A hierarchical approach to data-driven LPV control design of constrained systems

Modeling is recognized to be one of the toughest and most time-consuming tasks in modern nonlinear control engineering applications. Linear parameter-varying (LPV) models deal with such complex problems in an effective way, by exploiting well-established tools for linear systems while, at the same time, being able to accurately describe highly nonlinear and time-varying plants. When LPV models are derived from experimental data, it is difficult to estimate a priori how modeling errors will affect the closed-loop performance. In this work, a method is proposed to directly map data onto LPV controllers. Specifically, a hierarchical structure is proposed both to maximize the system performance and to handle signal constraints. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated via suitable simulation tests.