Event-triggered robust control of linear systems: Sliding mode cone method

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the global robust stabilization of linear time-invariant systems by using event-triggered sliding mode control (SMC). Different from the practical sliding mode band, which is commonly used in previous studies on event-triggered SMC, a new concept of ideal sliding mode cone is proposed in this paper. Specifically, we design a hybrid event-triggering mechanism that takes into account both the size and direction shift of the error state. The proposed event-triggered SMC law is shown to enforce and sustain the system state in the ideal sliding mode cone. Moreover, the state of the closed-loop system can asymptotically converge to the equilibrium point, rather than merely to a neighborhood of it, which is usually difficult to handle by using practical sliding mode band. Technically speaking, to achieve strong convergence, the triggering frequency should naturally be as high as possible due to the existence of the external disturbances, but this will also increase the communication load. Hence, to balance the asymptotic convergence and frequent triggering near the equilibrium point that is the price paid for achieving asymptotic stability, we extend the obtained results to the case of practical sliding mode cone. In addition, it is verified that the ETM is global, namely, the inter-event times are uniformly lower bounded from zero globally. Further, a practical application for the quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles is presented. Finally, three illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.