Robust adaptive control of linear time-delay systems with point time-varying delays via multiestimation

This paper presents an adaptive pole-placement based controller for continuous-time linear systems with unknown and eventually time-varying point delays under uncertainties consisting of unmodeled dynamics and eventual bounded disturbances. A multiestimation scheme is designed for improving the identification error performance and then to deal with possibly errors between the true basic delay compared to that used in regressor vector of measurements of the adaptive scheme and also to prevent the closed-loop system against potential instability. Each estimation scheme in the parallel disposal possesses a relative dead-zone which freezes the adaptation process for small sizes of the adaptation error compared to the estimated size of the absolute value of the contribution of the uncertainties to the filtered output versus time. All the estimation schemes run in parallel but only that which is currently in operation parameterizes the adaptive controller to generate the plant input at each time. A supervisor chooses the appropriate estimator in real time which respects a prescribed minimum residence time at each estimation algorithm in operation. That strategy is the main tool used to ensure the closed-loop stability under estimates switching. The relative dead-zone in the adaptation mechanism prevents the closed-loop system against potential instability caused by uncertainties. 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.