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This paper investigates payload grasping from a moving platform using a hook-equipped aerial manipulator. First, a computationally efficient trajectory optimization based on complementarity constraints is proposed to determine the optimal grasping time. To enable application in complex, dynamically changing environments, the future motion of the payload is predicted using physics simulator-based models. The success of payload grasping under model uncertainties and external disturbances is formally verified through a robustness analysis method based on integral quadratic constraints. The proposed algorithms are evaluated in a high-fidelity physical simulator, and in real flight experiments using a custom-designed aerial manipulator platform.

We propose kernel-based approaches for the construction of a single-step and multi-step predictor of the velocity form of nonlinear (NL) systems, which describes the time-difference dynamics of the corresponding NL system and admits a highly structured representation. The predictors in turn allow to formulate completely data-driven representations of the velocity form. The kernel-based formulation that we derive, inherently respects the structured quasi-linear and specific time-dependent relationship of the velocity form. This results in an efficient multi-step predictor for the velocity form and hence for nonlinear systems. Moreover, by using the velocity form, our methods open the door for data-driven behavioral analysis and control of nonlinear systems with global stability and performance guarantees., Comment: 15 pages

The quality of a model resulting from (black-box) system identification is highly dependent on the quality of the data that is used during the identification procedure. Designing experiments for linear time-invariant systems is well understood and mainly focuses on the power spectrum of the input signal. Performing experiment design for nonlinear system identification on the other hand remains an open challenge as informativity of the data depends both on the frequency-domain content and on the time-domain evolution of the input signal. Furthermore, as nonlinear system identification is much more sensitive to modeling and extrapolation errors, having experiments that explore the considered operation range of interest is of high importance. Hence, this paper focuses on designing space-filling experiments i.e., experiments that cover the full operation range of interest, for nonlinear dynamical systems that can be represented in a state-space form using a broad set of input signals. The presented experiment design approach can straightforwardly be extended to a wider range of system classes (e.g., NARMAX). The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated on the experiment design for a nonlinear mass-spring-damper system, using a multisine input signal., Comment: Accepted by the 20th IFAC Symposium on System Identification (SYSID2024)

For complex nonlinear systems, it is challenging to design algorithms that are fast, scalable, and give an accurate approximation of the stability region. This paper proposes a sampling-based approach to address these challenges. By extending the parametrization of quadratic Lyapunov functions with the system dynamics and formulating an $\ell_1$ optimization to maximize the invariant set over a grid of the state space, we arrive at a computationally efficient algorithm that estimates the domain of attraction (DOA) of nonlinear systems accurately by using only linear programming. The scalability of the Lyapunov function synthesis is further improved by combining the algorithm with ADMM-based parallelization. To resolve the inherent approximative nature of grid-based techniques, a small-scale nonlinear optimization is proposed. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated and compared to state-of-the-art solutions on several numerical examples.

Nonlinear system identification remains an important open challenge across research and academia. Large numbers of novel approaches are seen published each year, each presenting improvements or extensions to existing methods. It is natural, therefore, to consider how one might choose between these competing models. Benchmark datasets provide one clear way to approach this question. However, to make meaningful inference based on benchmark performance it is important to understand how well a new method performs comparatively to results available with well-established methods. This paper presents a set of ten baseline techniques and their relative performances on five popular benchmarks. The aim of this contribution is to stimulate thought and discussion regarding objective comparison of identification methodologies.

Physics-guided neural networks (PGNN) is an effective tool that combines the benefits of data-driven modeling with the interpretability and generalization of underlying physical information. However, for a classical PGNN, the penalization of the physics-guided part is at the output level, which leads to a conservative result as systems with highly similar state-transition functions, i.e. only slight differences in parameters, can have significantly different time-series outputs. Furthermore, the classical PGNN cost function regularizes the model estimate over the entire state space with a constant trade-off hyperparameter. In this paper, we introduce a novel model augmentation strategy for nonlinear state-space model identification based on PGNN, using a weighted function regularization (W-PGNN). The proposed approach can efficiently augment the prior physics-based state-space models based on measurement data. A new weighted regularization term is added to the cost function to penalize the difference between the state and output function of the baseline physics-based and final identified model. This ensures the estimated model follows the baseline physics model functions in regions where the data has low information content, while placing greater trust in the data when a high informativity is present. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy over the current PGNN method is demonstrated on a benchmark example.

Linearity of Koopman operators and simplicity of their estimators coupled with model-reduction capabilities has lead to their great popularity in applications for learning dynamical systems. While nonparametric Koopman operator learning in infinite-dimensional reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces is well understood for autonomous systems, its control system analogues are largely unexplored. Addressing systems with control inputs in a principled manner is crucial for fully data-driven learning of controllers, especially since existing approaches commonly resort to representational heuristics or parametric models of limited expressiveness and scalability. We address the aforementioned challenge by proposing a universal framework via control-affine reproducing kernels that enables direct estimation of a single operator even for control systems. The proposed approach, called control-Koopman operator regression (cKOR), is thus completely analogous to Koopman operator regression of the autonomous case. First in the literature, we present a nonparametric framework for learning Koopman operator representations of nonlinear control-affine systems that does not suffer from the curse of control input dimensionality. This allows for reformulating the infinite-dimensional learning problem in a finite-dimensional space based solely on data without apriori loss of precision due to a restriction to a finite span of functions or inputs as in other approaches. For enabling applications to large-scale control systems, we also enhance the scalability of control-Koopman operator estimators by leveraging random projections (sketching). The efficacy of our novel cKOR approach is demonstrated on both forecasting and control tasks.

