LAUSR

We consider a system of reaction–advection–diffusion partial differential equation (PDE) with a distributed input subject to an unknown and arbitrarily large time delay. Using Lyapunov technique, we derive a delay-adaptive predictor feedback controller to ensure the global stability of the closed-loop system in the $L^2$ sense. More precisely, we express the input delay as a 1-D transport PDE with a spatial argument leading to the transformation of the time delay into a spatially distributed shift. For the resulting mixed transport and reaction–advection–diffusion PDE system, we employ a PDE backstepping design and certainty equivalence principle to derive the suitable adaptive control law that compensates for the effect of the unknown time delay. Our controller ensures the global stabilization in the $L^2$ sense. Our result is the first delay-adaptive predictor feedback controller with a PDE plant subject to a delayed distributed input. The feasibility of the proposed approach is illustrated by considering a mobile robot that spread a neutralizer over a polluted surface to achieve efficient decontamination with an unknown actuator delay arising from the noncollocation of the contaminant diffusive process and the moving neutralizer source. Consistent simulation results are presented to prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach.