State observation for nonlinear switched systems using nonhomogeneous high-order sliding mode observers

This article presents the problem of finite time reconstruction of the continuous state and operating mode for a class of nonlinear switched systems. The proposed method is based on the nonhomogeneous high-order sliding mode approach. It is able to reconstruct both the state and operating mode of a switched system based only on its measurable outputs and through the use of the features of the equivalent output injection. The observability is derived in terms of certain geometric restrictions on the vector fields of the switched system that require the availability of all its modes. The method does not require the system to be transformed into any normal form. Simulation results support the proposed method.