Adaptive Output-Feedback Control for A Class of Multi-Input-Multi-Output Plants with Applications to Very Flexible Aircraft

Abstract

A dominant presence of parametric model uncertainties necessitates an adaptive approach for control of very flexible aircraft (VFA). This paper proposes an adaptive controller that includes a baseline design based on observers and parameter adaptation based on a closed-loop reference model (CRM), and is applicable for a class of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) plants where number of outputs exceeds number of inputs. In particular, the proposed controller allows the plant to have first-order actuator dynamics and parametric uncertainties in both plant and actuator dynamics. Conditions are delineated under which this controller can guarantee stability and asymptotic reference tracking, and the overall design is validated using simulations on a nonlinear VFA model.