Adaptive Neural Networks Prescribed Performance Control Design for Switched Interconnected Uncertain Nonlinear Systems

Tunnel Prescribed Control of Nonlinear Systems With Unknown Control Directions

This article solves the entry capture problem (ECP) such that for any initial tracking error, it can be regulated into the prescribed performance constraints within a user-given time. The challenge lies in how to remove the initial condition limitation and to handle the ECP for nonlinear systems under unknown control directions and asymmetric performance constraints. For better tracking performance, we propose a unified tunnel prescribed performance (TPP) providing strict and tight allowable set. With the aid of a scaling function, error self-tuning functions (ESFs) are then developed to make the control scheme suitable to any initial condition (including the initial constraint violation), where the initial values of ESFs always satisfy performance constraints. In lieu of the Nussbaum technique, an orientation function is introduced to deal with unknown control directions while such way is capable of reducing the control peaking problem. Using ESFs, together with TPP and an orientation function, the resulted tunnel prescribed control (TPC) leads to a solution for the underlying ECP, which also exhibits a low complexity level since no command filters or dynamic surface control is required. Finally, simulation results are provided to further demonstrate these theoretical findings.

Adaptive Dynamic Event-Triggered Tracking Control for Uncertain Switched Nonlinear Systems Under State-Dependent Switching

This article introduces an adaptive dynamic event-triggered technique for addressing the output tracking control problem of uncertain switched nonlinear systems with prescribed performance. First, a switching dynamic event-triggered mechanism (SDETM) is established to alleviate network burden and conserve computational resources. A notable aspect is the inclusion of asynchronous switching between the switching subsystems and controllers. Second, a state-dependent switching law ensuring a dwell-time constraint is designed, which avoids the frequent switching phenomenon within any finite time interval. Third, an SDETM and an adaptive dynamic event-triggered controller are developed to confine the output tracking error within predefined decaying boundaries, while ensuring that all the signals of the closed-loop switched system remain within bounded regions. Finally, the validity and applicability of the developed control scheme are demonstrated through a one-link manipulator example.

Low-Complexity Tracking Control of Unknown Strict-Feedback Systems With Quantitative Performance Guarantees

This article is concerned with the prescribed performance tracking control problem for the strict-feedback systems with unknown nonlinearities and unmatched disturbances. The challenge lies in the realization of a complete performance specification for trajectory tracking in the sense of quantitatively regulating the peak value, overshoot, settling time, and accuracy while ensuring that the initial condition holds naturally. To this end, an error transformation, equipped with a shifting function, is introduced and incorporated with a new-type barrier function. Then, a class of performance functions is exploited to quantify the settling times and steady-state bounds of the intermediate errors. Moreover, to improve the flexibility of formulating performance specifications for the tracking error, a pair of asymmetric performance boundaries are further designed. With their combination, a novel robust prescribed performance control (PPC) approach is proposed in this article. It not only achieves the quantitative performance guarantees but also preserves the unique simplicity of PPC, evading the needs for function approximation, parameter identification, disturbance estimation, derivative calculation, or command filtering. The above theoretical findings are confirmed via three simulation studies.

Neural Network Control of Underactuated Surface Vehicles With Prescribed Trajectory Tracking Performance

This article is concerned with the fast and accurate trajectory tracking control problem for a sort of underactuated surface vehicle under model uncertainties and environmental disturbances. A novel neural networks (NNs)-based prescribed performance control strategy is proposed to solve the problem. In the control design, a new type of performance function is constructed which provides a way to predefine the settling time and accuracy, straightforward. Then, a pair of barrier functions are employed to combat not only the position error but also the virtual control input. This evades the possible singularity or discontinuity of the control solution. Next, an initialization technique is exploited, removing the requirement for the initial condition of the control system. Finally, two NNs are employed to deal with the unknown ship nonlinearities. The performance analysis not only demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach but also reveals its robustness against disturbances and unknown reference trajectory derivatives. There is, thus, no need to acquire such knowledge or employ specialized tools to handle disturbances. The theoretical findings are illustrated by a simulation study.

