Output feedback control of a class of feedforward nonlinear systems in the presence of sensor noise

We propose an output feedback controller for a class of feedforward nonlinear systems under sensor noise. The sensor noise is any signal whose DC component is finite, which covers not only deterministic signals but also random signals including many practical noises. We introduce a notion of virtual state, then propose a measurement output feedback controller that utilizes a gain scaling factor. The gain scaling factor is commonly employed by the observer and controller. Through analysis, we show that all system states and output remain to be bounded in the presence of sensor noise, and the bound of states except output can be made arbitrarily small. Moreover, if the DC component of sensor noise is zero, the ultimate bound of the states and output can be made arbitrarily small by increasing the gain scaling factor in the presence of sensor noise. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.