Neural-network-based robust adaptive control for a class of nonlinear systems

In this study, a robust adaptive control (RAC) system is developed for a class of nonlinear systems. The RAC system is comprised of a computation controller and a robust compensator. The computation controller containing a radial basis function (RBF) neural network is the principal controller, and the robust compensator can provide the smooth and chattering-free stability compensation. The RBF neural network is used to approximate the system dynamics, and the adaptive laws are derived to on-line tune the parameters of the neural network so as to achieve favorable estimation performance. From the Lyapunov stability analysis, it is shown that all signals in the closed-loop RBAC system are uniformly ultimately bounded. To investigate the effectiveness of the RAC system, the design methodology is applied to control two nonlinear systems: a wing rock motion system and a Chua’s chaotic circuit system. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed RAC system can achieve favorable tracking performance with unknown of the system dynamics.