Search Results (36)

This paper proposes a control method that combines a fractional-order sliding mode observer and a cooperative control strategy to address the problem of path-following for underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in complex marine environments. First, a fractional-order sliding mode observer is designed, combining fractional calculus and double-power convergence laws to enhance the estimation accuracy of high-frequency disturbances. An adaptive gain mechanism is introduced to avoid dependence on the upper bound of disturbances. Second, a formation cooperative control strategy based on path parameter coordination is proposed. By setting independent reference points for each AUV and exchanging path parameters, formation consistency is achieved with low communication overhead. For the followers’ speed control problem, an error-based expected speed adjustment mechanism is introduced, and a hyperbolic tangent function is used to replace the traditional arctangent function to improve the response speed of the system. Numerical simulation results show that this control method performs well in terms of path-following accuracy, formation maintenance capability, and disturbance suppression, verifying its effectiveness and robustness in complex marine environments. Full article

Hydraulically driven flexible robotic arms (HDFRAs) play an indispensable role in industrial precision operations such as aerospace assembly and nuclear waste handling, owing to their high power density and adaptability to complex environments. However, inherent mechanical flexibility-induced vibrations, hydraulic nonlinear dynamics, and electromechanical coupling effects lead to multi-timescale control challenges, severely limiting high-precision trajectory tracking performance. The present study introduces a novel hierarchical control framework employing dual-timescale perturbation analysis, which effectively addresses the constraints inherent in conventional single-timescale control approaches. First, the system is decoupled into three subsystems via dual perturbation parameters: a second-order rigid-body motion subsystem (SRS), a second-order flexible vibration subsystem (SFS), and a first-order hydraulic dynamic subsystem (FHS). For SRS/SFS, an adaptive fast terminal sliding mode active disturbance rejection controller (AFTSM-ADRC) is designed, featuring a dual-bandwidth extended state observer (BESO) to estimate parameter perturbations and unmodeled dynamics in real time. A novel reaching law with power-rate hybrid characteristics is developed to suppress sliding mode chattering while ensuring rapid convergence. For FHS, a sliding mode observer-integrated sliding mode coordinated controller (SMO-ISMCC) is proposed, achieving high-precision suppression of hydraulic pressure fluctuations through feedforward compensation of disturbance estimation and feedback integration of tracking errors. The globally asymptotically stable property of the composite system has been formally verified through systematic Lyapunov-based analysis. Through comprehensive simulations, the developed methodology demonstrates significant improvements over conventional ADRC and PID controllers, including (1) joint tracking precision reaching ${10}^{-4}$ rad level under nominal conditions and (2) over 40% attenuation of current oscillations when subjected to stochastic disturbances. These results validate its superiority in dynamic decoupling and strong disturbance rejection. Full article

This study presents an advanced second-order sliding-mode guidance law with a terminal impact angle constraint, which ingeniously combines reinforcement learning algorithms with the nonsingular terminal sliding-mode control (NTSM) theory. This hybrid approach effectively mitigates the inherent chattering issue commonly associated with sliding-mode control while maintaining high levels of control system precision. We introduce a parameter to the super-twisting algorithm and subsequently improve an intelligent parameter-adaptive algorithm grounded in the Twin-Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (TD3) framework. During the guidance phase, a pre-trained reinforcement learning model is employed to directly map the missile’s state variables to the optimal adaptive parameters, thereby significantly enhancing the guidance performance. Additionally, a generalized super-twisting extended state observer (GSTESO) is introduced for estimating and compensating the lumped uncertainty within the missile guidance system. This method obviates the necessity for prior information about the target’s maneuvers, enabling the proposed guidance law to intercept maneuvering targets with unknown acceleration. The finite-time stability of the closed-loop guidance system is confirmed using the Lyapunov stability criterion. Simulations demonstrate that our proposed guidance law not only meets a wide range of impact angle constraints but also attains higher interception accuracy and faster convergence rate and better overall performance compared to traditional NTSM and the super-twisting NTSM (ST-NTSM) guidance laws, The interception accuracy is less than 0.1 m, and the impact angle error is less than 0.01°. Full article

