This paper proposes a U-Model-Based Two-Degree-of-Freedom Internal Model Control (UTDF-IMC) structure with strength in nonlinear dynamic inversion, and separation of tracking design and robustness design. This approach can effectively accommodate modeling error and disturbance while removing those widely used linearization techniques for nonlinear plants/processes. To assure the expansion and applications, it analyses the key properties associated with the UTDF-IMC. For initial benchmark testing, computational experiments are conducted using MATLAB/Simulink for two mismatched linear and nonlinear plants. Further tests consider an industrial system, in which the IMC of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) is simulated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the design procedure for potential industrial applications.

To setup a universal proper user toolbox from previous individual research publications, this study generalises the algorithms for the U-model dynamic inversion based on the realisation of U-model from polynomial and state-space described continuous-time (CT) systems and presents the corresponding U-control system design in a systematic procedure. Then, it selects four CT dynamic plants plus a wind energy conversion system for simulation case studies in Matlab/Simulink to test/demonstrate the proposed U-model-based design procedure and dynamic inversion algorithms. This work can be treated as a U-control system design user manual in some sense.

This study presents a generalised framework for model-free robust decentralised control (MFRDC) of interconnected MIMO dynamic systems, with the goal of significantly reducing complexity in model-based design. A model-free robust sliding mode control, by Lyapunov differential inequality, is presented to achieve simultaneous nonlinear, dynamic, interaction/coupling inversion/cancellation (NDII) for such MIMO systems, which treats the plant/process as a total uncertainty from input to output. The U-control platform is presented, to integrate separately independently designed NDII and an invariant controller (IC) into a complete double loop control system. The associated robust stability and other properties are analysed to provide reference for applications. Two simulated tracking control tests are presented for functionally numerical demonstration, validation of the analytical results and illustration of the transparent procedure for general expansion/applications. These are: a coupled inverted pendulum and a two-input and two-output (TITO) non-affine nonlinear dynamic plant.

U-model, which is a control-oriented model set with the property of generally facilitate nonlinearity dynamic inversion/cancellation, has been introduced to the Disturbance Observer-Based control (DOBC) methods to improve the performance of the nonlinear systems in this paper. A general DOB based U-Control (DOBUC) framework is proposed to improve the disturbance attenuation capability of U-controller for both linear and nonlinear systems combined with (based on) the U-model-based dynamic inversion which expands the classical linear disturbance observer control to general nonlinear systems. The proposed two-step DOBUC design procedures in which the design of DOB and U-controller are totally independent and separated, enables the establishment of global exponential stability without being subject to disturbances and uncertainties. Comparative simulation experiments with Nonlinear DOBC in controlling Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) demonstrated the proposed method.