Controllability and reachability criteria for switched linear systems

This paper investigates the controllability and reachability of switched linear control systems. It is proven that both the controllable and reachable sets are subspaces of the total space. Complete geometric characterization for both sets is presented. The switching control design problem is also addressed.     

Stabilization and optimization of switched linear systems

In this paper, we establish the equivalence among switched convergency, asymptotic stabilizability, and exponential stabilizability for force-free switched linear systems, and discuss the implication to the infinite-time horizon optimal switching problem. We show that, for a general cost function under mild assumptions, the finiteness of the optimal cost is equivalent to the asymptotic stabilizability of the switched linear system. Finally, we prove the equality between the optimal costs for the switched system and for the relaxed differential inclusion.     

Stabilizing switching design for switched linear systems: A state-feedback path-wise switching approach

This paper addresses the problem of switching stabilization for discrete-time switched linear systems. Based on the abstraction-aggregation methodology, we propose a state-feedback path-wise switching law, which is a state-feedback concatenation from a finite set of switching paths each defined over a finite time interval. We prove that the set of state-feedback path-wise switching laws is universal in the sense that any stabilizable switched linear system admits a stabilizing switching law in this set. We further develop a computational procedure to calculate a stabilizing switching law in the set.     

Critical dwell time of switched linear systems

In this paper, we consider the relation between the switching dwell time and the stabilization of switched linear control systems. First of all, a concept of critical dwell time is given for switched linear systems without control inputs, and the critical dwell time is taken as an arbitrary given positive constant for a switched linear control systems with controllable switching models. Secondly, when a switched linear system has many stabilizable switching models, the problem of stabilization of the overall system is considered. An on-line feedback control is designed such that the overall system is asymptotically stabilizable under switching laws which depend only on those of uncontrollable subsystems of the switching models. Finally, when a switched system is partially controllable （While some switching models are probably unstabilizable）, an on-line feedback control and a cyclic switching strategy are designed such that the overall system is asymptotically stabilizable if all switching models of this uncontrollable subsystems are asymptotically stable. In addition, algorithms for designing switching laws and controls are presented.     

Critical dwell time of switched linear systems

In this paper, we consider the relation between the switching dwell time and the stabilization of switched linear control systems. First of all, a concept of critical dwell time is given for switched linear systems without control inputs, and the critical dwell time is taken as an arbitrary given positive constant for a switched linear control systems with controllable switching models. Secondly, when a switched linear system has many stabilizable switching models, the problem of stabilization of the overall system is considered. An on-line feedback control is designed such that the overall system is asymptotically stabilizable under switching laws which depend only on those of uncontrollable subsystems of the switching models. Finally, when a switched system is partially controllable (While some switching models are probably unstabilizable), an on-line feedback control and a cyclic switching strategy are designed such that the overall system is asymptotically stabilizable if all switching models of this uncontrollable subsystems are asymptotically stable. In addition, algorithms for designing switching laws and controls are presented.     

Periodic stabilizability of switched linear control systems

Stabilizability via direct/observer-based state feedback control for discrete-time switched linear control systems (SLCSs) is investigated in this paper. For an SLCS, the control factors are not only the control input but also the switching signal, and they need to be designed in order to stabilize the system. As a result, stabilization design for SLCSs is more complicated than that for non-switched ones. Differently from the existing approaches, a periodic switching signal and piecewise constant linear state feedback control are adopted to achieve periodic stabilizability for such systems. It is highlighted that multiple feedback controllers need to be designed for one subsystem. For discrete-time SLCSs, it is proved that reachability implies periodic stabilizability via state feedback. A necessary and sufficient criterion for periodic stabilizability is also established. Two stabilization design algorithms are presented for real application. Moreover, it is proved that reachability and observability imply periodic stabilizability via observer-based feedback for discrete-time SLCSs. Periodic detectability, as the dual concept of periodic stabilizability, is discussed and the stabilization design algorithms via observer-based feedback are presented as well.     

A constructive approach to reachability realization of discrete-time switched linear systems

This paper studies the reachability of discrete-time switched linear systems. A new constructive approach to designing switching sequences is developed so that not only the reachable subspace is realized but also the required number of switchings is reduced significantly. Detailed comparison between the obtained result and that reported in the open literature is also made, which verifies the advantage of the proposed approach.     

Design of switching sequences for controllability realization of switched linear systems

In this paper, we study the problem of designing switching sequences for controllability of switched linear systems. Each controllable state set of designed switching sequences coincides with the controllable subspace. Both aperiodic and periodic switching sequences are considered. For the aperiodic case, a new approach is proposed to construct switching sequences, and the number of switchings involved in each designed switching sequence is shown to be upper bounded by d(d-d₁+1). Here d is the dimension of the controllable subspace, , where (A_i,B_i) are subsystems. For the periodic case, we show that the controllable subspace can be realized within d switching periods.     

Reachability analysis of constrained switched linear systems

In this note, we investigate the reachability of switched linear systems with switching/input constraints. We prove that, under a mild assumption of the feasible switching signals, the reachability set is the reachable subspace of the unconstrained system. We also address the local reachability for switched linear systems with input constraints and present a complete criterion for a general class of switched linear systems.     

A new perspective on criteria and algorithms for reachability of discrete-time switched linear systems

The paper presents a unified perspective on geometric and algebraic criteria for reachability and controllability of controlled switched linear discrete-time systems. Direct connections between geometric and algebraic criteria are established as well as that between the subspace based controllability/reachability algorithm and Kalman-type algebraic rank criteria. Also the existing geometric criteria is simplified and new algebraic conditions on controllability and reachability are given.     

