Additive‐state‐decomposition‐based tracking control framework for a class of nonminimum phase systems with measurable nonlinearities and unknown disturbances

This paper aims to propose an additive‐state‐decomposition‐based tracking control framework, based on which the output feedback tracking problem is solved for a class of nonminimum phase systems with measurable nonlinearities and unknown disturbances. This framework is to ‘additively’ decompose the output feedback tracking problem into two more tractable problems, namely an output feedback tracking problem for a linear time invariant system and a state feedback stabilization problem for a nonlinear system. Then, one can design a controller for each problem respectively using existing methods, and these two designed controllers are combined together to achieve the original control goal. The main contribution of the paper lies on the introduction of an additive state decomposition scheme and its implementation to mitigate the design difficulty of the output feedback tracking control problem for nonminimum phase nonlinear systems. To demonstrate the effectiveness, an illustrative example is given. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Output feedback control of a class of nonminimum‐phase nonlinear systems

The problem of global stabilization by output feedback is investigated in this paper for a class of nonminimum‐phase nonlinear systems. The system under consideration has a cascade configuration that consists of a driven system known as the inverse dynamics and a driving system. It is proved that although the zero dynamics may be unstable, there is an output feedback controller, globally stabilizing the nonminimum‐phase system if both driven and driving systems have a lower‐triangular form and satisfy a Lipschitz‐like condition, and the inverse dynamics satisfy a stronger version of input‐to‐state stabilizability condition. A design procedure is provided for the construction of an n‐dimensional dynamic output feedback compensator. Examples and simulations are also given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed output feedback controller. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Adaptive tracking control of MIMO nonlinear nonminimum phase system with unknown input nonlinearity

This paper proposes a nonlinear adaptive control for output tracking of multi‐input multi‐output nonlinear nonminimum phase system with input nonlinearity. The parameters of the input nonlinearity are assumed to be unknown. This problem is challenging, not only because of the unstable internal dynamics of nonminimum phase system, but also the existence of the unknown input nonlinearity. The partially linearized model of the original system is obtained through input/output linearization, and a states tracking model is constructed based on the computed ideal internal dynamics. A nonlinear adaptive controller, which can guarantee the bounded of output tracking error in the existence of unknown input nonlinearity, is proposed. Finally, a numerical simulation on vertical takeoff and landing aircraft is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed control methods.     

Output‐feedback tracking in causal nonminimum‐phase nonlinear systems using higher‐order sliding modes

Asymptotic output‐feedback tracking in a class of causal nonminimum phase uncertain nonlinear systems is addressed via sliding mode techniques. Sliding mode control is proposed for robust stabilization of the output tracking error in the presence of a bounded disturbance. The output reference profile and the unknown input/disturbance are supposed to be described by unknown linear exogenous systems of a given order. Local asymptotic stability of the output tracking error dynamics along with the boundedness of the internal states are proven. The unstable internal states are estimated asymptotically via the proposed multistage observer that is based on the method of extended system center. A higher‐order sliding mode observer/differentiator is used for the exact estimation of the input–output states in a finite time. The bounded disturbance is reconstructed asymptotically. A numerical example illustrates the efficiency of the proposed output‐feedback tracking approach developed for causal nonminimum phase nonlinear systems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Limitations on maximal tracking accuracy

This paper studies optimal tracking performance issues pertaining to finite-dimensional, linear, time-invariant feedback control systems. The problem under consideration amounts to determining the minimal tracking error between the output and reference signals of a feedback system, attainable by all possible stabilizing compensators. An integral square error criterion is used as a measure for the tracking error, and explicit expressions are derived for this minimal tracking error with respect to step reference signals. It is shown that plant nonminimum phase zeros have a negative effect on a feedback system's ability to reduce the tracking error, and that in a multivariable system this effect results in a way depending on not only the zero locations, but also the zero directions. It is also shown that if unity feedback structure is used for tracking purposes, plant nonminimum phase zeros and unstable poles can together play a particularly detrimental role in the achievable tracking performance, especially when the zeros and poles are nearby and their directions are closely aligned. On the other hand, if a two parameter controller structure is used, the achievable tracking performance depends only on the plant nonminimum phase zeros     