Artificial neural networks (ANN) have proven to be effective in dealing with the identification nonlinear models for highly complex systems. To still make use of the prior information available from baseline models derived from, e.g., first-principles (FP), methods have been developed that integrate the prior knowledge into the identification algorithm for the ANN in a variety of methods. These methods have shown better estimation speeds and/or accuracy on unseen data. Among these methods are model augmentation structures. A variety of these structures have been considered in literature, there is however no unifying theory to these. In this paper, we propose a flexible linear-fractional-representation (LFR) based model augmentation structure. This model structure is able to represent many common model augmentation structures, thus unifying them under the proposed model structure. Furthermore, we introduce an identification algorithm capable of estimating the proposed model augmentation structure. The performance and generalization capabilities of the identification algorithm and the augmentation structure is demonstrated on a hardening mass-spring-damper simulation example., Comment: Submitted for CDC 2024

This paper presents an overview and comparative study of the state of the art in State-Order Reduction (SOR) and Scheduling Dimension Reduction (SDR) for Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) State-Space (SS) models, comparing and benchmarking their capabilities, limitations and performance. The use case chosen for these studies is an interconnected network of nonlinear coupled mass spring damper systems with three different configurations, where some spring coefficients are described by arbitrary user-defined static nonlinear functions. For SOR, the following methods are compared: Linear Time-Invariant (LTI), LPV and LFR-based balanced reductions, moment matching and parameter-varying oblique projection. For SDR, the following methods are compared: Principal Component Analysis (PCA), trajectory PCA, Kernel PCA and LTI balanced truncation, autoencoders and deep neural network. The comparison reveals the most suitable reduction methods for the different benchmark configurations, from which we provide use case SOR and SDR guidelines that can be used to choose the best reduction method for a given LPV-SS model.

A promising step from linear towards nonlinear data-driven control is via the design of controllers for linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems, which are linear systems whose parameters are varying along a measurable scheduling signal. However, the interplay between uncertainty arising from corrupted data and the parameter-varying nature of these systems impacts the stability analysis and limits the generalization of well-understood data-driven methods available for linear time-invariant systems. In this work, we decouple this interplay using a recently developed variant of the Fundamental Lemma for LPV systems and the concept of data-informativity, in combination with biquadratic Lyapunov forms. Together, these allow us to develop novel linear matrix inequality conditions for the existence of scheduling-dependent Lyapunov functions, incorporating the intrinsic nonlinearity. Appealingly, these results are stated purely in terms of the collected data and bounds on the noise, and they are computationally favorable to check., Comment: Accepted for the 63rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control

Motion systems are a vital part of many industrial processes. However, meeting the increasingly stringent demands of these systems, especially concerning precision and throughput, requires novel control design methods that can go beyond the capabilities of traditional solutions. Traditional control methods often struggle with the complexity and position-dependent effects inherent in modern motion systems, leading to compromises in performance and a laborious task of controller design. This paper addresses these challenges by introducing a novel structured feedback control auto-tuning approach for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) motion systems. By leveraging frequency response function (FRF) estimates and the linear-parameter-varying (LPV) control framework, the proposed approach automates the controller design, while providing local stability and performance guarantees. Key innovations include norm-based magnitude optimization of the sensitivity functions, an automated stability check through a novel extended factorized Nyquist criterion, a modular structured MIMO LPV controller parameterization, and a controller discretization approach which preserves the continuous-time (CT) controller parameterization. The proposed approach is validated through experiments using a state-of-the-art moving-magnet planar actuator prototype., Comment: 6 pages, 4 Figures

This paper considers the equilibrium-free stability and performance analysis of discrete-time nonlinear systems. We consider two types of equilibrium-free notions. Namely, the universal shifted concept, which considers stability and performance w.r.t. all equilibrium points of the system, and the incremental concept, which considers stability and performance between trajectories of the system. In this paper, we show how universal shifted stability and performance of discrete-time systems can be analyzed by making use of the time-difference dynamics. Moreover, we extend the existing results for incremental dissipativity for discrete-time systems based on dissipativity analysis of the differential dynamics to more general state-dependent storage functions for less conservative results. Finally, we show how both these equilibrium-free notions can be cast as a convex analysis problem by making use of the linear parameter-varying framework, which is also demonstrated by means of an example., Comment: Submitted to IET Control Theory & Applications

