Finite-time integral sliding mode control of electronic throttle valve actuator with LPF-based current shaping and PSO-optimized gains

Electronic Throttle Valve (ETV) actuators exhibit strong nonlinearities, friction layers, and tightly coupled electromechanical dynamics that severely challenge conventional controllers. This study introduces a rigorous Finite-Time stability Integral Sliding Mode Control (FTS–ISMC) architecture, augmented by an inner-loop current–shaping mechanism that leverages the inherent low-pass filtering dynamics of the DC motor to generate smooth and physically realizable armature currents. The mechanical subsystem is first stabilized through a finite-time integral sliding controller, which eliminates the reaching phase, guarantees robustness against matched disturbances, and enforces provable finite-time convergence of both the tracking error and sliding variable. The virtual control signal generated by the mechanical controller is subsequently embedded into the electrical subsystem via an analytically derived first-order current–tracking model, ensuring that the discontinuous control action is transformed into a bounded, low-chattering current compatible with actuator constraints. To further refine performance, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is employed to tune the nonlinear gains, enabling multiple objectives such as minimizing the finite-time settling duration, reducing voltage demand, and achieving a balanced trade-off between speed and smoothness. Simulation results using the full nonlinear electromechanical ETV model confirm the effectiveness of the proposed framework: the FTS layer accelerates convergence; the ISMC layer enhances robustness and removes the reaching phase; the LPF-induced current shaping eliminates torque chattering; and PSO reduces settling time by 71% and decreases integral error indices by 52–78%. A sensitivity analysis of the electrical dynamics demonstrates that the nominal time constant yields the most stable and practically realizable behavior. These findings validate the feasibility of deploying the proposed FT–ISMC framework in real automotive throttle systems.