Adaptive control of a class of decentralized nonlinear systems

Within this brief paper, a stable indirect adaptive controller is presented for a class of interconnected nonlinear systems. The feedback and adaptation mechanisms for each subsystem depend only upon local measurements to provide asymptotic tracking of a reference trajectory. In addition, each subsystem is able to adaptively compensate for disturbances and interconnections with unknown bounds. The adaptive scheme is illustrated through the longitudinal control of a string of vehicles within an automated highway system (AHS).