Ensuring stability of discrete-time (DT) linear parameter-varying (LPV) input-output (IO) models estimated via system identification methods is a challenging problem as known stability constraints can only be numerically verified, e.g., through solving Linear Matrix Inequalities. In this paper, an unconstrained DT-LPV-IO parameterization is developed which gives a stable model for any choice of model parameters. To achieve this, it is shown that all quadratically stable DT-LPV-IO models can be generated by a mapping of transformed coefficient functions that are constrained to the unit ball, i.e., a small-gain condition. The unit ball is then reparameterized through a Cayley transformation, resulting in an unconstrained parameterization of all quadratically stable DT-LPV-IO models. As a special case, an unconstrained parameterization of all stable DT linear time-invariant transfer functions is obtained. Identification using the stable DT-LPV-IO model with neural network coefficient functions is demonstrated on a simulation example of a position-varying mass-damper-spring system., Comment: Accepted for presentation at the European Control Conference, Stockholm, 2024

The importance of proper data normalization for deep neural networks is well known. However, in continuous-time state-space model estimation, it has been observed that improper normalization of either the hidden state or hidden state derivative of the model estimate, or even of the time interval can lead to numerical and optimization challenges with deep learning based methods. This results in a reduced model quality. In this contribution, we show that these three normalization tasks are inherently coupled. Due to the existence of this coupling, we propose a solution to all three normalization challenges by introducing a normalization constant at the state derivative level. We show that the appropriate choice of the normalization constant is related to the dynamics of the to-be-identified system and we derive multiple methods of obtaining an effective normalization constant. We compare and discuss all the normalization strategies on a benchmark problem based on experimental data from a cascaded tanks system and compare our results with other methods of the identification literature., Comment: This work has been accepted for presentation at the 20th IFAC Symposium on System Identification 2024

In this paper, we consider the learning of a Reduced-Order Linear Parameter-Varying Model (ROLPVM) of a nonlinear dynamical system based on data. This is achieved by a two-step procedure. In the first step, we learn a projection to a lower dimensional state-space. In step two, an LPV model is learned on the reduced-order state-space using a novel, efficient parameterization in terms of neural networks. The improved modeling accuracy of the method compared to an existing method is demonstrated by simulation examples., Comment: Accepted to the 20th IFAC Symposium on System Identification (SYSID 2024)

By means of the linear parameter-varying (LPV) Fundamental Lemma, we derive novel data-driven predictive control (DPC) methods for LPV systems. In particular, we present output-feedback and state-feedback-based LPV-DPC methods with terminal ingredients, which guarantee exponential stability and recursive feasibility. We provide methods for the data-based computation of these terminal ingredients. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the application and implementation aspects of the LPV-DPC schemes is given, including application for nonlinear systems and handling noisy data. We compare and demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods in a detailed simulation example involving a nonlinear unbalanced disc system., Comment: Submitted to IEEE-TAC. Extended version. 18 pages

One major challenge for autonomous attitude takeover control for on-orbit servicing of spacecraft is that an accurate dynamic motion model of the combined vehicles is highly nonlinear, complex and often costly to identify online, which makes traditional model-based control impractical for this task. To address this issue, a recursive online sparse Gaussian Process (GP)-based learning strategy for attitude takeover control of noncooperative targets with maneuverability is proposed, where the unknown dynamics are online compensated based on the learnt GP model in a semi-feedforward manner. The method enables the continuous use of on-orbit data to successively improve the learnt model during online operation and has reduced computational load compared to standard GP regression. Next to the GP-based feedforward, a feedback controller is proposed that varies its gains based on the predicted model confidence, ensuring robustness of the overall scheme. Moreover, rigorous theoretical proofs of Lyapunov stability and boundedness guarantees of the proposed method-driven closed-loop system are provided in the probabilistic sense. A simulation study based on a high-fidelity simulator is used to show the effectiveness of the proposed strategy and demonstrate its high performance., Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures. Submitted to in IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems

Automated driving systems are often used for lane keeping tasks. By these systems, a local path is planned ahead of the vehicle. However, these paths are often found unnatural by human drivers. We propose a linear driver model, which can calculate node points that reflect the preferences of human drivers and based on these node points a human driver preferred motion path can be designed for autonomous driving. The model input is the road curvature. We apply this model to a self-developed Euler-curve-based curve fitting algorithm. Through a case study, we show that the model based planned path can reproduce the average behavior of human curve path selection. We analyze the performance of the proposed model through statistical analysis that shows the validity of the captured relations.

