Using Wavelets for the Detection of Discrete Events in Time Series of Hybrid Systems

This contribution deals with the use of wavelets for the analysis of time series of systems which are hybrid in the sense that they contain discrete and continuous dynamics. We focus on the detection of discrete events which is an important step in the identification of hybrid systems. A brief overview of the characteristics of the wavelet transform is given, which shows that the wavelet transform is an appropriate method for the analysis of time series of hybrid systems. By the combination of two wavelet-based analysis techniques, a two-step procedure is obtained which allows the detection of switching points in the presence of weak noise. In this context, emphasis is given to the problems which arise when the theoretical results are used to detect discrete events in real time series. The procedure is demonstrated for a time series obtained from the simulation of a nonlinear laboratory plant.     

Stochastic stability analysis for joint process driven and networked hybrid systems

The stochastic stability and impulsive noise disturbance attenuation in a class of joint process driven and networked hybrid systems with coupling delays (JPDNHSwD) has been investigated. In particular, there are two separable processes monitoring the networked hybrid systems. One drives inherent network structures and properties, the other induces random variations in the control law. Continuous dynamics and control laws in networked subsystems and couplings among subsystems change as events occur stochastically in a spatio-temporal fashion. When an event occurs, the continuous state variables may jump from one value to another. Using the stochastic Lyapunov functional approach, sufficient conditions on the existence of a remote time-delay feedback controller which ensures stochastic stability for this class of JPDNHSwD are obtained. The derived conditions are expressed in terms of solutions of LMIs. An illustrative example of a dynamical network driven by two Markovian processes is used to demonstrate the satisfactory control performance.     

Safety preserving control synthesis for sampled data systems

In sampled data systems the controller receives periodically sampled state feedback about the evolution of a continuous time plant, and must choose a constant control signal to apply between these updates; however, unlike purely discrete time models the evolution of the plant between updates is important. In this paper we describe an abstract algorithm for approximating the discriminating kernel (also known as the maximal robust control invariant set) for a sampled data system with continuous state space, and then use this operator to construct a switched, set-valued feedback control policy which ensures safety. We show that the approximation is conservative for sampled data systems. We then demonstrate that the key operations–the tensor products of two sets, invariance kernels, and a pair of projections–can be implemented in two formulations: one based on the Hamilton–Jacobi partial differential equation which can handle nonlinear dynamics but which scales poorly with state space dimension, and one based on ellipsoids which scales well with state space dimension but which is restricted to linear dynamics. Each version of the algorithm is demonstrated numerically on a simple example.     

Approach to simultaneous stabilization of linear dynamic plants with delay

For a finite family of continuous linear scalar stationary plants with a common constant delay in the control, we study the existence of a discrete controller simultaneously stabilizing the family with respect to the output and suggest an algorithm for constructing such a controller. The approach to the stabilization includes the construction of a continuousdiscrete (hybrid) closed system for each plant, passage to a discrete model of the system, and the subsequent finding of a common stabilizing discrete controller.     

Computing Approximating Automata for a Class of Hybrid Systems

This paper presents a new algorithm for generating finite-state automata models of hybrid systems in which the continuous-state dynamics can be switched when the continuous-state trajectory generates threshold events. The automata state transitions correspond to threshold events and the automata states correspond to portions of the threshold surfaces in the continuous state space. The hybrid system dynamics are approximated by the automata models in the sense that the languages of threshold event sequences generated by the automata contain the threshold event language for the hybrid system. Properties of the algorithm for constructing and refining the approximating automata are demonstrated and the application of approximating automata for system verification is illustrated for a switching controller for an inverted pendulum. Relationships to other approaches to hybrid system synthesis and verification are also discussed.     

Optimal persistent disturbance attenuation control for linear hybrid systems

In this paper, the disturbance attenuation properties for a class of linear hybrid systems are investigated, and a hybrid optimal persistent disturbance attenuation control problem is studied. First, a procedure is developed to determine the minimal l^∞$l^{\infty }$ induced gain of linear hybrid systems. However, for general hybrid systems, the termination of the procedure is not guaranteed. Then, the decidability issues are discussed. The termination of the procedure in a finite number of steps is shown for a subclass of hybrid systems with simplified discrete event dynamics, called switched linear systems. Finally, the optimal persistent disturbance attenuation controller synthesis problem is studied. It is shown that the optimal performance level can be achieved by a piecewise linear state feedback control law, and a systematic approach is proposed to design such feedback control.     

Modeling and analysis using hybrid Petri nets

This paper is devoted to the use of hybrid Petri nets (PNs) for modeling and control of hybrid dynamic systems (HDS). Modeling, analysis and control of HDS attract ever more of researchers’ attention and several works have been devoted to these topics. We consider in this paper the extensions of the PN formalism (initially conceived for modeling and analysis of discrete event systems) in the direction of hybrid modeling. We present, first, the continuous PN models. These models are obtained from discrete PNs by the fluidification of the markings. They constitute the first steps in the extension of PNs toward hybrid modeling. Then, we present two hybrid PN models, which differ in the class of HDS they can deal with. The first one is used for deterministic HDS modeling, whereas the second one can deal with HDS with nondeterministic behavior.     

