Symmetry and Nonlinear Control: Theory and Applications

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Engineering and Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 August 2026 | Viewed by 507

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an, China
Interests: nonlinear control; swarm robots; vehicle platoon control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Symmetry plays a fundamental role in nonlinear control systems, profoundly influencing both theoretical analysis and practical design. Its impact spans model simplification, controller synthesis, stability analysis, and real-world applications across various engineering domains. The integration of symmetry with nonlinear control has driven significant advancements in robotics, distributed energy networks, and biological coordination systems.

This Special Issue aims to bridge symmetry principles with nonlinear control methodologies, advancing both theoretical frameworks and practical solutions. Submissions must employ advanced nonlinear control techniques and align with the journal’s scope.

The focus of this Special Issue is on advancing mathematically rigorous computational techniques, engineering mathematics, and real-world engineering applications in the following areas:

  • Symmetry and nonlinear control strategies;
  • Nonlinear dynamical systems and control;
  • Robust and adaptive control methods for nonlinear systems;
  • Fault-tolerant control for nonlinear systems;
  • Event-triggered control for nonlinear systems;
  • Nonlinear control application in vehicle platoon, robotics, intelligent transportation, and intelligent agriculture.

We welcome original research and reviews advancing symmetry-aware nonlinear control through theoretical breakthroughs, novel methodologies, or empirical case studies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Panpan Yang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • symmetric control
  • nonlinear control
  • fault-tolerant control
  • event-triggered control
  • intelligent transportation control
  • intelligent agriculture robotics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1162 KB  
Article
Laguerre Parameterization and Nonlinear Disturbance Observer for PMSM Speed Control
by Luyang Miao and Keyong Shao
Symmetry 2026, 18(5), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym18050797 - 7 May 2026
Viewed by 192
Abstract
Although model predictive control (MPC) has been successfully applied in permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) speed control systems, its performance can degrade under high-dynamic operating conditions and uncertain load disturbances. To address these issues, a continuous-time model predictive control (CTMPC) framework is proposed [...] Read more.
Although model predictive control (MPC) has been successfully applied in permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) speed control systems, its performance can degrade under high-dynamic operating conditions and uncertain load disturbances. To address these issues, a continuous-time model predictive control (CTMPC) framework is proposed to improve speed tracking accuracy and robustness. From a symmetry perspective, the proposed method leverages the orthogonal symmetry of Laguerre basis functions and the structural invariance of the continuous-time PMSM speed dynamics, enabling a compact and balanced representation of the control trajectory while preserving prediction accuracy. Specifically, a finite set of orthogonal Laguerre functions, combined with an adaptive smoothing factor and soft constraint mechanism, is employed to reduce computational complexity without compromising performance. In addition, a nonlinear disturbance observer is integrated to achieve real-time estimation and feedforward compensation of load torque variations, thereby enhancing disturbance rejection capability. Comprehensive simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly improves tracking precision, reduces overshoot, and shortens recovery time following load disturbances compared to conventional MPC methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry and Nonlinear Control: Theory and Applications)
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