Continuous self-adaptive control using variable structure design techniques

With the development of CSAC the control system designer can, for all orders of system, 'fine tune' an initial VSC system design and therefore improve the speed of response of the system whilst in the sliding mode. The CSAC possesses a degree of robustness since it is based upon robust VSC theory. Chatter motion associated with ideal sliding motion in an ideal VSC system is eliminated as the CSAC system is developed from SmVSC, and CSAC is easily implemented. By introducing the CSAC system, the VSC system is now split into three distinct phases: the attainment (hitting) of the sliding mode, the sliding mode itself and then an improvement (adaptation) of the response in that sliding mode, should that be required. There are many degrees of freedom available in prescribing the rate of adaptation in the multivariable CSAC system and this degree greatly increases as the order of the reduced state space of the sliding mode increases. Further investigation into CSAC and its applications should provide additional interesting results.