A control framework for robust practical tracking of hybrid automata

This work proposes a robust control framework to address the problem of practical tracking for a class of nonlinear systems described as hybrid automata. The framework reposes both on a suitable definition of the references to be tracked and on input-to-state stability properties of the feedback laws in order to guarantee a desired behavior of the hybrid automata in terms of robust transition between operative modes or robust permanence in a specific operative mode. The robustness features of the proposed approach regard possible uncertainties both on the controlled dynamics and on the underlying hybrid automaton. The theory presented in this paper is applied in the accompanying work where the case of takeoff and landing for a miniature ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is explicitly addressed.