Self-Triggered H_∞ temperature field control for the time-delay sintering process of cathode materials via adaptive dynamic programming

In ternary cathode materials (TCMs) manufacturing, the roller kiln temperature field directly affects product quality. Existing control methods still face difficulties caused by complex spatiotemporal dynamics, time delays, environmental disturbances, and limited online resources for monitoring and updating. This paper proposes a self-triggered H_∞ control method based on adaptive dynamic programming for the time-delay sintering temperature field. First, considering perturbations and historical temperatures in the roller kiln, a time-delay H_∞ performance index is constructed to formulate the robust control problem of the temperature field. Then, a time-delay triggered state is formulated, and a self-triggered mechanism is designed using the temperature at the current triggering instant and historical temperatures. Based on this, a self-triggered adaptive dynamic programming (ST-ADP) algorithm is proposed to obtain the triggered control law by solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs equation and to predict the next control update time, thereby reducing unnecessary updates. Theoretical analysis proves closed-loop stability, excludes Zeno behavior, and establishes an upper bound for the performance index. Finally, the proposed ST-ADP method is deployed for the TCM sintering process. Industrial validation shows that ST-ADP regulates the temperature field around the setpoint under external disturbances while reducing the control update frequency. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd