Adaptive Discrete-Time Flight Control Using Disturbance Observer and Neural Networks

Visualized neural network-based vibration control for pigeon-like flexible flapping wings

This study investigates pigeon-like flexible flapping wings, which are known for their low energy consumption, high flexibility, and lightweight design. However, such flexible flapping wing systems are prone to deformation and vibration during flight, leading to performance degradation. It is thus necessary to design a control method to effectively manage the vibration of flexible wings. This paper proposes an improved rigid finite element method (IRFE) to develop a dynamic visualization model of flexible flapping wings. Subsequently, an adaptive vibration controller was designed based on non-singular terminal sliding mode (NTSM) control and fuzzy neural network (FNN) in order to effectively solve the problems of system uncertainty and actuator failure. With the proposed control, stability of the closed loop system is achieved in the context of Lyapunov's stability theory. At last, a joint simulation using MapleSim and MATLAB/Simulink was conducted to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller in terms of trajectory tracking and vibration suppression. The obtained results have demonstrated great practical value of the proposed method in both military (low-altitude reconnaissance, urban operations, and accurate delivery, etc.) and civil (field research, monitoring, and relief for disasters, etc.) applications.

Visualized neural network-based vibration control for pigeon-like flexible flapping wings

This study investigates pigeon-like flexible flapping wings, which are known for their low energy consumption, high flexibility, and lightweight design. However, such flexible flapping wing systems are prone to deformation and vibration during flight, leading to performance degradation. It is thus necessary to design a control method to effectively manage the vibration of flexible wings. This paper proposes an improved rigid finite element method (IRFE) to develop a dynamic visualization model of flexible flapping wings. Subsequently, an adaptive vibration controller was designed based on non-singular terminal sliding mode (NTSM) control and fuzzy neural network (FNN) in order to effectively solve the problems of system uncertainty and actuator failure. With the proposed control, stability of the closed loop system is achieved in the context of Lyapunov's stability theory. At last, a joint simulation using MapleSim and MATLAB/Simulink was conducted to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller in terms of trajectory tracking and vibration suppression.The obtained results have demonstrated great practical value of the proposed method in both military (low-altitude reconnaissance, urban operations, and accurate delivery, etc.) and civil (field research, monitoring, and relief for disasters, etc.) applications.

Sampled-Data Output Feedback Control for Nonlinear Uncertain Systems Using Predictor-Based Continuous-Discrete Observer

In this article, we investigate the problem of sampled-data robust output feedback control for a class of nonlinear uncertain systems with time-varying disturbance and measurement delay based on continuous-discrete observer. An augmented system that includes the nonlinear uncertain system and disturbance model is first found, and by using the delayed sampled-data output, we then propose a novel predictor-based continuous-discrete observer to estimate the unknown state and disturbance information. After that, in order to attenuate the undesirable influences of nonlinear uncertainties and disturbance, a sampled-data robust output feedback controller is developed based on disturbance/uncertainty estimation and attenuation technique. It shows that under the proposed control method, the states of overall hybrid nonlinear system can converge to a bounded region centered at the origin. The main benefit of the proposed control method is that in the presence of measurement delay, the influences of time-varying disturbance and nonlinear uncertainties can be effectively attenuated with the help of feedback domination method and prediction technique. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control method is demonstrated via the simulation results of a numerical example and a practical example.

Predefined-Time Hierarchical Coordinated Neural Control for Hypersonic Reentry Vehicle

This paper investigates the predefined-time hierarchical coordinated adaptive control on the hypersonic reentry vehicle in presence of low actuator efficiency. In order to compensate for the deficiency of rudder deflection in advantage of channel coupling, the hierarchical design is proposed for coordination of the elevator deflection and aileron deflection. Under the control scheme, the equivalent control law and switching control law are constructed with the predefined-time technology. For the dynamics uncertainty approximation, the composite learning using the tracking error and the prediction error is constructed by designing the serial-parallel estimation model. The closed-loop system stability is analyzed via the Lyapunov approach and the tracking errors are guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded in a predefined time. The tracking performance and the learning accuracy of the proposed algorithm are verified via simulation tests.