Exponential stabilization of discrete-time switched linear systems

This article studies the exponential stabilization problem for discrete-time switched linear systems based on a control-Lyapunov function approach. It is proved that a switched linear system is exponentially stabilizable if and only if there exists a piecewise quadratic control-Lyapunov function. Such a converse control-Lyapunov function theorem justifies many of the earlier synthesis methods that have adopted piecewise quadratic Lyapunov functions for convenience or heuristic reasons. In addition, it is also proved that if a switched linear system is exponentially stabilizable, then it must be stabilizable by a stationary suboptimal policy of a related switched linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) problem. Motivated by some recent results of the switched LQR problem, an efficient algorithm is proposed, which is guaranteed to yield a control-Lyapunov function and a stabilizing policy whenever the system is exponentially stabilizable.     

Graphic approach for the determination of the existence of sequences guaranteeing observability of switched linear systems

This paper deals with the design of sequences allowing the observability of the state of a switched linear system. The proposed method, based on a graph-theoretic approach, needs only the knowledge of the system’s structure. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of at least one switching sequence guaranteeing the observability of a switched structured system are provided. Such conditions are particularly intuitive and they can be implemented with classic algorithms of the graph theory.     

Digital optimal reduced-order control of pulse-width-modulated switched linear systems

In this paper digital optimal control of pulse-width-modulated switched linear systems is considered. The equivalent discrete-time system and its deviation around a stationary solution plays an important role. An optimal linear discrete-time deviation controller is developed. The controller is chosen to be one-step-ahead predictive, which is a natural choice for control of digital pulse-modulated systems. The controller is optimal, i.e. a cost criterion is minimized. The theory is generally applicable and gives, in principle, a tool to design a digital optimal controller for an arbitrary pulse-width-modulated switched linear system. The theory is illustrated by examples from the field of switched electrical networks.     

On partitioned controllability of switched linear systems

When a switched linear system is not completely controllable, the controllability subspace is not enough to describe the controllability of the system over whole state space. In this case the state space can be divided into two or three control-invariant sub-manifolds, which form a control-related partition of the state space. This paper investigates when each component is a controllable sub-manifold. First, we consider when a sub-manifold is controllable for no control input case. Then the results are used to produce a necessary and sufficient condition assuring the controllability of the partitioned control-invariant sub-manifolds of a class of switched linear systems. An example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the results.     

Asynchronously switched control of switched linear systems with average dwell time

This paper concerns the asynchronously switched control problem for a class of switched linear systems with average dwell time (ADT) in both continuous-time and discrete-time contexts. The so-called asynchronous switching means that the switchings between the candidate controllers and system modes are asynchronous. By further allowing the Lyapunov-like function to increase during the running time of active subsystems, the extended stability results for switched systems with ADT in nonlinear setting are first derived. Then, the asynchronously switched stabilizing control problem for linear cases is solved. Given the increase scale and the decrease scale of the Lyapunov-like function and the maximal delay of asynchronous switching, the minimal ADT for admissible switching signals and the corresponding controller gains are obtained. A numerical example is given to show the validity and potential of the developed results.     

Communication and control co-design for networked control systems

This paper discusses the stabilization of a networked control system (NCS) in which sensors and actuators of a plant exchange information with a remote controller via a shared communication medium. Access to that medium is governed by a pair of periodic communication sequences. Under the model utilized here, the controller and plant handle communication disruptions by “ignoring” (in a sense to be made precise) sensors and actuators that are not actively communicating. This choice has the effect of significantly reducing the complexity of selecting control/communication policies. It is shown that, for discrete-time NCS, the reachability and observability of the plant can be preserved if the communication sequences are chosen properly. We propose a method for exponentially stabilizing a NCS by first identifying a pair of communication sequences that preserve reachability and observability and then designing an observer-based feedback controller based on those sequences.     

Optimal control of discrete-time bilinear systems with applications to switched linear stochastic systems

This paper aims at characterizing the most destabilizing switching law for discrete-time switched systems governed by a set of bounded linear operators. The switched system is embedded in a special class of discrete-time bilinear control systems. This allows us to apply the variational approach to the bilinear control system associated with a Mayer-type optimal control problem, and a second-order necessary optimality condition is derived. Optimal equivalence between the bilinear system and the switched system is analyzed, which shows that any optimal control law can be equivalently expressed as a switching law. This specific switching law is most unstable for the switched system, and thus can be used to determine stability under arbitrary switching. Based on the second-order moment of the state, the proposed approach is applied to analyze uniform mean-square stability of discrete-time switched linear stochastic systems. Numerical simulations are presented to verify the usefulness of the theoretic results.     

On stability of switched linear systems with perturbed switching paths

1 Introduction The study of switched and hybrid dynamical systems has attracted much attention since 1990s. A switched linear sys- tem is a hybrid system which consists of several linear time- invariant subsystems and a switching path that orchestrates the switching among them. The importance of the switched linear systems scheme stems from the facts that i) the frame- work represents a wide class of practical systems, ii) the two-level system structure provides an effective multiple- controll…     

Necessary and sufficient condition for the controllability of switching linear hybrid systems

Controllability of switching linear hybrid systems by means of algebraic conditions was discussed by Yang (Automatica 38 (2002), 1221). This paper shows that algebraic conditions complemented with an assumption on the switching function provides not only necessary but also sufficient condition for the problem. The relation of these algebraic conditions with an invariant subspace algorithm is also presented.     

On the stabilization of switched linear stochastic systems with unobservable switching laws

This paper is concerned with the stabilization problem of switched linear stochastic systems with unob- servable switching laws. In this paper the system switches among a finite family of linear stochastic systems. Since there are noise perturbations, the switching laws can not be identified in any finite time horizon. We prove that if each individual subsystem is controllable and the switching duration uniformly has a strict positive lower bound, then the system can be stabilized by using a controller that uses online state estimation.