Sliding mode observer-based synthesis of state derivative-free model reference adaptive control of distributed parameter systems

This paper presents control laws for distributed parameter systems of parabolic and hyperbolic types which, on the one hand ensure robustness with respect to small dynamic uncertainties and disturbances, and on the other hand, permit on-line plant parameter estimation. The novelty of the algorithms proposed is (a) in the construction of a sliding mode-based state derivative observer and (b) in the inclusion of this observer into a model reference adaptive controller which thereby regularizes the ill-posed identification problem itself. Apart from this, the controllers constructed do not suffer from on-line computation of spatial derivatives of the measurement data, and hence they are of reduced sensitivity with respect to the measurement noise. [S0022-0434(00)02104-3].