Supervisory control of hybrid systems

TLDR

Hybrid supervisory control systems commonly arise in computer control of continuous processes such as manufacturing, chemical, transportation, and communication networks. The paper introduces and discusses supervisory control of hybrid systems, emphasizing the interaction between continuous and discrete dynamics. The authors present a functional architecture comprising a continuous plant, discrete‑event controller, and interface, using discrete abstractions to approximate the plant and design supervisory control methods that satisfy formal language specifications while ensuring properties such as determinism and controllability. The approach is illustrated with several examples throughout the paper.

Abstract

In this paper, the supervisory control of hybrid systems is introduced and discussed at length. Such control systems typically arise in the computer control of continuous processes, for example, in manufacturing and chemical processes, in transportation systems, and in communication networks. A functional architecture of hybrid control systems consisting of a continuous plant, a discrete-event controller, and an interface is used to introduce and describe analysis and synthesis concepts and approaches. Our approach highlights the interaction between the continuous and discrete dynamics, which is the cornerstone of any hybrid system study. Discrete abstractions are used to approximate the continuous plant. Properties of the discrete abstractions to be appropriate representations of the continuous plant are presented, and important concepts such as determinism and controllability are discussed. Supervisory control design methodologies are presented to satisfy control specifications described by formal languages. Several examples are used throughout the paper to illustrate our approach.