Robust nonlinear ship course‐keeping control by H∞ I/O linearization and μ‐synthesis

In this paper, the H_∞ input/output (I/O) linearization formulation is applied to design an inner‐loop nonlinear controller for a nonlinear ship course‐keeping control problem. Due to the ship motion dynamics are non‐minimum phase, it is impossible to use the ordinary feedback I/O linearization to resolve. Hence, the technique of H_∞ I/O linearization is proposed to obtain a nonlinear H_∞ controller such that the compensated nonlinear system approximates the linear reference model in I/O behaviour. Then a μ‐synthesis method is employed to design an outer‐loop robust controller to address tracking, regulation, and robustness issues. The time responses of the tracking signals for the closed‐loop system reveal that the overall robust nonlinear controller is able to provide robust stability and robust performance for the plant uncertainties and state measurement errors. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A class of globally output feedback stabilizable nonlinear nonminimum phase systems

It is shown that any observable nonlinear system in output feedback form can be globally exponentially stabilized by a dynamic output feedback controller, provided that it is minimum phase with respect to a linear combination of its state variables, even though it is nonminimum phase with respect to the measured output.     

Transient tracking performance improvement for nonlinear nonminimum phase systems: an additive-state-decomposition-based control method

To study the problem of improving transient tracking performance for nonlinear systems, this paper proposes an additive-state-decomposition-based control method for a class of nonlinear nonminimum phase (NMP) systems. This method ‘additively’ decomposes the original problem into two more tractable problems, namely a tracking problem for a linear time-invariant NMP ‘primary’ system and a state stabilisation problem for a certain nonlinear ‘secondary’ system. Then, controller for each system is designed respectively by employing existing methods, i.e. the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) method for the primary system and the backstepping method for the secondary system. Next, these two controllers are combined together to achieve the original tracking goal. Furthermore, the adjustment of weighting matrix Q in the LQR regulates the transient response of the closed-loop nonlinear system. Finally, two illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Sliding mode control of boost and buck-boost power converters using method of stable system centre

Nonminimum phase tracking control is studied for boost and buck-boost power converters. The sliding mode controller is designed to track directly a causal voltage tracking profile given by an exogenous system. The nonminimum phase output tracking problem is reduced to a state tracking problem. Bounded state tracking profiles are generated by equations of stable system centre. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the sliding mode control design.     

Approximate trajectory tracking of input‐disturbed PVTOL aircraft with delayed attitude measurements

In this paper, we address the flight‐trajectory tracking problem of an input‐disturbed planar vertical take‐off and landing (PVTOL) aircraft with delayed attitude measurements. By applying the first‐order Padé approximation to deal with the time delay functions, the problem is reduced to the output tracking of a new non‐minimum‐phase system without delay. A tracking controller, consisting of a linear static‐state feedback term, a switching control term and a nonlinear auxiliary input term, is proposed for robust stabilization of the output‐tracking errors together with the internal dynamics. Numerical simulations are performed to show the main results. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Global control of nonlinear systems with uncertain output function using homogeneous domination approach

This paper addresses the problem of using output feedback to globally control a class of nonlinear systems whose output functions are not precisely known. First, for the nominal linear system, we design a homogeneous state compensator without requiring precise information of the output function, and construct a nonlinear stabilizer with adjustable coefficients by using the generalized adding a power integrator technique. Then based on the homogeneous domination approach, a scaling gain is introduced into the proposed output feedback controller, which can be used by tuning the scaling gain to solve: (i) the problem of global output feedback stabilization for a class of upper‐triangular systems; and (ii) the problem of global practical output tracking for a class of lower‐triangular systems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal tracking performance of MIMO discrete‐time systems with communication constraints

