Flatness-based linear output feedback control for disturbance rejection and tracking tasks on a Chua's circuit

A linear output feedback controller is developed for trajectory tracking problems defined on a modified version of Chua's circuit. The circuit modification considers the introduction of a flat input, i.e. a suitable external control input channel guided by (a) the induction of the flatness property on a measurable output signal of the circuit and (b) the physical viability of the control input. A linear active disturbance rejection control based on a high-gain linear disturbance observer, is implemented on a laboratory prototype. We show that the state-dependent disturbance can be approximately, but arbitrarily closely, estimated through a linear high-gain observer, called a generalised proportional integral (GPI) observer, which contains a linear combination of a sufficient number of extra iterated integrals of the output estimation error. Experimental results are presented in the output reference trajectory tracking of a signal generated by an unrelated chaotic system of the Lorenz type. Laboratory experiments illustrate the proposed linear methodology for effectively controlling chaos.