Adaptive finite time control for rigid-elastic coupled hypersonic vehicles

An adaptive integral Lyapunov control method with finite-time convergence capability is proposed to address the challenging problem of attitude stabilization control problem induced by the rigid-elastic coupling dynamic characteristics of hypersonic vehicles. The rigid-elastic coupling dynamic model is constructed, and the elastic mode and external uncertainty are regarded as normalized perturbations, and an auxiliary error compensation subsystem is constructed. An adaptive law is designed to track the normalized perturbations, which can make the attitude tracking error converge in finite time and enhance the robustness of the integral Lyapunov control method. In addition, to solve the differential explosion problem of traditional backstepping control, a first-order linear filter is introduced to avoid direct differentiation and obtain a smooth and executable control command. Simulation results show that under the condition of aerodynamic parameter perturbation of ±20%, the proposed control method can achieve a velocity tracking error of no more than 0.1 m/s and a height tracking error of no more than 0.5 m, and effectively suppress the adverse effects resulted from elastic modes and external disturbances on attitude control. © 2023 Editorial Department of Journal of Chinese Inertial Technology. All rights reserved.