A Class of Adaptive Extended State Observers for Nonlinear Disturbed Systems

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel class of adaptive extended state observers (AESOs) that significantly expand the applications of extended state observers (ESOs) to nonlinear disturbed systems. An AESO is designed as a linear time-varying form that, as a result, combines both the advantages of theoretical completeness in a conventional linear ESO (LESO) and good practical performance in a conventional nonlinear ESO (NESO). To tune the time-varying observer gains, AESO error dynamics is first transformed into a canonical (phase-variable) form. Then, time-varying PD-eigenvalues are assigned for the canonical system based on differential algebraic spectral theory. Theorems for stability and estimate error bounds of the AESO are given in the presence of unknown disturbances. These theorems also offer some important guidelines for assigning the PD-eigenvalues. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this new observer, two representative applications, including a numerical single-input-single-output example and a practical multiple-input-multiple-output hypersonic vehicle application, are exemplified, and comparison simulations are conducted among AESO, LESO, and NESO. Future work is pointed out in the end.