The optimal tracking problem for multiple‐input multiple‐output linear‐time‐invariant discrete‐time systems with communication constraints in the feedback path is studied in this paper. The tracking performance is measured by the energy of the error signal between the output of the plant and the reference signal. The objective is to obtain an optimal tracking performance, attainable by all possible stabilizing compensators. It is shown that the optimal tracking performance consists of two parts, one depends on the nonminimum phase zeros and zero direction of the given plant, as well as the reference input signal direction, and the other depends on the nonminimum phase zeros, unstable poles, and pole direction of the given plant, as well as the bandwidth and additive white Gaussian noise of the communication channel. It is also shown that, if the constraint of the communication channel does not exist, the optimal tracking performance reduces to the existing tracking performance of the control system without communication constraints. A typical example is given to illustrate the theoretical results. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐parametric extremum seeking‐based iterative feedback gains tuning for nonlinear control

We study in this paper the problem of iterative feedback gains auto‐tuning for a class of nonlinear systems. For the class of input–output linearizable nonlinear systems with bounded additive uncertainties, we first design a nominal input–output linearization‐based robust controller that ensures global uniform boundedness of the output tracking error dynamics. Then, we complement the robust controller with a model‐free multi‐parametric extremum seeking control to iteratively auto‐tune the feedback gains. We analyze the stability of the whole controller, that is, the robust nonlinear controller combined with the multi‐parametric extremum seeking model‐free learning algorithm. We use numerical tests to demonstrate the performance of this method on a mechatronics example. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

${cal L}_1$ Adaptive Output Feedback Controller for Systems of Unknown Dimension

This note presents novel adaptive output feedback control methodology for systems of unknown dimension in the presence of unmodeled dynamics and time-varying uncertainties. The adaptive output feedback controller ensures uniformly bounded transient and asymptotic tracking for the system's both signals, input and output, simultaneously. The performance bounds can be systematically improved by increasing the adaptation rate. Simulations of an unstable nonminimum phase system verify the theoretical findings.     

Output tracking of stochastic nonlinear systems with unstable linearization

This paper studies the output tracking problem for a class of stochastic nonlinear systems whose linearization parts may have unstable modes via output‐feedback control. This is in contrast with most of the existing results where only state‐feedback control is considered. On the basis of the homogeneous domination technique, an output tracking controller is designed. It is shown that the expectation of tracking error can be made arbitrarily small while all the states of the closed‐loop system remain to be bounded in probability. Finally, a simulation example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the tracking controller.     

Finite‐time angular velocity observers for rigid‐body attitude tracking with bounded inputs

The attitude tracking of a rigid body without angular velocity measurements is addressed. A continuous angular velocity observer with fractional power functions is proposed to estimate the angular velocity via quaternion attitude information. The fractional power gains can be properly tuned according to a homogeneous method such that the estimation error system is uniformly almost globally finite‐time stable, irrespective of control inputs. To achieve output feedback attitude tracking control, a quaternion‐based nonlinear proportional‐derivative controller using full‐state feedback is designed first, yielding uniformly almost globally finite‐time stable of the attitude tracking system as well as bounded control torques a priori. It is then shown that the certainty equivalent combination of the observer and nonlinear proportional‐derivative controller ensures finite‐time convergence of the attitude tracking error for almost all initial conditions. The proposed methods not only avoid high‐gain injection, as opposed to the semi‐global results, but also overcome the unwinding problem associated with some quaternion‐based observers and/or controllers. Numerical simulations are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal Performance in Tracking Stochastic Signal Under Disturbance Rejection

The analysis method of optimal tracking performance is proposed for multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) linear time‐invariant (LTI) systems under disturbance rejection. An H₂ criterion of the error signal between the output of the plant and the reference signal is used as a measure for the tracking performance. Spectral factorization is applied to obtain the optimal solution of the system tracking error. The explicit expressions are derived for this minimal tracking error with respect to random reference signals under disturbance rejection. It is shown that the nonminimum phase zeros, the zero direction, the unstable poles, the pole direction of a given plant, statistical characteristics of the reference input signal, and disturbance signal have a negative effect on a feedback system's ability to reduce the system error with disturbance rejection. The results show that the optimal tracking performance will further be damaged because of disturbance rejection. Some typical examples are given to illustrate the theoretical results.