Sliding controller-sliding observer design for nonlinear systems (Q1286745)

The paper considers nonlinear systems affine in the control, with uncertainties both in the state and the observations. First, it is assumed that the system is in a controllable form and feedback linearizable. The sliding mode design is applied, with both sliding mode controllers, and sliding mode observers. For the combined system to work some matching conditions must be assumed, as demonstrated in the paper, and the scheme should be robust. Under the nonlinear matching conditions the paper displays and verifies a stabilization design. The design is then extended to a class of general single input single output systems affine in the control with some smoothness conditions and restrictions on the relative degree of the system's coefficients. An enlightening application to a robot manipulator is worked out. For this application the paper provides both an illustration of the abstract stabilization scheme, and numerical simulation results, indicating how the method can be carried out.