Robust Output Feedback Sliding Mode Control for Time-delay Systems

This research is concerned with the development of novel, theoretically sound sliding mode control techniques for application to nonlinear, complex and uncertain industrial processes. The research will focus on extending the existing sliding mode control design paradigm to enable the application of the methodology, with its proven robustness properties, to systems with after effect, otherwise known as time-delay systems, when only given output signals are available for measurement. The applied research will focus on the production of two significant implementation studies relating to control of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles and also the control of satellites to demonstrate the efficacy of the underlying philosophy and the new design algorithms. These are pertinent design studies to inform the development of the theoretical research programme as well as being used as vehicles to illustrate the research outcomes.The broad objectives are1. To provide practical yet theoretically rigorous solutions to the problem of robust sliding mode control for uncertain nonlinear systems in the presence of time-delay based upon knowledge of the measured system output(s). The problem will be considered from both a continuous and discrete time perspective.2. To produce significant implementation studies relating to control of satellites and autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles which demonstrate the relevance of the theoretical results to industry.