The performance of a feedforward controller is primarily determined by the extent to which it can capture the relevant dynamics of a system. The aim of this paper is to develop an input-output linear parameter-varying (LPV) feedforward parameterization and a corresponding data-driven estimation method in which the dependency of the coefficients on the scheduling signal are learned by a neural network. The use of a neural network enables the parameterization to compensate a wide class of constant relative degree LPV systems. Efficient optimization of the neural-network-based controller is achieved through a Levenberg-Marquardt approach with analytic gradients and a pseudolinear approach generalizing Sanathanan-Koerner to the LPV case. The performance of the developed feedforward learning method is validated in a simulation study of an LPV system showing excellent performance., Comment: Final author version, accepted for publication at 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Singapore, 2023

In this paper, we consider the analysis and control of continuous-time nonlinear systems to ensure universal shifted stability and performance, i.e., stability and performance w.r.t. each forced equilibrium point of the system. This "equilibrium-free" concept is especially beneficial for control problems that require the tracking of setpoints and rejection of persistent disturbances, such as input loads. In this paper, we show how the velocity form, i.e., the time-differentiated dynamics of the system, plays a crucial role in characterizing these properties and how the analysis of it can be solved by the application of Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) methods in a computationally efficient manner. Furthermore, by leveraging the properties of the velocity form and the LPV framework, a novel controller synthesis method is presented which ensures closed-loop universal shifted stability and performance. The proposed controller design is verified in a simulation study and also experimentally on a real system. Additionally, we compare the proposed method to a standard LPV control design, demonstrating the improved stability and performance guarantees of the new approach., Comment: Non-extended version submitted to IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control

Available methods for identification of stochastic dynamical systems from input-output data generally impose restricting structural assumptions on either the noise structure in the data-generating system or the possible state probability distributions. In this paper, we introduce a novel identification method of such systems, which results in a dynamical model that is able to produce the time-varying output distribution accurately without taking restrictive assumptions on the data-generating process. The method is formulated by first deriving a novel and exact representation of a wide class of nonlinear stochastic systems in a so-called meta-state-space form, where the meta-state can be interpreted as a parameter vector of a state probability function space parameterization. As the resulting representation of the meta-state dynamics is deterministic, we can capture the stochastic system based on a deterministic model, which is highly attractive for identification. The meta-state-space representation often involves unknown and heavily nonlinear functions, hence, we propose an Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based identification method capable of efficiently learning nonlinear meta-state-space models. We demonstrate that the proposed identification method can obtain models with a log-likelihood close to the theoretical limit even for highly nonlinear, highly stochastic systems., Comment: Accepted in Automatica

This paper presents a multi-step procedure to construct the dynamic motion model of an autonomous quadcopter, identify the model parameters, and design a model-based nonlinear trajectory tracking controller. The aim of the proposed method is to speed up the commissioning of a new quadcopter design, i.e., to enable the drone to perform agile maneuvers with high precision in the shortest time possible. After a brief introduction to the theoretical background of the modelling and control design, the steps of the proposed method are presented using the example of a self-developed quadcopter platform. The performance of the method is tested and evaluated by real flight experiments.

The paper makes the first steps towards a behavioral theory of LPV state-space representations with an affine dependency on scheduling, by characterizing minimality of such state-space representations. It is shown that minimality is equivalent to observability, and that minimal realizations of the same behavior are isomorphic.Finally, we establish a formal relationship between minimality of LPV state-space representations with an affine dependence on scheduling and minimality of LPV state-space representations with a dynamic and meromorphic dependence on scheduling.

In order to make data-driven models of physical systems interpretable and reliable, it is essential to include prior physical knowledge in the modeling framework. Hamiltonian Neural Networks (HNNs) implement Hamiltonian theory in deep learning and form a comprehensive framework for modeling autonomous energy-conservative systems. Despite being suitable to estimate a wide range of physical system behavior from data, classical HNNs are restricted to systems without inputs and require noiseless state measurements and information on the derivative of the state to be available. To address these challenges, this paper introduces an Output Error Hamiltonian Neural Network (OE-HNN) modeling approach to address the modeling of physical systems with inputs and noisy state measurements. Furthermore, it does not require the state derivatives to be known. Instead, the OE-HNN utilizes an ODE-solver embedded in the training process, which enables the OE-HNN to learn the dynamics from noisy state measurements. In addition, extending HNNs based on the generalized Hamiltonian theory enables to include external inputs into the framework which are important for engineering applications. We demonstrate via simulation examples that the proposed OE-HNNs results in superior modeling performance compared to classical HNNs., Comment: Preprint submitted to IFAC 2023

Payload grasping and transportation with quadcopters is an active research area that has rapidly developed over the last decade. To grasp a payload without human interaction, most state-of-the-art approaches apply robotic arms that are attached to the quadcopter body. However, due to the large weight and power consumption of these aerial manipulators, their agility and flight time are limited. This paper proposes a motion control and planning method for transportation with a lightweight, passive manipulator structure that consists of a hook attached to a quadrotor using a 1 DoF revolute joint. To perform payload grasping, transportation, and release, first, time-optimal reference trajectories are designed through specific waypoints to ensure the fast and reliable execution of the tasks. Then, a two-stage motion control approach is developed based on a robust geometric controller for precise and reliable reference tracking and a linear--quadratic payload regulator for rapid setpoint stabilization of the payload swing. Furthermore, stability of the closed-loop system is mathematically proven to give safety guarantee for its operation. The proposed control architecture and design are evaluated in a high-fidelity physical simulator, and also in real flight experiments, using a custom-made quadrotor--hook manipulator platform.

