Adaptive Control

Prof. Abdel-Latif Elshafei

Electric Power and Machines Department
Cairo University

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 1

Literature

• Textbook:
– Adaptive Control - K. Astrom and B. Wittenmark – Addison
Wesley, 1995.
– Adaptive Control Tutorial – P. Ioannou and B. Fidan, SIAM, 2006
• References:
– Model Predictive Control System Design and Implementation
Using MATLAB – L. Wang – Springer, 2009.
– Nonlinear and Adaptive Control Design – Krstic ,
Kanellakopoulas, and Kokotovic - John Wiley, 1995.
– L1 Adaptive Control Theory: Guaranteed Robustness with Fast
Adaptation - N. Hovakimyan and C. Cao, SIAM, 2010.

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 2

Course Information

• Instructor e-mail: alelshafei@gmail.com

• Lecture notes and assignments are on

Google drive.

• Grading: 30% assignments

70% final exam.

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 3

What is adaptive control?

According to the Webster’s dictionary, to

adapt means:
• to adjust oneself to particular conditions
• to bring oneself in harmony with a
particular environment
• to bring one’s acts, behavior in harmony
with a particular environment

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 4

What is adaptive control?

According to the Webster’s dictionary,

adaptation means:
• adjustment to environmental conditions
• alteration or change in form or structure to
better fit the environment

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 5

When is a Controller Adaptive?

According to G. Zames:
• A non-adaptive controller is based solely
on a-priori information
• An adaptive controller is based on a
posteriori information as well

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 6

A Narrow Definition of Adaptive Control

• An adaptive controller is a fixed-structure controller

with adjustable parameters and a mechanism for
automatically adjusting those parameters

• In this sense, an adaptive controller is one way of

dealing with parametric uncertainty

• Adaptive control theory essentially deals with finding

parameter adjustment algorithms that guarantee global
stability and convergence

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 7

Why Use Adaptive Control?

Superiority to Linear Control

Let 𝑥 = 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑢, 𝑥 0 = 𝑥0 where a is a system parameter.

• If 𝑎 is known, 𝑢 = −𝑘𝑥 where 𝑘 > 𝑎 will stabilize the system.

• If 𝑎 is unknown but its upper bound 𝑎 > 𝑎 is known, choosing 𝑘 > 𝑎 will
enable the linear controller to stabilize the system.

• If 𝑎 and its upper bound are unknown, the linear controller is not enough in
case that 𝑎 > 𝑘 > 0.

• The adaptive controller 𝑢 = −𝑘𝑥 , 𝑘 = 𝑥 2 can stabilize the system.

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 8

Why Use Adaptive Control?

Dealing with Unknown Disturbances

Let 𝑥 = 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑢 + 𝑑, 𝑥 0 = 𝑥0 , and 𝑑 is an unknown bounded

disturbance 𝑑 < 𝑑. Required to stabilize the system and suppress the
effect of the disturbance.

• Assuming a linear controller 𝑢 = −𝑘𝑥, we can show that, at steady

𝑑
state, 𝑥 is bounded by . The disturbance effect can be
𝑘−𝑎
suppressed by increasing 𝑘 but it leads to excessive control
actions.

• The adaptive control law 𝑢 = −𝑘𝑥 − 𝑑 could be a remedy.

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 9

Why Use Adaptive Control?

• Control of systems with time-varying dynamics

• If dynamics change with operating conditions in a known,
predictable fashion, use gain scheduling
• If the use of a fixed controller cannot achieve a
satisfactory compromise between robustness and
performance, then and only then, should adaptive
control be used.
• Use the simplest technique that meets the
specifications

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 10

Judging the Severity of Process Variations

• Difficult to judge impact of process variations on closed-

loop behavior from open-loop time responses
• Significant changes in open-loop responses may have
little effect on closed-loop response
• Small changes in open-loop responses may have
significant effect on closed-loop response
• Effect depends on the desired closed-loop bandwidth
• Better to use frequency responses

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 11

Effect of Process Variations
• Consider the system given by
G(s) =1/(s + 1)(s + a)
• Open loop step responses • Closed-loop responses for unity feedback

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 12

Effect of Process Variations

• Open-loop Bode plot • Closed-loop Bode plot

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 13

Consider now the system
G(s) =400(1 − sT )/(s + 1)(s + 20)(1 + sT )

Open-loop response Closed-loop response

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 14

Development of Adaptive Control

• Mid 1950’s: Flight control systems (eventually solved by gain

scheduling)
• 1957: Bellman develops dynamic programming
• 1958: Kalman develops the self-optimizing controller
• 1960: Feldbaum develops the dual controller
• Mid 60’s-early 70’s: Model reference adaptive systems
• Late 60’s-early 70’s: System identification approach with recursive
least-squares
• Early 1980’s: Convergence and stability analysis
• Mid 1980’s: Robustness analysis
• 1990’s: Backstepping control and adaptive neuro-fuzzy systems
• 2000’s: L1 adaptive control

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 15

Gain Scheduling

• In many cases, process dynamics change with operating conditions

in a known fashion
• Flight control systems
• Compensation for production rate changes
• Controller parameters change in a predetermined fashion with the
operating conditions

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 16

Model Reference Adaptive Control

• Performance specifications given in terms of reference model

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 17

Self-Tuning Controller

• Model-based tuning consists of two operations:

– Model building via identification
– Controller design using the identified model
• Self-tuning control can be thought of as an automation of this
procedure when these two operations are performed on-line

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 18

Self-Tuning vs. Auto-Tuning

• Self-tuning
– Continuous updating of controller parameters
– Used for truly time-varying plants

• Auto-tuning
– Once controller parameters near convergence, adaptation is
stopped
– Used for time invariant or very slowly varying processes
– Used for periodic, usually on-demand tuning

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 19

Final motivation

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 20

Course outline

• Real time parameter estimation

• Deterministic self-tuning regulators
• Stochastic self-tuning controllers
• Model reference adaptive systems
• Selected topics in adaptive control

EPM 644: Introduction A. L. Elshafei 21

Have fun!

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