Hybrid decentralized maximum entropy control for large-scale dynamical systems

In the analysis of complex, large-scale dynamical systems it is often essential to decompose the overall dynamical system into a collection of interacting subsystems. Because of implementation constraints, cost, and reliability considerations, a decentralized controller architecture is often required for controlling large-scale interconnected dynamical systems. In this paper, a novel class of fixed-order, energy-based hybrid decentralized controllers is proposed as a means for achieving enhanced energy dissipation in large-scale lossless and dissipative dynamical systems. These dynamic decentralized controllers combine a logical switching architecture with continuous dynamics to guarantee that the system plant energy is strictly decreasing across switchings. The general framework leads to hybrid closed-loop systems described by impulsive differential equations. In addition, we construct hybrid dynamic controllers that guarantee that each subsystem–subcontroller pair of the hybrid closed-loop system is consistent with basic thermodynamic principles. Special cases of energy-based hybrid controllers involving state-dependent switching are described, and an illustrative combustion control example is given to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.     

Simple, robust, selftuning controller

This paper proposes a robust method for automatic tuning of parameters of a discrete PID controller. The tuning rules for SISO and MIMO systems are based on automatic determination of critical gain and critical frequency from the estimated model parameters. The plant model can be expressed by a transfer function in continuous and/or discrete form or by differential and/or difference equation. A simple control law using Takahashi discrete form is proposed. Simulations results prove that it is easy to use being able to handle minimum and nonminimum phase plant as well.     

On asymptotic optimization of a class of nonlinear stochastic hybrid systems

We consider the problem of control for continuous time stochastic hybrid systems in finite time horizon. The systems considered are nonlinear: the state evolution is a nonlinear function of both the control and the state. The control parameters change at discrete times according to an underlying controlled Markov chain which has finite state and action spaces. The objective is to design a controller which would minimize an expected nonlinear cost of the state trajectory. We show using an averaging procedure, that the above minimization problem can be approximated by the solution of some deterministic optimal control problem. This paper generalizes our previous results obtained for systems whose state evolution is linear in the control.This work is supported by the Australian Research Council. All correspondence should be directed to the first author.     

Finite-time stability of hybrid systems with continuous and Boolean dynamics

The hybrid systems with continuous and discrete variables can be used to describe many real-world phenomena. In this paper, by generalizing the mathematical form of gene regulatory networks, a novel class of hybrid systems consisting of continuous and Boolean dynamics is investigated. Firstly, the new hybrid system is introduced in detail, and a concept of finite-time stability (FTS) for it is proposed. Next, the existence and uniqueness of solutions are proved by fixed point theory. Furthermore, based on Lyapunov functions and the semi-tensor product (STP), i.e., Cheng product, some sufficient conditions of FTS for the hybrid systems are presented. The main results are illustrated by two numerical examples.     

Hybrid dynamical systems with controlled discrete transitions

This invited survey focuses on a new class of systems–hybrid dynamical systems with controlled discrete transitions. A type of system behavior referred to as the controlled infinitesimal dynamics is shown to arise in systems with widely divergent dynamic structures and application domains. This type of behavior is demonstrated to give rise to a new dynamic mode in hybrid system evolution–a controlled discrete transition. Conceptual and analytical frameworks for modeling of and controller synthesis for such transitions are detailed for two systems classes: one requiring bumpless switching among controllers with different properties, and the other–exhibiting single controlled impacts and controlled impact sequences under collision with constraints. The machinery developed for the latter systems is also shown to be capable of analysing the behavior of difficult to model systems characterized by accumulation points, or Zeno-type behavior, and unique system motion extensions beyond them in the form of sliding modes along the constraint boundary. The examples considered demonstrate that dynamical systems with controlled discrete transitions constitute a general class of hybrid systems.     

基于混合时滞观测器的混合反馈控制

对于一类具有状态和有限自动机输出时滞的离散混合系统,研究基于混合时滞观测器的混合反馈控制问题.通过系统线性部分和离散事件部分的Lyapunov函数构造了整个时滞系统的混合Lyapunov函数,进一步,给出混合反馈控制的设计方法且证明了闭环系统的稳定性.仿真例子说明该方法的有效性.     

Constructions of strict Lyapunov functions for discrete time and hybrid time-varying systems

We provide explicit closed form expressions for strict Lyapunov functions for time-varying discrete time systems. Our Lyapunov functions are expressed in terms of known nonstrict Lyapunov functions for the dynamics and finite sums of persistency of excitation parameters. This provides a discrete time analog of our previous continuous time Lyapunov function constructions. We also construct explicit strict Lyapunov functions for systems satisfying nonstrict discrete time analogs of the conditions from Matrosov’s Theorem. We use our methods to build strict Lyapunov functions for time-varying hybrid systems that contain mixtures of continuous and discrete time evolutions.     