Most control synthesis methods under temporal logic properties require a model of the system, however, identifying such a model can be a challenging task. In this work, we develop a direct data-driven control synthesis method for temporal logic specifications, which does not require this explicit modeling step, capable of providing certificates for the general class of linear systems. After collecting a single sequence of input-output data from the system, we construct a data-driven characterization of the behavior. Using this characterization, we synthesize a controller, such that the controlled system satisfies a (possibly unbounded) temporal logic specification. The underlying optimization problem is solved by mixed-integer linear programming. We demonstrate the applicability of the results through simulation examples., Comment: Submitted to the 8th IFAC conference on Analysis and Design of Hybrid Systems

The SUBNET neural network architecture has been developed to identify nonlinear state-space models from input-output data. To achieve this, it combines the rolled-out nonlinear state-space equations and a state encoder function, both parameterised as neural networks The encoder function is introduced to reconstruct the current state from past input-output data. Hence, it enables the forward simulation of the rolled-out state-space model. While this approach has shown to provide high-accuracy and consistent model estimation, its convergence can be significantly improved by efficient initialization of the training process. This paper focuses on such an initialisation of the subspace encoder approach using the Best Linear Approximation (BLA). Using the BLA provided state-space matrices and its associated reconstructability map, both the state-transition part of the network and the encoder are initialized. The performance of the improved initialisation scheme is evaluated on a Wiener-Hammerstein simulation example and a benchmark dataset. The results show that for a weakly nonlinear system, the proposed initialisation based on the linear reconstructability map results in a faster convergence and a better model quality., Comment: Accepted for presentation at the IFAC World Congress 2023

This paper presents two direct parameterizations of stable and robust linear parameter-varying state-space (LPV-SS) models. The model parametrizations guarantee a priori that for all parameter values during training, the allowed models are stable in the contraction sense or have their Lipschitz constant bounded by a user-defined value $\gamma$. Furthermore, since the parametrizations are direct, the models can be trained using unconstrained optimization. The fact that the trained models are of the LPV-SS class makes them useful for, e.g., further convex analysis or controller design. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated on an LPV identification problem., Comment: Accepted for the 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC2023)

Artificial neural networks (ANN) have been shown to be flexible and effective function estimators for identification of nonlinear state-space models. However, if the resulting models are used directly for nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC), the resulting nonlinear optimization problem is often overly complex due the size of the network, requires the use of high-order observers to track the states of the ANN model, and the overall control scheme exploits little of the structural properties or available autograd tools for these models. In this paper, we propose an efficient approach to auto-convert ANN state-space models to linear parameter-varying (LPV) form and solve predictive control problems by successive solutions of linear model predictive problems, corresponding to quadratic programs (QPs). Furthermore, we show how existing ANN identification methods, such as the SUBNET method that uses a state encoder, can provide efficient implementation of MPCs. The performance of the proposed approach is demonstrated via a simulation study on an unbalanced disc system., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to CDC with L-CSS option

Growing demands in today's industry results in increasingly stringent performance and throughput specifications. For accurate positioning of high-precision motion systems, feedforward control plays a crucial role. Nonetheless, conventional model-based feedforward approaches are no longer sufficient to satisfy the challenging performance requirements. An attractive method for systems with repetitive motion tasks is iterative learning control (ILC) due to its superior performance. However, for systems with non-repetitive motion tasks, ILC is {generally} not applicable, {despite of some recent promising advances}. In this paper, we aim to explore the use of deep learning to address the task flexibility constraint of ILC. For this purpose, a novel Task Analogy based Imitation Learning (TAIL)-ILC approach is developed. To benchmark the performance of the proposed approach, a simulation study is presented which compares the TAIL-ILC to classical model-based feedforward strategies and existing learning-based approaches, such as neural network based feedforward learning., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Regular paper ACC conference 2023

The demand for high-precision and high-throughput motion control systems has increased significantly in recent years. The use of moving-magnet planar actuators (MMPAs) is gaining popularity due to their advantageous characteristics, such as complete environmental decoupling and reduction of stage mass. Nonetheless, model-based commutation techniques for MMPAs are compromised by misalignment between the mover and coil array and mismatch between the ideal electromagnetic model and the physical system, often leading to decreased system performance. To address this issue, a novel improved commutation approach is proposed in this paper\YB{, which is applicable for general planar motor applications,} by means of dynamic regulation of the position dependence of the ideal model-based commutation algorithm, which allows for attenuation of magnetic misalignment, manufacturing inaccuracies and other unmodelled phenomena. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated through experiments using a state-of-the-art moving-magnet planar actuator prototype., Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, submission for IEEE L-CSS

