Some New Continuous-Time Parameter Estimators with Application to the Adaptive Control of a Space Launch Vehicle

The traditional parameter estimation techniques of adaptive control are quite effective for plants that have "slow" dynamics and essentially constant (unknown) parameters and disturbances. However, many aerospace applications involve time-stressed situations in which plants must respond quickly to commands, in the face of unknown, time-varying plant parameters and external disturbances. Traditional parameter estimation techniques of adaptive control may be ineffective for such applications. In this paper, we introduce several new continuous-time (differential equation type) parameter estimation algorithms for the adaptive control of "quick-response" plants that must operate in the face of unknown, time-varyng plant parameters and disturbance. An application of the results to the control of a "space launch vehicle" is outlined.