Reliable tracking control for high speed train against actuator failures: A parallel control architecture

In this paper, the reliable tracking control problem for high speed trains against actuator failures is addressed. A multiple-point-mass model for the high speed train against actuator failures is presented, in which the actuator failures including both partial loss of actuator effectiveness and complete breakdown are characterized by unknown varying parameters. A parallel control architecture is proposed by adding redundant control channels into closed loop to achieve the reliability of control strategy, which can ensure the stability of high speed train system when all actuators are operational as well as some actuators experience failures. In particular, our approach does not require any controller reconfiguration for occurrence of actuator failures, which is suitable for reliable control for high speed train with requirement of high reliability and safety. The controllers composing the parallel control strategy is considered as measurement feedback controllers, and the design procedure is eventually converted into a set of linear matrix inequality feasibility problems. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated through numerical simulations.