Through the use of the Fundamental Lemma for linear systems, a direct data-driven state-feedback control synthesis method is presented for a rather general class of nonlinear (NL) systems. The core idea is to develop a data-driven representation of the so-called velocity-form, i.e., the time-difference dynamics, of the NL system, which is shown to admit a direct linear parameter-varying (LPV) representation. By applying the LPV extension of the Fundamental Lemma in this velocity domain, a state-feedback controller is directly synthesized to provide asymptotic stability and dissipativity of the velocity-form. By using realization theory, the synthesized controller is realized as a NL state-feedback law for the original unknown NL system with guarantees of universal shifted stability and dissipativity, i.e., stability and dissipativity w.r.t. any (forced) equilibrium point, of the closed-loop behavior. This is achieved by the use of a single sequence of data from the system and a predefined basis function set to span the scheduling map. The applicability of the results is demonstrated on a simulation example of an unbalanced disc., Comment: Accepted for the 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC2023)

We derive direct data-driven dissipativity analysis methods for Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) systems using a single sequence of input-scheduling-output data. By means of constructing a semi-definite program subject to linear matrix inequality constraints based on this data-dictionary, direct data-driven verification of $(Q,S,R)$-type of dissipativity properties of the data-generating LPV system is achieved. Multiple implementation methods are proposed to achieve efficient computational properties and to even exploit structural information on the scheduling, e.g., rate bounds. The effectiveness and trade-offs of the proposed methodologies are shown in simulation studies of academic and physically realistic examples., Comment: Accepted in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control

The Koopman framework is a popular approach to transform a finite dimensional nonlinear system into an infinite dimensional, but linear model through a lifting process, using so-called observable functions. While there is an extensive theory on infinite dimensional representations in the operator sense, there are few constructive results on how to select the observables to realize them. When it comes to the possibility of finite Koopman representations, which are highly important form a practical point of view, there is no constructive theory. Hence, in practice, often a data-based method and ad-hoc choice of the observable functions is used. When truncating to a finite number of basis, there is also no clear indication of the introduced approximation error. In this paper, we propose a systematic method to compute the finite dimensional Koopman embedding of a specific class of polynomial nonlinear systems in continuous-time such that, the embedding, without approximation, can fully represent the dynamics of the nonlinear system., Comment: Submitted to the IFAC World Congress 2023

We demonstrate that direct data-driven control of nonlinear systems can be successfully accomplished via a behavioral approach that builds on a Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) system concept. An LPV data-driven representation is used as a surrogate LPV form of the data-driven representation of the original nonlinear system. The LPV data-driven control design that builds on this representation form uses only measurement data from the nonlinear system and a priori information on a scheduling map that can lead to an LPV embedding of the nonlinear system behavior. Efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated experimentally on a nonlinear unbalanced disc system showing for the first time in the literature that behavioral data-driven methods are capable to stabilize arbitrary forced equilibria of a real-world nonlinear system by the use of only 7 data points., Comment: Accepted to the 22nd IFAC World Congress 2023 (IFAC2023)

The framework of linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems has shown to be a powerful tool for the design of controllers for complex nonlinear systems using linear tools. In this work, we derive novel methods that allow to synthesize LPV state-feedback controllers directly from a single sequence of data and guarantee stability and performance of the closed-loop system, without knowing the model of the plant. We show that if the measured open-loop data from the system satisfies a persistency of excitation condition, then the full open-loop and closed-loop input-scheduling-state behavior can be represented using only the data. With this representation, we formulate synthesis problems that yield controllers that guarantee stability and performance in terms of infinite horizon quadratic cost, generalized $\mathcal{H}_2$-norm and $\ell_2$-gain of the closed-loop system. The controllers are synthesized by solving an SDP with a finite set of LMI constraints. Additionally, we provide a synthesis method to handle noisy measurement data. Competitive performance of the proposed data-driven synthesis methods is demonstrated w.r.t. model-based synthesis that have complete knowledge of the true system model in multiple simulation studies, including a nonlinear unbalanced disc system., Comment: 27 pages

An important issue in model-based control design is that an accurate dynamic model of the system is generally nonlinear, complex, and costly to obtain. This limits achievable control performance in practice. Gaussian process (GP) based estimation of system models is an effective tool to learn unknown dynamics directly from input/output data. However, conventional GP-based control methods often ignore the computational cost associated with accumulating data during the operation of the system and how to handle forgetting in continuous adaption. In this paper, we present a novel Dual Gaussian Process (DGP) based model predictive control (MPC) strategy that enables efficient use of online learning based predictive control without the danger of catastrophic forgetting. The bio-inspired DGP structure is a combination of a long-term GP and a short-term GP, where the long-term GP is used to keep the learned knowledge in memory and the short-term GP is employed to rapidly compensate unknown dynamics during online operation. Furthermore, a novel recursive online update strategy for the short-term GP is proposed to successively improve the learnt model during online operation. Effectiveness of the proposed strategy is demonstrated via numerical simulations., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2112.11667