In response to the chattering issue inherent in sliding mode observers during rotor position estimation and to enhance the stability and robustness of sensorless control systems for surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motors (SPMSM), this study proposes a rotor position estimation algorithm for SPMSM based on an improved super-twisting sliding mode observer (ISTSMO) and a second-order generalized integrator (SOGI) structure. Firstly, the super-twisting algorithm is introduced to design the observer, which effectively attenuates the sliding mode chattering by using continuous control signals. Secondly, SOGI is introduced in the filtering stage, which not only effectively addresses the time delay issues caused by traditional low-pass filters but also enables the observer to extract rotor position information by monitoring only the back electromotive force (back-EMF) signal of the $\alpha$-phase, thereby simplifying the observer structure. Finally, the proposed scheme is experimentally compared with the traditional sliding mode observer on the YXMBD-TE1000 platform. The experimental results showed that during motor acceleration and deceleration tests, the average speed estimation error was reduced from 141 r/min to 40 r/min, and the maximum position estimation error was reduced from 0.74 rad to 0.29 rad. In load disturbance experiments, the speed variation decreased from 781 r/min to 451 r/min, and the steady-state speed fluctuation was significantly reduced. These results confirm that the proposed observer exhibits superior stability and robustness. Full article

To enhance the path-tracking accuracy of unmanned articulated road roller (UARR) operating on low-adhesion, slippery surfaces, this paper proposes a hierarchical cascaded control (HCC) architecture integrated with real-time ground adhesion coefficient estimation. Addressing the complex nonlinear dynamics between the two rigid bodies of the vehicle and its interaction with the ground, an upper-layer nonlinear model predictive controller (NMPC) is designed. This layer, based on a 4-degree-of-freedom (4-DOF) dynamic model, calculates the required steering torque using position and heading errors. The lower layer employs a second-order sliding mode controller (SOSMC) to precisely track the steering torque and output the corresponding steering wheel angle. To accommodate the anisotropic and time-varying nature of slippery surfaces, a strong-tracking unscented Kalman filter (ST-UKF) observer is introduced for ground adhesion coefficient estimation. By dynamically adjusting the covariance matrix, the observer reduces reliance on historical data while increasing the weight of new data, significantly improving real-time estimation accuracy. The estimated adhesion coefficient is fed back to the upper-layer NMPC, enhancing the control system’s adaptability and robustness under slippery conditions. The HCC is validated through simulation and real-vehicle experiments and compared with LQR and PID controllers. The results demonstrate that HCC achieves the fastest response time and smallest steady-state error on both dry and slippery gravel soil surfaces. Under slippery conditions, while control performance decreases compared to dry surfaces, incorporating ground adhesion coefficient observation reduces steady-state error by 20.62%. Full article

Aiming at the control challenges faced by unmanned surface vessels (USVs) in complex environments, such as nonlinearities, parameter uncertainties, and environmental perturbations, we propose a non-singular terminal integral sliding mode control strategy based on an extended state observer (ESO). The strategy first employs a third-order linear extended state observer to estimate the total disturbances of the USV system, encompassing both external disturbances and internal nonlinearities. Subsequently, a backstepping sliding mode controller based on the Lyapunov theory is designed to generate the steering torque control commands for the USV. To further enhance the tracking performance of the system, we introduce a non-singular terminal integral sliding mode surface with a double power convergence law and redesign the backstepping sliding mode controller for the USV heading control. Meanwhile, to circumvent the differential explosion issue in traditional backstepping control, we simplify the controller design by utilizing a second-order sliding mode filter to accurately estimate the differential signals of the virtual control quantities. Theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control algorithm improves the convergence speed, adaptive ability, and anti-interference ability in complex environments compared to traditional linear backstepping sliding mode control, thereby enhancing its engineering practicability. This research offers a more efficient and reliable method for precise heading control and path tracking of USVs in complex and dynamic environments. Full article

Direct-drive servo systems are extensively applied in biomimetic robotics and other bionic applications, but their performance is susceptible to uncertainties and disturbances. This paper proposes an adaptive disturbance rejection Zeta-backstepping control scheme with adjustable damping ratios to enhance system robustness and precision. An iron-core permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) was employed as the experimental platform for the development of a dynamic model that incorporates compensation for friction and cogging forces. To address model parameter uncertainties, an indirect parameter adaptation strategy based on a recursive least squares algorithm was introduced. It updates parameters based on the system state instead of output error, ensuring robust parameter convergence. An integral sliding mode observer (ISMO) was constructed to estimate and compensate for residual uncertainties, achieving finite-time state estimation. The proposed Zeta-backstepping controller enables adjustable damping ratios through parameterized control laws, offering flexibility in achieving desired dynamic performance. System stability and bounded tracking performance were validated via a second-order Lyapunov function analysis. Experimental results on a real PMLSM platform demonstrated that, while achieving adjustable damping ratio dynamic characteristics, there is a significant improvement in tracking accuracy and disturbance suppression. This underscores the scheme’s potential for advancing precision control in biomimetic robotics and other direct-drive system applications. Full article

