Guest Editorial: Recent advances in sliding mode control under network environment

In recent years, sliding mode control (SMC) is attracting considerable attentions in both theory and practice due to the advantages of finite time response and strong robustness. However, most SMC methodologies are based on the implicit assumption of perfect data transmission in both the sensor-to-controller and controller-to-actuator channels. This assumption is mainly valid for point-to-point control configurations, but unfortunately not for networked control systems (NCSs) widely used nowadays, where the control loop is closed via some form of communication networks. Compared with traditional point-to-point control schemes, the main advantages of NCSs come from their low cost, flexibility and easy reconfigurability, natural reliability and robustness to failure, as well as adaptation capability. However, the introduction of communication channels in the control loop also brings some network-induced critical issues or constraints such as variable transmission delays, data packet dropouts, packet disorder, and quantization errors, which would significantly degrade the system performance or even destabilize the system in certain conditions. These issues brought by NCSs present a great challenge to conventional SMC methods. How to develop new SMC techniques to overcome the network-induced constraints is an interesting and challenging topic, which is of both theoretical and practical significance.