Stability tests and stabilization for piecewise linear systems based on poles and zeros of subsystems

This paper provides several stability tests for piecewise linear systems and proposes a method of stabilization for bimodal systems. In particular, we derive an explicit and exact stability test for planar systems, which is given in terms of coefficients of transfer functions of subsystems. Restricting attention to the bimodal and planar case, we show simple stability tests. In addition, we drive a necessary stability condition and a sufficient stability condition for higher-order and bimodal systems. They are given in terms of the eigenvalue loci and the observability of subsystems. All the stability tests provided in this paper are computationally tractable, and our results are applied to the stabilizability problem. We confirm the exactness and effectiveness of our approach by illustrative examples.     

Controllability for a Class of Parallelly Connected Polynomial Systems

Null controllability for a class of parallelly connected discrete-time polynomial systems is considered. We prove for this class of systems that a necessary and sufficient condition for null controllability of the parallel connection is that all its subsystems are null controllable. Consequently, the controllability test splits into a number of easy-to-check tests for the subsystems. The test for complete controllability is also presented and it is subtly different from the null controllability test. A similar statement is then given for complete controllability of a class of parallelly connected continuous-time polynomial systems. The result is somewhat unexpected when compared with the classical linear systems result. We identify the phenomenon which shows the difference between the linear and nonlinear cases. Date received: January 22, 1997. Date revised: January 14, 1998.     

The reachable set of a linear endogenous switching system

In this work, switching systems are named endogenous when their switching pattern is controllable. Linear endogenous switching systems can be considered as a particular class of bilinear control systems. The key idea is that both types of systems are equivalent to polysystems, i.e. to systems whose flow is piecewise smooth. The reachable set of a linear endogenous switching system can be studied consequently. The main result is that, in general, it has the structure of a semigroup, even when the Lie algebra rank condition is satisfied since the logic inputs cannot reverse the direction of the flow. The adaptation of existing controllability criteria for bilinear systems is straightforward.     

Quadratic stability and stabilization of bimodal piecewise linear systems

This paper deals with quadratic stability and feedback stabilization problems for continuous bimodal piecewise linear systems. First, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities for quadratic stability and stabilization of this class of systems. Later, these conditions are investigated from a geometric control point of view and a set of sufficient conditions (in terms of the zero dynamics of one of the two linear subsystems) for feedback stabilization are obtained.     

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.     

Target controllability of multiagent systems under fixed and switching topologies

In this article, the target controllability of multiagent systems under fixed and switching topologies is investigated, respectively. In the fixed topology setting, some necessary and/or sufficient algebraic and graph‐theoretic conditions are proposed, and the target controllable subspace is quantitatively studied by virtue of almost equitable graph vertex partitions. In the switching topology setting, based on the concepts of the invariant subspace and the target controllable state set, some necessary and sufficient algebraic conditions are obtained. Moreover, the target controllability is studied from the union graph perspective. The results show that when the union graph of all the possible topologies is target controllable, the multiagent system would be target controllable even if each of its subsystems is not. Numerical simulations are provided finally to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

On the Kamke-Müller conditions, monotonicity and continuity for bi-modal piecewise-smooth systems

We show that the Kamke-Müller conditions for bimodal piecewise-smooth systems are equivalent to simple conditions on the vector fields defining the system. As a consequence, we show that for a specific class of such systems, monotonicity is equivalent to continuity. Furthermore, we apply our results to derive a stability condition for piecewise positive linear systems.     

Sufficient and necessary conditions for the stability of second-order switched linear systems under arbitrary switching

Many practical systems can be modelled as switched systems, whose stability problem is challenging even for linear subsystems. In this article, the stability problem of second-order switched linear systems with a finite number of subsystems under arbitrary switching is investigated. Sufficient and necessary stability conditions are derived based on the worst-case analysis approach in polar coordinates. The key idea of this article is to partition the whole state space into several regions and reduce the stability analysis of all the subsystems to analysing one or two worst subsystems in each region. This article is an extension of the work for stability analysis of second-order switched linear systems with two subsystems under arbitrary switching.     

Maximal controllability of input constrained unstable systems by the addition of implicit constraints

The null controllable set of a system is the largest set of states that can be controlled to the origin. Control systems that have a region of attraction equal to the null controllable set are said to be maximally controllable closed-loop systems. In the case of open-loop unstable plants with amplitude constrained control it is well known that the null controllable set does not cover the entire state-space. Further the combination of input constraints and unstable system dynamics results in a set of state constraints which we call implicit constraints. It is shown that the simple inclusion of implicit constraints in a controller formulation results in a controller that achieves maximal controllability for a class of open-loop unstable systems.     

Structured analysis of piecewise‐linear interconnected systems

This paper considers the problem of assessing the induced L₂ gain of a system composed of non‐identical interconnected piecewise‐linear subsystems, when the topology of the underlying graph is arbitrary. Blending tools inspired by dissipativity theory and the S‐procedure, it presents sufficient conditions in the form of a set of finite‐dimensional linear matrix inequalities which are coupled in a way that reflects the spatial structure of the system under analysis. Results are presented comparing the efficacy of the new conditions to similar conditions for an equivalent global piecewise‐linear system. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identification of continuous-time Hammerstein systems by simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation

This paper proposes an identification method for Hammerstein systems using simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA). Here, the structure of nonlinear subsystem is assumed to be unknown, while the structure of linear subsystem, such as the system order, is assumed to be available. The main advantage of the SPSA-based method is that it can be applied to identification of Hammerstein systems with less restrictive assumptions. In order to clarify this point, piecewise affine functions with a large number of parameters are adopted to approximate the unknown nonlinear subsystems. Furthermore, the linear subsystems are supposed to be described in continuous-time. Though this class of systems closely reflects the actual systems, there are few methods to identify such models. Hence, the SPSA-based method is utilized to identify the parameters in both linear and nonlinear subsystems simultaneously. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated through several numerical examples. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is useful to obtain accurate models, even for high-dimensional parameter identification.     

Model reference adaptive control of discrete‐time piecewise linear systems

This article presents a switched model reference adaptive controller for discrete‐time piecewise linear systems. In the spirit of the work by Landau in the late seventies, proof of asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop error system is obtained, recasting its dynamics as a feedback system and showing the feedforward and the feedback paths are both passive. The challenge is that both paths can be piecewise linear. Numerical results show excellent performance of the proposed controller even in the face of sudden variations of the plant parameters. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On strong controllability for planar affine nonlinear systems

Different to linear systems, a controllable nonlinear system does not generally imply that it is strongly controllable. This paper will investigate the strong controllability of planar affine nonlinear systems and obtain its necessary and sufficient condition by introducing the variation function of the control curve. These conditions are imposed on the system structure only. In addition, we also point out that, for a class of polynomial systems, their strong controllability is equivalent to their controllability. Finally, some examples are given to show the application of our results.     

Stochastic model predictive control for constrained discrete-time Markovian switching systems

In this paper we study constrained stochastic optimal control problems for Markovian switching systems, an extension of Markovian jump linear systems (MJLS), where the subsystems are allowed to be nonlinear. We develop appropriate notions of invariance and stability for such systems and provide terminal conditions for stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) that guarantee mean-square stability and robust constraint fulfillment of the Markovian switching system in closed-loop with the SMPC law under very weak assumptions. In the special but important case of constrained MJLS we present an algorithm for computing explicitly the SMPC control law off-line, that combines dynamic programming with parametric piecewise quadratic optimization.     

Classification and stabilizability analysis of bimodal piecewise affine systems

This paper presents a classification of bimodal piecewise affine systems from the viewpoint of well‐posedness. First, we address the feedback well‐posedness problem of a general class of bimodal piecewise affine systems, which is the problem of feedback equivalence to a well‐posed system. Next, based on this result, we classify all feedback well‐posed systems into four classes to address the control problem of piecewise affine systems in a systematic way. As its application, the stabilizability problem with well‐posedness is discussed for each class, and several remarks on stabilizability are given. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A common linear copositive Lyapunov function for switched positive linear systems with commutable subsystems

This article is concerned with the existence problem of a common linear copositive Lyapunov function (CLCLF) for switched positive linear systems with stable and pairwise commutable subsystems. Three families of such systems composed of only continuous-time subsystems, only discrete-time subsystems and mixed continuous- and discrete-time subsystems are considered, respectively. It is demonstrated that a CLCLF can always be constructed for the underlying system whenever its subsystems are continuous-time, discrete-time or the mixed type. The case when the number of subsystems is two is first considered, then the obtained result is extended to the general case. Three numerical examples are given to verify the validity of the developed results.     

Constrained control Lyapunov function based model predictive control design

This work considers linear systems with input constraints with the objective of designing a controller that guarantees stability from all initial conditions in the null‐controllable region (the set of initial conditions from where the system can be stabilized). To this end, a recently developed procedure for construction of constrained control Lyapunov functions is utilized within a Lyapunov‐based model predictive controller coupled with an auxiliary control design to achieve stabilization from all initial conditions in the null‐controllable region. Illustrative simulation results as well as an application to a nonlinear chemical process example is presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the results.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Connectability and structural controllability of composite systems

The notion of connectability for multivariable composite systems consisting of a number of subsystems interconnected in an arbitrary way is introduced in this paper. It is shown that connectability plays a fundamental role in composite systems; in particular, it is shown that under certain mild conditions, almost all composite interconnected systems are controllable and observable from any nontrivial input and output if and only if the resultant composite system is connectable. A class of composite systems called general input-output hierarchical systems, which has the property of always being connectable is then defined. Since such systems are almost always controllable, this observation perhaps gives some insight in explaining why so many real world systems have as their basis a hierarchical structure. An application of the previous results is then made to show that a system (C, A, B) is structurally controllable and observable if and only if it is connectable and a certain non-pathological rank condition holds.