Robust synchronization of a class of nonlinear systems

We present a new algorithm to synchronize two nonlinear systems. The systems may differ in structure, parameter values, and have structural uncertainties; therefore, the algorithm is robust in this sense. The conditions on the systems for applying this algorithm are the following: they must have the same order, and be in integrator chain form. Furthermore, we must know the bounds on the parametric uncertainties and on additional terms due to non modeled dynamics. The algorithm is based on the master/slave synchronization scheme. The coupling signal is designed through the sliding mode control technique. The results are illustrated with an experiment where a Duffing circuit and a simple pendulum are synchronized; both systems exhibit a chaotic attractor when they are not coupled.