A large part of today's fervour on robust control research is focused on those techniques which utilise the Variable Structure Control Method and Lyapunov's Second Method, and which constitute the backbone of the so-called "deterministic" control of uncertain systems. The chapters of this book cover a large spectrum of the recent research and introduce the most innovative ideas in the field. Contained within the volume the reader will find: a survey of control Lyapunov functions; new structures of sliding mode controllers with discussion on higher order sliding modes; new techniques for the design of direct and indirect adaptive controllers; an introduction to the geometric theory of "flat" systems; controllers for plants with component-wise bounded inputs; robust design via linear matrix inequalities and polytopic covering; and some issues on the dissipativity and absolute stability of nonli near systems.

A large part of today's fervour on robust control research is focused on those techniques which utilise the Variable Structure Control Method and Lyapunov's Second Method, and which constitute the backbone of the so-called "deterministic" control of uncertain systems. The chapters of this book cover a large spectrum of the recent research and introduce the most innovative ideas in the field. Contained within the volume the reader will find: a survey of control Lyapunov functions; new structures of sliding mode controllers with discussion on higher order sliding modes; new techniques for the design of direct and indirect adaptive controllers; an introduction to the geometric theory of "flat" systems; controllers for plants with component-wise bounded inputs; robust design via linear matrix inequalities and polytopic covering; and some issues on the dissipativity and absolute stability of nonli near systems.

This book systematizes recent research work on variable-structure control. It is self-contained, presenting necessary mathematical preliminaries so that the theoretical developments can be easily understood by a broad readership. The text begins with an introduction to the fundamental ideas of variable-structure control pertinent to their application in complex nonlinear systems. In the core of the book, the authors lay out an approach, suitable for a large class of systems, that deals with system uncertainties with nonlinear bounds. Its treatment of complex systems in which limited measurement information is available makes the results developed convenient to implement. Various case-study applications are described, from aerospace, through power systems to river pollution control with supporting simulations to aid the transition from mathematical theory to engineering practicalities. The book addresses systems with nonlinearities, time delays and interconnections and considers issues such as stabilization, observer design, and fault detection and isolation. It makes extensive use of numerical and practical examples to render its ideas more readily absorbed. Variable-Structure Control of Complex Systems will be of interest to academic researchers studying control theory and its application in nonlinear, time-delayed an modular large-scale systems; the robustness of its approach will also be attractive to control engineers working in industries associate with aerospace, electrical and mechanical engineering.

The book covers the latest theoretical results and sophisticated applications in the field of variable-structure systems and sliding-mode control. This book is divided into four parts. Part I discusses new higher-order sliding-mode algorithms, including new homogeneous controllers and differentiators. Part II then explores properties of continuous sliding-mode algorithms, such as saturated feedback control, reaching time, and orbital stability. Part III is focused on the usage of variable-structure systems (VSS) controllers for solving other control problems, for example unmatched disturbances. Finally, Part IV discusses applications of VSS; these include applications within power electronics and vehicle platooning. Variable-structure Systems and Sliding-Mode Control will be of interest to academic researchers, students and practising engineers.