Adaptive Deformation Control of a Flexible Variable-Length Rotary Crane Arm With Asymmetric Input-Output Constraints

This article constructs two adaptive control laws to achieve deformation reduction and attitude tracking for a rotary variable-length crane arm with system parameter uncertainties and asymmetric input-output constraints. Two auxiliary systems are given to deal with the input constraints, an asymmetric-logarithm-barrier Lyapunov function is established for achieving the asymmetric output constrains, and five adaptive laws are constructed to handle system parameter uncertainties. Besides, the control design is based on a partial differential equation model, and the S-curve acceleration and deceleration method is used for regulating the arm extension speed. Both the system stability and uniform ultimate boundedness of the controlled crane arm are analyzed. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of our established control laws.

Neural Network-Based Adaptive Boundary Control of a Flexible Riser With Input Deadzone and Output Constraint

In this article, vibration abatement problems of a riser system with system uncertainty, input deadzone, and output constraint are considered. For obtaining better control precision, a boundary control law is constructed by employing the backstepping method and Lyapunov's theory. The output constraint is guaranteed by utilizing a barrier Lyapunov function. Adaptive neural networks are designed to cope with the uncertainty of the riser and compensate for the effect caused by the asymmetric deadzone nonlinearity. With the designed controller, the output constraint is satisfied, and the system stability is guaranteed through Lyapunov synthesis. In the end, numerical simulation results are provided to display the performance of the developed adaptive neural network boundary control law.

Backstepping Control for a Class of Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems Subject to Multisource Disturbances and Actuator Saturation

In this article, the backstepping control scheme is designed for a class of systems with multisource disturbances, actuator saturation, and nonlinearities in the domain of discrete time. To address the multisource disturbances, we put forward a novel discrete-time hybrid observer, which can deal with both modeled and unmodeled disturbances. In virtue of the radial basis function neural networks, the unknown nonlinearities are approximated. In addition, the anti-windup technique is adopted to cope with the actuator saturation phenomenon, which is pervasive in engineering practice. Bearing all the adopted mechanisms in mind, the composite control strategy is designed in a backstepping manner. Sufficient conditions are established to guarantee that the states of the system ultimately converge to a small range with linear matrix inequalities. Finally, the effectiveness of the presented methodology is verified for the spacecraft attitude system.

Adaptive Finite-Time Fault-Tolerant Control for Uncertain Flexible Flapping Wings Based on Rigid Finite Element Method

The bionic flapping-wing robotic aircraft is inspired by the flight of birds or insects. This article focuses on the flexible wings of the aircraft, which has great advantages, such as being lightweight, having high flexibility, and offering low energy consumption. However, flexible wings might generate the unexpected deformation and vibration during the flying process. The vibration will degrade the flight performance, even shorten the lifespan of the aircraft. Therefore, designing an effective control method for suppressing vibrations of the flexible wings is significant in practice. The main purpose of this article is to develop an adaptive fault-tolerant control scheme for the flexible wings of the aircraft. Dynamic modeling, control design, and stability verification for the aircraft system are conducted. First, the dynamic model of the flexible flapping-wing aircraft is established by an improved rigid finite element (IRFE) method. Second, a novel adaptive fault-tolerant controller based on the fuzzy neural network (FNN) and nonsingular fast terminal sliding-mode (NFTSM) control scheme are proposed for tracking control and vibration suppression of the flexible wings, while successfully addressing the issues of system uncertainties and actuator failures. Third, the stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed through Lyapunov's direct method. Finally, co-simulations through MapleSim and MATLAB/Simulink are carried out to verify the performance of the proposed controller.

Observer Design for Sampled-Data Systems via Deterministic Learning

A unified approach is proposed to design sampled-data observers for a certain type of unknown nonlinear systems undergoing recurrent motions based on deterministic learning in this article. First, a discrete-time implementation of high-gain observer (HGO) is utilized to obtain state trajectory from sampled output measurements. By taking the recurrent estimated trajectory as inputs to a dynamical radial basis function network (RBFN), a partial persistent exciting (PE) condition is satisfied, and a locally accurate approximation of nonlinear dynamics can be realized along the estimated sampled-data trajectory. Second, an RBFN-based observer consisting of the obtained dynamics from the process of deterministic learning is designed. Without resorting to high gains, the RBFN-based observer is shown capable of achieving correct state observation. The novelty of this article lies in that, by incorporating deterministic learning with the discrete-time HGO, the nonlinear dynamics can be accurately approximated along the estimated trajectory, and such obtained knowledge can then be utilized to realize nonhigh-gain state estimation for the same or similar sampled-data systems. Simulation is performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.