The influence of the external environment can reduce the braking performance of the electric vehicle (EV) with in-wheel motors (IWM). In this paper, an adaptive sliding mode wheel slip control method with a vehicle speed observer consideration is proposed, which enables the EV to accurately track the optimal slip ratio in various environments and improve braking performance. First, the braking system dynamics model is established by taking the EV with IWM as the study object. Second, a super-twisting sliding mode observer is used to estimate the vehicle speed, and a new adaptive second-order sliding mode controller is constructed to control the braking torque. Finally, co-simulation experiments are performed under different conditions based on Carsim and MATLAB/Simulink, and the proposed scheme is validated by comparison with three control methods. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme has better control performance, and both the safety and control quality of the EV is improved. Full article

In response to control issues in hypersonic vehicles under external disturbances, model uncertainties, and actuator failures, this paper proposes an adaptive fast smooth second-order sliding mode fault-tolerant control scheme. First, a system separation approach is adopted, dividing the hypersonic vehicle model into fast and slow loops for independent design. This ensures that the airflow angle tracking error and sliding mode variables converge to the vicinity of the origin within a finite time. A fixed-time disturbance observer is then designed to estimate and compensate for the effects of model uncertainties, external disturbances, and actuator failures. The controller parameters are dynamically adjusted through an adaptive term to enhance robustness. Furthermore, first-order differentiation is used to estimate differential terms, effectively avoiding the issue of complexity explosion. Finally, the convergence of the controller within a finite time is rigorously proven using the Lyapunov method, and the perturbation of aerodynamic parameters is tested using the Monte Carlo method. Simulation results under various scenarios show that compared with the terminal sliding mode method, the proposed method outperforms control accuracy and convergence speed. The root mean square errors for the angle of attack, sideslip angle, and roll angle are reduced by 65.11%, 86.71%, and 45.51%, respectively, while the standard deviation is reduced by 81.78%, 86.80%, and 45.51%, demonstrating that the proposed controller has faster convergence, higher control accuracy, and smoother output than the terminal sliding mode controller. Full article

This paper proposes a decentralized adaptive event-triggered fault-tolerant cooperative control (ET-FTCC) scheme for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with actuator faults and external disturbances under denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. The multiple UAVs and UGVs have a larger search radius, which is important in both the civilian and military domains. The different dynamics between UAVs and UGVs result in unbalanced interactions in the communication topologies, which increases the complexity of cooperative control. DoS attacks are conducted in both sensor and control channels. The dynamic models of UAVs and UGVs are introduced firstly, and the unified heterogeneous multiagent system model with actuator faults is established. The composite observer is designed to obtain the information of state and lumped disturbance, which is used to design the controller. In order to save the limited communication network resources, the event-triggered mechanism is introduced. The transformed error is presented by using the prescribed performance function (PPF). Then, the sliding-mode manifold is presented by combining the event-triggered control scheme to achieve the tracking purpose with actuator faults, external disturbances, and DoS attacks. Based on the Lyapunov function approach, the tracking errors are bounded within the prescribed boundary. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis of the simulation results. This study can enhance the security and reliability of heterogeneous multiagent systems, providing technical support for the safe operation of unmanned systems. This paper mainly solves the FTCC problem of second-order nonlinear heterogeneous multiagent systems, and further research is needed for the FTCC problem of higher-order nonlinear heterogeneous multi-agent systems. In addition, the system may encounter multiple cyber attacks. As one of the future research works, we can extend the results of this paper to high-order nonlinear systems under multiple cyber attacks, which contain DoS attacks and deception attacks, and achieve fault-tolerant cooperative control of heterogeneous multiagent systems. Full article

This study proposes a new disturbance-observer-based adaptive distributed formation control scheme for multiple underactuated surface vehicles (USVs) subject to unknown synthesized disturbances under prescribed performance constraints. A modified sliding mode differentiator (MSMD) is applied as a nonlinear disturbance observer to estimate unknown synthesized disturbances, which contain unknown environmental disturbances and system modelling uncertainties, thus enhancing the robustness of the system. Based on this, we impose the time-varying performance constraints on the position tracking error between the neighboring USVs. A novel differentiable error transformation equation is embedded in the prescribed performance control, and an adaptive prescribed performance controller is constructed by employing the backstepping method to ensure that the position tracking error remains within the prescribed transient and steady performance, and each USV realizes collision-free formation motion. Furthermore, a novel second-order nonlinear differentiator is introduced to extract the derivative information of the virtual control law. Finally, the numerical simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. Full article

