissipative interval observer design for discrete‐time nonlinear systems

This paper studies the problem of designing interval observers for a family of discrete‐time nonlinear systems subject to parametric uncertainties and external disturbances. The design approach states that the interval observers are constituted by a couple of preserving order observers, one providing an upper estimation of the state while the other provides a lower one. The design aim is to apply the cooperative and dissipative properties to the discrete‐time estimation error dynamics in order to guarantee that the upper and lower estimations are always above and below the true state trajectory for all times, while both estimations asymptotically converge towards a neighborhood of the true state values. The approach represents an extension to the original method proposed by the authors, which focuses on the continuous‐time nonlinear systems. In some situations, the design conditions can be formulated as bilinear matrix inequalities (BMIs) and/or linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Two simulation examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the design approach.     

Robust stability analysis of fractional‐order interval systems with multiple time delays

This paper investigates the robust stability analysis of fractional‐order interval systems with multiple time delays, including retarded and neutral systems. A bound on the poles of fractional‐order interval systems of retarded and neutral type is obtained. Then, the concept of the value set and zero exclusion principle is extended to these systems, and a necessary and sufficient condition is produced for checking the robust stability of them. The value set of the characteristic equation of the systems is obtained analytically and, based on it, an auxiliary function is introduced to check the zero exclusion principle. Finally, two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the results presented.     

On the sliding‐mode control of fractional‐order nonlinear uncertain dynamics

This paper deals with applications of sliding‐mode‐based fractional control techniques to address tracking and stabilization control tasks for some classes of nonlinear uncertain fractional‐order systems. Both single‐input and multi‐input systems are considered. A second‐order sliding‐mode approach is taken, in suitable combination with PI‐based design, in the single‐input case, while the unit‐vector approach is the main tool of reference in the multi‐input case. Sliding manifolds containing fractional derivatives of the state variables are used in the present work. Constructive tuning conditions for the control parameters are derived by Lyapunov analysis, and the convergence properties of the proposed schemes are supported by simulation results. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An H∞non‐fragile observer‐based adaptive sliding mode controller design for uncertain fractional‐order nonlinear systems with time delay and input nonlinearity

In this paper the problem of non‐fragile adaptive sliding mode observer design is addressed for a class of nonlinear fractional‐order time‐delay systems with uncertainties, external disturbance, exogenous noise, and input nonlinearity. An H_∞ observer‐based adaptive sliding mode control considering the non‐fragility of the observer is proposed for this system. The sufficient asymptotic stability conditions are derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities. It is proven that the sliding surface is reachable in finite time. An illustrative example is provided which corroborates the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

Reduced‐order state estimation for linear time‐varying systems

We consider reduced‐order and subspace state estimators for linear discrete‐time systems with possibly time‐varying dynamics. The reduced‐order and subspace estimators are obtained using a finite‐horizon minimization approach, and thus do not require the solution of algebraic Lyapunov or Riccati equations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

Unscented Kalman filter for continuous‐time nonlinear fractional‐order systems with process and measurement noises

This study proposes the design of unscented Kalman filter for a continuous‐time nonlinear fractional‐order system involving the process noise and the measurement noise. The nonlinear fractional‐order system is discretized to get the difference equation. According to the unscented transformation, the design method of unscented Kalman filter for a continuous‐time nonlinear fractional‐order system is provided. Compared with the extended Kalman filter, the proposed method can obtain a more accurate estimation effect. For fractional‐order systems containing non‐differentiable nonlinear functions, the method proposed in this paper is still effective. The unknown parameters are also discussed by the augmented vector method to achieve the state estimation and parameter identification. Finally, two examples are offered to verify the effectiveness of the proposed unscented Kalman filter for nonlinear fractional‐order systems.