SummaryThis paper addresses the output feedback tracking control of a class of multipleinput and multiple-output nonlinear systems subject to time-varying input delay and additive bounded disturbances. Based on the backstepping design approach, an output feedback robust controller is proposed by integrating an extended state observer and a novel robust controller, which uses a desired trajectory-based feedforward term to achieve an improved model compensation and a robust delay compensation feedback term based on the finite integral of the past control values to compensate for the time-varying input delay. The extended state observer can simultaneously estimate the unmeasurable system states and the additive disturbances only with the output measurement and delayed control input. The proposed controller theoretically guarantees prescribed transient performance and steady-state tracking accuracy in spite of the presence of time-varying input delay and additive bounded disturbances based on Lyapunov stability analysis by using a LyapunovKrasovskii functional. A specific study on a 2-link robot manipulator is performed; based on the system model and the proposed design procedure, a suitable controller is developed, and comparative simulation results are obtained to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed control scheme.
| INTRODUCTIONTime delay that includes state delay and input delay is a pervasive phenomenon encountered in many practical engineering applications such as robotic systems, electrical networks, and hydraulic actuation systems. The existence of time delay may result in unexpected degradation in control performance and even instability. 1 Hence, how to effectively attenuate the effect of time delay has always been the research hotspot during the latest several decades, with numerous control schemes proposed, such as previous studies 2-12 for input delay and other studies [13][14][15][16][17][18] for state delay. Especially in Sun et al 17 and Sun and Liu, 18 stabilization of high-order uncertain nonlinear systems with state delays were investigated by using adaptive approach. 19,20 This paper focuses on the problem of input delay, ie, the time delay that occurs between the control input and the plant. Specifically, predictor-based techniques such as Artstein model reduction 2 and finite spectrum assignment, 3 which originate from classic Smith predictor method, 4 are typically exploited to compensate for the input delay. The core design in these predictor-based approaches is to transform the delayed system to a delay free one by using finite integrals over past control values. 21 In addition, many predictive controllers have also been synthesized based on the fact that the input delayed systems can be modeled as