Using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for nonlinear system identification has proven to be a promising approach, but despite of all recent research efforts, many practical and theoretical problems still remain open. Specifically, noise handling and models, issues of consistency and reliable estimation under minimisation of the prediction error are the most severe problems. The latter comes with numerous practical challenges such as explosion of the computational cost in terms of the number of data samples and the occurrence of instabilities during optimization. In this paper, we aim to overcome these issues by proposing a method which uses a truncated prediction loss and a subspace encoder for state estimation. The truncated prediction loss is computed by selecting multiple truncated subsections from the time series and computing the average prediction loss. To obtain a computationally efficient estimation method that minimizes the truncated prediction loss, a subspace encoder represented by an artificial neural network is introduced. This encoder aims to approximate the state reconstructability map of the estimated model to provide an initial state for each truncated subsection given past inputs and outputs. By theoretical analysis, we show that, under mild conditions, the proposed method is locally consistent, increases optimization stability, and achieves increased data efficiency by allowing for overlap between the subsections. Lastly, we provide practical insights and user guidelines employing a numerical example and state-of-the-art benchmark results., Comment: Accepted in Automatica

The paper proposes two control methods for performing a backflip maneuver with miniature quadcopters. First, an existing feedforward control approach is improved by finding the optimal sequence of motion primitives via Bayesian optimization, using a surrogate Gaussian Process model. To evaluate the cost function, the flip maneuver is performed repeatedly in a simulation environment. The second method is based on closed-loop control and it consists of two main steps: first a novel robust, adaptive controller is designed to provide reliable reference tracking even in case of model uncertainties. The controller is constructed by augmenting the nominal model of the drone with a Gaussian Process that is trained by using measurement data. Second, an efficient trajectory planning algorithm is proposed, which designs feasible trajectories for the flip maneuver by using only quadratic programming. The two approaches are analyzed in simulations and in real experiments using Bitcraze Crazyflie 2.1 quadcopters., Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology (2022)

The ever increasing need for performance results in increasingly rigorous demands on throughput and positioning accuracy of high-precision motion systems, which often suffer from position dependent effects that originate from relative actuation and sensing of the moving-body. Due to the highly stiff mechanical design, such systems are typically controlled using rigid body control design approaches. Nonetheless, the presence of position dependent flexible dynamics severely limits attainable position tracking performance. This paper presents two extensions of the conventional rigid body control framework towards active control of position dependent flexible dynamics. Additionally, a novel control design approach is presented, which allows for shaping of the full closed-loop system by means of structured $H_\infty$ co-design. The effectiveness of the approach is validated through simulation using a high-fidelity model of a state-of-the-art moving-magnet planar actuator., Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures

The Koopman framework proposes a linear representation of finite-dimensional nonlinear systems through a generally infinite-dimensional globally linear embedding. Originally, the Koopman formalism has been derived for autonomous systems. In applications for systems with inputs, generally a linear time invariant (LTI) form of the Koopman model is assumed, as it facilitates the use of control techniques such as linear quadratic regulation and model predictive control. However, it can be easily shown that this assumption is insufficient to capture the dynamics of the underlying nonlinear system. Proper theoretical extension for actuated continuous-time systems with a linear or a control-affine input has been worked out only recently, however extensions to discrete-time systems and general continuous-time systems have not been developed yet. In the present paper, we systematically investigate and analytically derive lifted forms under inputs for a rather wide class of nonlinear systems in both continuous and discrete time. We prove that the resulting lifted representations give Koopman models where the state transition is linear, but the input matrix becomes state-dependent (state and input-dependent in the discrete-time case), giving rise to a specially structured linear parameter-varying (LPV) description of the underlying system. We also provide error bounds on how much the dependency of the input matrix contributes to the resulting representation and how well the system behaviour can be approximated by an LTI Koopman representation. The introduced theoretical insight greatly helps for performing proper model structure selection in system identification with Koopman models as well as making a proper choice for LTI or LPV techniques for the control of nonlinear systems through the Koopman approach., Comment: Preprint accepted for publication in Automatica

A popular technique used to obtain linear representations of nonlinear systems is the so-called Koopman approach, where the nonlinear dynamics are lifted to a (possibly infinite dimensional) linear space through nonlinear functions called observables. In the lifted space, the dynamics are linear and represented by a so-called Koopman operator. While the Koopman theory was originally introduced for autonomous systems, it has been widely used to derive linear time-invariant (LTI) models for nonlinear systems with inputs through various approximation schemes such as the extended dynamics mode decomposition (EDMD). However, recent extensions of the Koopman theory show that the lifting process for such systems results in a linear parameter-varying (LPV) model instead of an LTI form. As LTI Koopman model based control has been successfully used in practice and it is generally temping to use such LTI descriptions of nonlinear systems, due to the simplicity of the associated control tool chain, a systematic approach is needed to synthesise optimal LTI approximations of LPV Koopman models compared to the ad-hoc schemes such as EDMD, which is based on least-squares regression. In this work, we introduce optimal LTI Koopman approximations of exact Koopman models of nonlinear systems with inputs by using l2-gain and generalized H2 norm performance measures. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed Koopman modelling procedure compared to EDMD., Comment: In proceedings of the joint IFAC conference: SSSC-TDS-LPVS, 2022

