Tracking Control for Triple-Integrator and Quintuple-Integrator Systems with Single Input Using Zhang Neural Network with Time Delay Caused by Backward Finite-Divided Difference Formulas for Multiple-Order Derivatives

Tracking control for multiple-integrator systems is regarded as a fundamental problem associated with nonlinear dynamic systems in the physical and mathematical sciences, with many applications in engineering fields. In this paper, we adopt the Zhang neural network method to solve this nonlinear dynamic problem. In addition, in order to adapt to the requirements of real-world hardware implementations with higher-order precision for this problem, the multiple-order derivatives in the Zhang neural network method are estimated using backward finite-divided difference formulas with quadratic-order precision, thus producing time delays. As such, we name the proposed method the Zhang neural network method with time delay. Moreover, we present five theorems to describe the convergence property of the Zhang neural network method without time delay and the quadratic-order error pattern of the Zhang neural network method with time delay derived from the backward finite-divided difference formulas with quadratic-order precision, which specifically demonstrate the effect of the time delay. Finally, tracking controllers with quadratic-order precision for multiple-integrator systems are constructed using the Zhang neural network method with time delay, and two numerical experiments are presented to substantiate the theoretical results for the Zhang neural network methods with and without time delay.