Nonlinear adaptive and tracking control of a pneumatic actuator via immersion and invariance

The present publication is focussed on the application of the immersion and invariance (I&I) control methodology on a pneumatic actuator. The utilization of I&I for tracking control is investigated and a tracking theorem is explicitly provided and proved. Based on this theorem, a tracking controller for the nonlinear system is designed. Furthermore, in order to deal with unknown parameters, we state and prove an adaptive tracking theorem. Using this theorem, the designed controller is extended in order to be able to estimate the current friction force. This renders the controller adaptive and enhances its tracking capability. Simulations as well as measurement results show the excellent performance of the adaptive I&I tracking controller.