This paper details the transformation of the velocity or position-tracking problem of a class of uncertain systems using finite time stability control for first-order uncertain systems. A new composite extended-state observer sliding mode (ESOSM) scheme is proposed, which includes an adaptive super-twisting-like ESO and an adaptive super-twisting controller. The adaptive super-twisting controller is implemented through a barrier function-based second-order sliding mode algorithm. To further reduce control chattering and improve control performance, the adaptive super-twisting-like ESO, which employs high-order terms in the super-twisting algorithm to accelerate convergence, is designed to observe the lumped uncertainty in real time. The advantages of the proposed scheme are verified by a numerical example and application with regard to floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) pitch control. Compared with proportional integral (PI) and adaptive super-twisting sliding mode (ASTSM) schemes, better results are obtained in velocity tracking and fatigue load suppression. For the FOWT pitch control application, the platform roll, pitch, and yaw are decreased by 3%, 2%, and 4%, respectively, compared to the PI scheme at an average turbulent wind speed of 17 m/s and turbulence intensity of 17.27%. Full article

The permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) has been of interest to eco-friendly industries on account of its advantages such as high performance, efficiency, and precision control. However, perturbations due to PMSM parameter uncertainty, load torque, and external disturbance interfere with the construction of PMSM precision control systems. Therefore, a robust control system is needed to avoid unnecessary system movement caused by perturbations. In this paper, sliding mode control (SMC) is adopted to implement a robust control system for the PMSM. In order to reduce the reaching time from the initial system state to the sliding surface and the chattering phenomenon that can cause the system to malfunction, the adaptive quick sliding mode reaching law based on an exponential function and power equation is proposed. Although the SMC is robust to disturbance and parameter uncertainty, unexpected disturbances can destabilize the system. To estimate the unmatched disturbance in a short time, the second-order fast terminal sliding mode observer (SFTSMO) is proposed. The results show that the motor control system based on the proposed method has a fast convergence speed to an objective value, position tracking performance, and robustness. Full article

Aiming to reduce motor speed estimation and torque vibration present in the permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) of rim-driven thrusters (RDTs), a position-sensorless control algorithm using an adaptive second-order sliding mode observer (SMO) based on the super-twisting algorithm (STA) is proposed. In which the sliding mode coefficients can be adaptively tuned. Similarly, an iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm is presented to enhance the robustness of the velocity adjustment loop. By continuously learning and adjusting the difference between the actual speed and given speed of RDT motor through ILC algorithm, online compensation for the q-axis given current of RDT motor is achieved, thereby suppressing periodic speed fluctuations during motor running. Fuzzy neural network (FNN) training can be used to optimize the STA-SMO and ILC parameters of RDT control system, while improving speed tracking accuracy. Finally, simulation and experimental verifications have been conducted on the vector control system based on the conventional PI-STA and modified ILC-STA. The results show that the modified algorithm can effectively suppress the estimated speed and torque ripple of RDT motor, which greatly improves the speed tracking accuracy. Full article

In this paper, we propose a sensorless control strategy for permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) based on an adaptive-gain sliding mode observer (ASMO) with precise compensation. Firstly, the observer adopts a saturation function with a continuous boundary layer as the switching function to avoid the delay effect of the low-pass filter. In addition, the adaptive-gain method is designed based on a conventional sliding mode observer (SMO) with constant-gain and a saturation function. The adaptive-gain mathematical model is simplified by establishing a nonlinear feedback channel of an SMO. Secondly, in order to improve the practicability and facilitate debugging, the explicit stability condition of an ASMO is deduced according to Lyapunov’s second method. According to the proposed adaptive method, the chattering caused by the mismatch of the sliding-mode gain is suppressed, and the observable speed range is also improved. Thirdly, the position estimation delay problem of an SMO with a continuous switching function is analyzed in detail from the perspective of frequency characteristics. Then, a precise compensation method is proposed for the delay problem, which greatly improves the position estimation accuracy and the control performance. Finally, the correctness of the theory and the feasibility of the ASMO with precise compensation for the sensorless control of PMSMs are verified by experiments. Full article