Robust generalised predictive position control for chain‐type rotary shell magazine with disturbance observer

Abstract The realisation of fast position tracking control and strong robust control of the chain‐type rotary shell magazine in the complex systems such as the large calibre howitzer has been the focus and challenge of research. The predictive control strategies can achieve a fast dynamic response, but it relies on the system model. By integrating the generalised predictive control method with sliding mode theory, a novel robust generalised predictive position control method is proposed. Firstly, a non‐cascade position tracking controller is designed based on the continuous‐time model of the systems; then, a sliding mode compensation structure is introduced to address the degradation of control performance due to load variations and external disturbances. The scheme utilises the sliding mode switching term to overcome the effects caused by the disturbances while preserving the fast dynamic response characteristics of the original predictive control. Moreover, the disturbance observer is designed to further enhance the robustness by producing corresponding compensation according to the perturbation quantity. The proposed controller has been validated in a shell magazine test bench, indicating its superior position control performance of the shell magazine under different load conditions.