Adaptive robust tracking control of a class of nonlinear systems with input delay

In this paper, the tracking control problem of a class of uncertain Euler-Lagrange systems subjected to time-varying input delay and bounded disturbances is addressed. To this front, a novel delay-dependent control law referred as adaptive robust outer loop control (AROLC) is proposed. Compared to the conventional predictor-based approaches, the proposed controller is capable of negotiating any input delay, within a stipulated range, without knowing the delay variation. The maximum allowable input delay is computed through Razumikhin-type stability analysis. AROLC also provides robustness against the disturbances due to the input delay, parametric variations and unmodelled dynamics through switching control law. The novel adaptive law allows the switching gain to modify itself online in accordance with the tracking error without any prerequisite of the uncertainties. The uncertain system, employing AROLC, is shown to be uniformly ultimately bounded. As a proof of concept, experimentation is carried out on a nonholonomic wheeled mobile robot with various time varying as well as fixed input delay, and better tracking accuracy of the proposed controller is noted compared to predictor-based methodology.