Conic-sector-based controller synthesis: Theory and experiments

The Passivity Theorem is a popular input-output stability analysis tool. However, passivity violations, which are often due to sensor and actuator dynamics, may cause instabilities, necessitating the adoption of alternative stability results. This paper presents experimental results employing controllers that ensure stability via the Conic Sector Theorem. A new conic sector controller synthesis method mimicking an ℋ₂-optimal controller is presented and compared to an existing conic sector controller synthesis method, and an ℋ₂ controller itself. The conic controllers are found to yield increased robustness and improved performance in the presence of passivity violations.