Switched Fractional Order Multiagent Systems Containment Control with Event-Triggered Mechanism and Input Quantization

This paper studies the containment control problem for a class of fractional order nonlinear multiagent systems in the presence of arbitrary switchings, unmeasured states, and quantized input signals by a hysteresis quantizer. Under the framework of the Lyapunov function theory, this paper proposes an event-triggered adaptive neural network dynamic surface quantized controller, in which dynamic surface control technology can avoid “explosion of complexity” and obtain fractional derivatives for virtual control functions continuously. Radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) are used to approximate the unknown nonlinear functions, and an observer is designed to obtain the unmeasured states. The proposed distributed protocol can ensure all the signals remain semi-global uniformly ultimately bounded in the closed-loop system, and all followers can converge to the convex hull spanned by the leaders’ trajectory. Utilizing the combination of an event-triggered scheme and quantized control technology, the controller is updated aperiodically only at the event-sampled instants such that transmitting and computational costs are greatly reduced. Simulations compare the event-triggered scheme without quantization control technology with the control method proposed in this paper, and the results show that the event-triggered scheme combined with the quantization mechanism reduces the number of control inputs by 7% to 20%.

Prescribed Performance Adaptive Backstepping Control for Winding Segmented Permanent Magnet Linear Synchronous Motor

In this paper, a prescribed performance adaptive backstepping control (PPABC) strategy is proposed to control the speed of a winding segmented permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (WS-PMLSM) with variable parameters and an unknown load disturbance. Firstly, a mathematical model of WS-PMLSM is provided. Then, the prescribed performance technique is introduced in the adaptive backstepping control to improve the transient performance and ensures the tracking error converges within a predetermined range. In addition, a constrained command filter is introduced to address the problem of differential expansion which exists in the traditional backstepping method, and a filter compensation signal is designed against the filter error. Moreover, the adaptive law is designed based on Lyapunov stability theory to estimate the uncertainties caused by parameter changes and load disturbances. The stability of the proposed control strategy is given and the simulation of the control system is carried out under the proposed PPABC in contrast with another backstepping control and traditional PI control. Finally, the experiment is conducted to further show the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

Improved prescribed performance control for air-breathing hypersonic vehicles with unknown deadzone input nonlinearity

An improved prescribed performance controller is proposed for the longitudinal model of an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle (AHV) subject to uncertain dynamics and input nonlinearity. Different from the traditional non-affine model requiring non-affine functions to be differentiable, this paper utilizes a semi-decomposed non-affine model with non-affine functions being locally semi-bounded and possibly in-differentiable. A new error transformation combined with novel prescribed performance functions is proposed to bypass complex deductions caused by conventional error constraint approaches and circumvent high frequency chattering in control inputs. On the basis of backstepping technique, the improved prescribed performance controller with low structural and computational complexity is designed. The methodology guarantees the altitude and velocity tracking error within transient and steady state performance envelopes and presents excellent robustness against uncertain dynamics and deadzone input nonlinearity. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.

Adaptive critic designs for optimal control of uncertain nonlinear systems with unmatched interconnections

In this paper, we develop a novel optimal control strategy for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with unmatched interconnections. To begin with, we present a stabilizing feedback controller for the interconnected nonlinear systems by modifying an array of optimal control laws of auxiliary subsystems. We also prove that this feedback controller ensures a specified cost function to achieve optimality. Then, under the framework of adaptive critic designs, we use critic networks to solve the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations associated with auxiliary subsystem optimal control laws. The critic network weights are tuned through the gradient descent method combined with an additional stabilizing term. By using the newly established weight tuning rules, we no longer need the initial admissible control condition. In addition, we demonstrate that all signals in the closed-loop auxiliary subsystems are stable in the sense of uniform ultimate boundedness by using classic Lyapunov techniques. Finally, we provide an interconnected nonlinear plant to validate the present control scheme.