Subsystem-Based Control with Modularity for Strict-Feedback Form Nonlinear Systems

Abstract

This study proposes an adaptive subsystem-based control (SBC) for systematic and straightforward nonlinear control of nth-order strict-feedback form (SFF) systems. By decomposing the SFF system to subsystems, a generic term (namely stability connector) can be created to address dynamic interactions between the subsystems. This 1) enables modular control design with global asymptotic stability, 2) such that both the control design and the stability analysis can be performed locally at a subsystem level, 3) while avoiding an excessive growth of the control design complexity when the system order n increases. The latter property makes the method suitable especially for high-dimensional systems. We also design a smooth projection function for addressing system parametric uncertainties. Numerical simulations demonstrate the efficiency of the method.