Obtaining models that can be used for control is of utmost importance to ensure the guidance and navigation of spacecraft, like a Generic Parafoil Return Vehicle (GPRV). In this paper, we convert a nonlinear model of the atmospheric flight dynamics of an GPRV to a Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) description, such that the LPV model is suitable for navigation control design. Automated conversion methods for nonlinear models can result in complex LPV representation, which are not suitable for controller synthesis. We apply several state-of-the-art techniques, including learning based approaches, to optimize the complexity and conservatism of the LPV embedding for an GPRV. The results show that we can obtain an LPV embedding that approximates the complex nonlinear dynamics sufficiently well, where the balance between complexity, conservatism and model performance is optimal., Comment: Submitted to the 5th IFAC Workshop on Linear Parameter Varying Systems (LPVS) of the Joint IFAC Conference (SSSC2022-TDS2022-LPVS2022)

Continuous-time (CT) modeling has proven to provide improved sample efficiency and interpretability in learning the dynamical behavior of physical systems compared to discrete-time (DT) models. However, even with numerous recent developments, the CT nonlinear state-space (NL-SS) model identification problem remains to be solved in full, considering common experimental aspects such as the presence of external inputs, measurement noise, latent states, and general robustness. This paper presents a novel estimation method that addresses all these aspects and that can obtain state-of-the-art results on multiple benchmarks with compact fully connected neural networks capturing the CT dynamics. The proposed estimation method called the subspace encoder approach (SUBNET) ascertains these results by efficiently approximating the complete simulation loss by evaluating short simulations on subsections of the data, by using an encoder function to estimate the initial state for each subsection and a novel state-derivative normalization to ensure stability and good numerical conditioning of the training process. We prove that the use of subsections increases cost function smoothness together with the necessary requirements for the existence of the encoder function and we show that the proposed state-derivative normalization is essential for reliable estimation of CT NL-SS models., Comment: Accepted to ICLR 2023

Increasingly stringent throughput requirements in the industry necessitate the need for lightweight design of high-precision motion systems to allow for high accelerations, while still achieving accurate positioning of the moving-body. The presence of position dependent dynamics in such motion systems severely limits achievable position tracking performance using conventional sequential loop closing (SLC) control design strategies. This paper presents a novel extension of the conventional SLC design framework towards linear-parameter-varying systems, which allows to circumvent limitations that are introduced by position dependent effects in high-precision motion systems. Advantages of the proposed control design approach are demonstrated in simulation using a high-fidelity model of a moving-magnet planar actuator system, which exhibits position dependency in both actuation and sensing., Comment: 6 pages

In recent years, the Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) framework has become increasingly useful for analysis and control of time-varying systems. Generally, LPV control synthesis is performed in the continuous-time (CT) domain due to significantly more intuitive performance shaping methods in CT. However, the main complication of CT synthesis approaches is the successive implementation of the resulting CT control solutions on physical hardware. In the literature, several discretization methods have been developed for LPV systems. However, most of these approaches necessitate heavy nonlinear operations introduced by the discretization of these time-varying matrices or can introduce significant approximation error, thereby severely limiting implementation capabilities of CT LPV control solutions. Alternatively, the $w'$ discretization approach has been introduced in the LTI case to allow for preservation of the CT control. Based on these observations, this paper aims at extending the $w'$ discretization approach to LPV systems, such that implementation of CT LPV control solutions on physical hardware is simplified., Comment: 1 page, 1 Figure

An important issue in quadcopter control is that an accurate dynamic model of the system is nonlinear, complex, and costly to obtain. This limits achievable control performance in practice. Gaussian process (GP) based estimation is an effective tool to learn unknown dynamics from input/output data. However, conventional GP-based control methods often ignore the computational cost associated with accumulating data during the operation of the system and how to handle forgetting in continuous adaption. In this paper, we present a novel Dual Gaussian Process (DGP) based model predictive control strategy that improves the performance of a quadcopter during trajectory tracking. The bio-inspired DGP structure is a combination of a long-term GP and a short-term GP, where the long-term GP is used to keep the learned knowledge in memory and the short-term GP is employed to rapidly compensate unknown dynamics during online operation. Furthermore, a novel recursive online update strategy for the short-term GP is proposed to successively improve the learnt model during online operation in an efficient way. Numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures

The present paper treats the identification of nonlinear dynamical systems using Koopman-based deep state-space encoders. Through this method, the usual drawback of needing to choose a dictionary of lifting functions a priori is circumvented. The encoder represents the lifting function to the space where the dynamics are linearly propagated using the Koopman operator. An input-affine formulation is considered for the lifted model structure and we address both full and partial state availability. The approach is implemented using the the deepSI toolbox in Python. To lower the computational need of the simulation error-based training, the data is split into subsections where multi-step prediction errors are calculated independently. This formulation allows for efficient batch optimization of the network parameters and, at the same time, excellent long term prediction capabilities of the obtained models. The performance of the approach is illustrated by nonlinear benchmark examples., Comment: Accepted to CDC 2021 (revised with reviewer feedback)