Linearization based robust reference tracking control of a compartmental epidemiological model

A robust reference tracking approach for epidemic models is proposed in this paper where the input is the disease transmission rate influenced by appropriate restrictions, and the controlled output is the number of infected people. The reference following is solved by input-output linearization-based asymptotic output tracking where the linearized model is equipped by an additional integrator. The control design uses a simple 4 compartment SEIR-type model, while the simulation of the closed loop is based on a more detailed model containing 8 compartments. It is shown using multiple simulations that the reference tracking fulfills the requirements even in the presence of significant parametric uncertainties. It is also illustrated that the proposed control design can also be used for the reconstruction of the disease transmission rate from past observations.