Delay-Robustness of Linear Predictor Feedback Without Restriction on Delay Rate

Robustness is established for the predictor feedback for linear time-invariant systems with respect to possibly time-varying perturbations of the input delay, with a constant nominal delay. The prior results have addressed qualitatively constant delay perturbations (robustness of stability in L2 norm of actuator state) and delay perturbations with restricted rate of change (robustness of stability in H1 norm of actuator state). The present work provides simple formulas that allow direct and accurate computation of the least upper bound of the magnitude of the delay perturbation for which the exponential stability in supremum norm on the actuator state is preserved. While the prior work has employed Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals constructed via backstepping, the present work employs a particular form of small-gain analysis. Two cases are considered: the case of measurable (possibly discontinuous) time-varying perturbations and the case of constant perturbations. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.