  Sliding mode control (SMC) is a robust and computationally efficient
model-based controller design technique for highly nonlinear systems, in the
presence of model and external uncertainties. However, the implementation of
the conventional continuous-time SMC on digital computers is limited, due to
the imprecisions caused by data sampling and quantization, and the chattering
phenomena, which results in high frequency oscillations. One effective solution
to minimize the effects of data sampling and quantization imprecisions is the
use of higher order sliding modes. To this end, in this paper, a new
formulation of an adaptive second order discrete sliding mode control (DSMC) is
presented for a general class of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) uncertain
nonlinear systems. Based on a Lyapunov stability argument and by invoking the
new Invariance Principle, not only the asymptotic stability of the controller
is guaranteed, but also the adaptation law is derived to remove the
uncertainties within the nonlinear plant dynamics. The proposed adaptive
tracking controller is designed and tested in real-time for a highly nonlinear
control problem in spark ignition combustion engine during transient operating
conditions. The simulation and real-time processor-in-the-loop (PIL) test
results show that the second order single-input single-output (SISO) DSMC can
improve the tracking performances up to 90%, compared to a first order SISO
DSMC under sampling and quantization imprecisions, in the presence of modeling
uncertainties. Moreover, it is observed that by converting the engine SISO
controllers to a MIMO structure, the overall controller performance can be
enhanced by 25%, compared to the SISO second order DSMC, because of the
dynamics coupling consideration within the MIMO DSMC formulation.
