Decentralized tracking control design based on intelligent critic for an interconnected spring-mass-damper system

In this paper, the decentralized tracking control (DTC) problem is investigated for a class of continuous-time nonlinear systems with external disturbances. First, the DTC problem is resolved by converting it into the optimal tracking controller design for augmented tracking isolated subsystems (ATISs). %It is investigated in the form of the nominal system. A cost function with a discount is taken into consideration. Then, in the case of external disturbances, the DTC scheme is effectively constructed via adding the appropriate feedback gain to each ATIS. %Herein, we aim to obtain the optimal control strategy for minimizing the cost function with discount. In addition, utilizing the approximation property of the neural network, the critic network is constructed to solve the Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs equation, which can derive the optimal tracking control law and the worst disturbance law. Moreover, the updating rule is improved during the process of weight learning, which removes the requirement for initial admission control. Finally, through the interconnected spring-mass-damper system, a simulation example is given to verify the availability of the DTC scheme.