Stable Controller Interpolation and Controller Switching for LPV Systems

This paper examines the gain-scheduling problem with a particular focus on controller interpolation with guaranteed stability of the nonlinear closed-loop system. For linear parameter varying model representations, a method of interpolating between controllers utilizing the Youla parametrization is proposed. Quadratic stability despite fast scheduling is guaranteed by construction, while the characteristics of individual controllers designed a priori are recovered at critical design points. Methods for reducing the state dimension of the interpolated controller are also given. The capability of the proposed approach to guarantee stability despite arbitrarily fast transitions leads naturally to application to switched linear systems. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated in simulation using a multi-input, multi-output, nonminimum-phase system, while interpolating between two controllers of different sizes and structures.