Robust decentralized control for a class of uncertain nonlinear interconnected systems with similar structures (Q4780588)

The authors introduce the concept of a nonlinear interconnected system with similar structures by defining the vector relative degree for its isolated subsystems. Then they find a sliding surface which enables a decentralized controller for the system with uncertainties to be designed. More precisely the controller forces the system to reach the sliding surface for bounded uncertainties in the system. It enables robust tracking in the sense of ultimate boundedness of the tracking error. Moreover the static output feedback controller which assures robust stabilization of the system is designed by a Lyapunov type technique combined with the sliding mode approach. The idea of similar structure enables the authors to design the decentralized controllers for all subsystems based on the structural information of one subsystem only.