Robust backstepping sliding mode tracking controller for an electric clutch system

This research examines the position tracking in an electric clutch actuator system. For the nominal clutch model, a backstepping control law (BS) is developed. The BS controller is demonstrated to effectively reduce the error signal to zero, thereby ensuring asymptotic tracking. In order to assess the robustness of the proposed BS controller, two time-varying disturbance signals are added to the clutch system's dynamics. It is found that the BS controller's performance is notably compromised by disturbances within the clutch system. To this end, the sliding mode control (SMC) - renowned for its robustness - is integrated into the backstepping framework. The BS-SMC combination is shown to efficiently mitigate external disturbances and ensure precise position tracking. Stability of the closed-loop system is established using Lyapunov theory. Furthermore, simulation studies are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed controllers.