A new robust model reference control with improved performance for a class of multivariable unknown plants

Abstract

AbstractMotivated by recent works on parametrization of multivariable plants for model reference adaptive control (MRAC), a new robust model reference control (MRC) scheme for a class of multivariable unknown plants is presented. The salient feature of this control scheme is the improved performance of the output‐tracking property, which is hardly attainable by the traditional MRAC schemes. The controller here is devised using the concept of variable structure design which prevails in the robust control context. It is shown by a Lyapunov approach that without any persistent excitation the global stability of the overall system is achieved and the tracking errors will converge to a residual set. The size of that set can be directly related to the size of unmodelled dynamics and output disturbances explicitly as long as a set of control parameters is chosen properly (large).