Some contributions with Petri nets for the modelling, analysis and control of HDS

Petri nets (PN) are useful for the modelling, analysis and control of hybrid dynamical systems (HDS) because PN combine in a comprehensive way discrete events and continuous behaviours. On one hand, PN are suitable for modelling the discrete part of HDS and for providing a discrete abstraction of continuous behaviours. On the other hand, continuous PN are suitable for modelling the continuous part of HDS and for working out a continuous approximation of the discrete part in order to avoid the complexity associated with the exponential growth of discrete states. This paper focuses on the advantages of PN as a modelling tool for HDS. Investigations of such models for diagnosis and control issues are detailed.

Taking inspiration from the discrete event approach, sensor selection for diagnosis is discussed according to the structural analysis of the PN models. Faults are represented with fault transitions and a faulty behaviour occurs when a sequence of transitions is fired that contains at least one fault transition. Minimal sets of observable places are defined for detecting and isolating faulty behaviours.

Taking inspiration from the continuous time approach, flow control of HDS modelled with continuous PN is also investigated. Gradient-based controllers are introduced in order to adapt the firing speeds of some controllable transitions according to a desired trajectory of the marking. The equilibria and stability of the controlled system are studied with Lyapunov functions.     

On the expressiveness and decidability of o-minimal hybrid systems

This paper is driven by a general motto: bisimulate a hybrid system by a finite symbolic dynamical system. In the case of o-minimal hybrid systems, the continuous and discrete components can be decoupled, and hence, the problem reduces in building a finite symbolic dynamical system for the continuous dynamics of each location. We show that this can be done for a quite general class of hybrid systems defined on o-minimal structures. In particular, we recover the main result of a paper by G. Lafferriere, G.J. Pappas, and S. Sastry, on o-minimal hybrid systems. We also provide an analysis and extension of results on decidability and complexity of problems and constructions related to o-minimal hybrid systems.     

First steps toward formal controller synthesis for bipedal robots with experimental implementation

Bipedal robots are prime examples of complex cyber–physical systems (CPSs). They exhibit many of the features that make the design and verification of CPS so difficult: hybrid dynamics, large continuous dynamics in each mode (e.g., 10 or more state variables), and nontrivial specifications involving nonlinear constraints on the state variables. In this paper, we propose a two-step approach to formally synthesize controllers for bipedal robots so as to enforce specifications by design and thereby generate physically realizable stable walking. In the first step, we design outputs and classical controllers driving these outputs to zero. The resulting controlled system evolves on a lower dimensional manifold and is described by the hybrid zero dynamics governing the remaining degrees of freedom. In the second step, we construct an abstraction of the hybrid zero dynamics that is used to synthesize a controller enforcing the desired specifications to be satisfied on the full order model. Our two step approach is a systematic way to mitigate the curse of dimensionality that hampers the applicability of formal synthesis techniques to complex CPS. Our results are illustrated with simulations showing how the synthesized controller enforces all the desired specifications and offers improved performance with respect to a classical controller. The practical relevance of the results is illustrated experimentally on the bipedal robot AMBER 3.     

Hybrid system identification using a structural approach and its model based control: An experimental validation

For implementation of various model based techniques such as in control and fault diagnosis, data-driven identification is key for enabling cheap and rapid development of models of hybrid systems of industrial interest. In the present work, a novel identification method is proposed for a class of hybrid systems which are linear and separable in the discrete variables (that is discrete states and discrete inputs). The method takes cognizance of the fact that the separable structure of the hybrid system constrains the evolution of system dynamics. In particular, the proposed method identifies models corresponding to a certain number of modes, far fewer than the total possible modes of the system. It then generates the models for the remaining modes without any further requirement for input–output data by exploiting the separable structure of the hybrid system. We experimentally validate the method by identifying the model for a three tank benchmark hybrid system followed by model predictive control using the identified model.     

Computing reachable sets for uncertain nonlinear hybrid systems using interval constraint-propagation techniques

We investigate solution techniques for numerical constraint-satisfaction problems and validated numerical set integration methods for computing reachable sets of nonlinear hybrid dynamical systems in the presence of uncertainty. To use interval simulation tools with higher-dimensional hybrid systems, while assuming large domains for either initial continuous state or model parameter vectors, we need to solve the problem of flow/sets intersection in an effective and reliable way. The main idea developed in this paper is first to derive an analytical expression for the boundaries of continuous flows, using interval Taylor methods and techniques for controlling the wrapping effect. Then, the event detection and localization problems underlying flow/sets intersection are expressed as numerical constraint-satisfaction problems, which are solved using global search methods based on branch-and-prune algorithms, interval analysis and consistency techniques. The method is illustrated with hybrid systems with uncertain nonlinear continuous dynamics and nonlinear invariants and guards.