ADHS invited1



Applications of Hybrid Control

ADHS'06 Invited Session

Alghero, Sardinia, Italy - June 7-9, 2006

Organizers: A. Bemporad, F. Lamnabhi-Lagarrigue

Description/ Motivation:

Hybrid systems describe processes where continuous parts (governed by differential or difference equations) and discrete parts (described by finite state machines, ifthen-else rules, and temporal logic) interact. Therefore, hybrid systems are perfectly tailored to model phenomena that switch between operating modes, where mode transitions are triggered by variables crossing specific thresholds (state events), by the elapse of certain time periods (time events), or by external inputs (input events).

During recent years, hybrid systems have been an extremely active area of research, and many theoretical contributions were published. Several traditional concepts of systems science were extended to hybrid dynamical models (including stability analysis, controller synthesis, reachability analysis, state estimation, existence of trajectories, uncertainty and stochasticity), but also less traditional problems for system scientists were investigated (including formal verification of safety properties, simulation issues, real-time constraints, etc.) thanks to a constructive scientific interaction with computer scientists.

In particular, control problems have attracted a lot of attention in hybrid systems research, motivated by the strong interest of industry in embedded control systems. These, by definition, involve the interaction of digital devices with a a physical environment. Indeed, pioneering research in hybrid systems research was motivated by applications of embedded control in different areas that exhibit hybrid features, such as in automotive control and automated highways, air traffic management, industrial process control, manufacturing and robotics.

At present, powerful theoretical and methodological frameworks, as well as several software tools, exist for control of hybrid systems. This invited session aims at strengthening the convincement that such a rich collection of achievements can be exploited in control problems of industrial interest, therefore opening the path to more and more applications of hybrid control.

The contributors to this invited session are actively involved in the HYCON Network of Excellence ?Hybrid Control: Taming Heterogeneity and Complexity of Networked Embedded Systems? (http://www.ist-hycon.org) funded by the European Commission. HYCON?s goals are to strengthen and integrate the scientific and technological efforts going on in Europe on hybrid control methodologies for embedded systems.

Papers: