Tuning functions‐based robust adaptive tracking control of a class of nonlinear systems with time delays

SUMMARY In this paper, an adaptive backstepping tracking control scheme is proposed for a class of nonlinear state time‐varying delay systems, which are subject to parametric uncertainties and external disturbances. The bounds of the time delays and their derivatives are assumed to be unknown. Tuning functions method is exploited to construct the control law and adaptive laws. Unknown time‐varying delays are compensated by using appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional. It is shown that the proposed controller can guarantee the boundedness of all the closed‐loop signals. The tracking performance can be adjusted by choosing suitable design parameters. At the end, a simulation example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the design procedure.