title: Switching control of an R/C hovercraft: stabilization and smooth switching.
abstract: This paper presents stable switching control of an radio-controlled (R/C) hovercraft that is a nonholonomic (nonlinear) system. To exactly represent its nonlinear dynamics, more importantly, to maintain controllability of the system, we newly propose a switching fuzzy model that has locally Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy models and switches them according to states, external variables, and/or time. A switching fuzzy controller is constructed by mirroring the rule structure of the switching fuzzy model of an R/C hovercraft. We derive linear matrix inequality (LMI) conditions for ensuring the stability of the closed-loop system consisting of a switching fuzzy model and controller. Furthermore, to guarantee smooth switching of control input at switching boundaries, we also derive a smooth switching condition represented in terms of LMIs. A stable switching fuzzy controller satisfying the smooth switching condition is designed by simultaneously solving both of the LMIs. The simulation and experimental results for the trajectory control of an R/C hovercraft show the validity of the switching fuzzy model and controller design, particularly, the smooth switching condition.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Mech. Eng. & Intelligent Syst., Univ. of Electro-Communications, Tokyo.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Wang