arXiv subjects

Dragan Nešić

Publications and source records attributed to Dragan Nešić.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Non-Asymptotic Bounds for Closed-Loop Identification of Sub-Exponentially Growing Nonlinear Stochastic Systems

We investigate the problem of least squares parameter estimation from single-trajectory data for discrete-time, unstable, closed-loop nonlinear stochastic systems. Specifically, we consider nonlinear systems with linearly parametrised uncertainty and additive i.i.d. process noise, in feedback with a control policy that is intentionally perturbed by an exploratory input. Assuming the open-loop dynamics satisfy a particular sub-exponential input-to-state growth property, and a region of the state space produces informative data, we establish non-asymptotic guarantees on the estimation error at times when the state trajectory evolves in this region. If the whole state space is informative, high-probability guarantees on the error hold for all times. Examples are provided where our results are useful for analysis beyond existing works.

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arXiv2026

Non-asymptotic Bounds of Learning-based Linear MPC With Input Constraints and Unbounded Stochastic Noise

This paper studies learning-based model predictive control (MPC) for stabilizing unknown discrete-time linear systems with hard input constraints and additive unbounded sub-Gaussian disturbances. We adopt a certainty-equivalence (CE) design that combines a switching MPC control law with online regularized least-squares (RLS) parameter estimation. The resulting switching control law blends the MPC with a saturated deadbeat controller, ensuring global closed-loop stability. Building upon non-asymptotic error bound of least-squares, we derive non-asymptotic, high-probability stability bounds for the closed-loop system under the proposed switching controller. Numerical experiments illustrate and support the theoretical findings.

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arXiv2026

Learning-based Homothetic Tube MPC with Non-Asymptotic Guarantees

This paper studies learning-based MPC for constrained stabilization of discrete-time linear systems with unknown system parameters and additive bounded disturbances. We develop a tractable homothetic-tube MPC scheme in which a high-probability parameter confidence set is generated from non-asymptotic regularized least-squares estimation, rather than assumed a priori. The resulting uncertainty set is embedded into robust tube propagation and constraint tightening, yielding a convex formulation with linear and second-order-cone constraints. We prove high-probability recursive feasibility, robust constraint satisfaction, and input-to-state stability, together with explicit non-asymptotic state bounds. A numerical example illustrates the effectiveness and theoretical guarantees.

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arXiv2026

On robustness, input-to-state stability and backstepping for stochastic differential equations

We study conditions under which stability of the origin of stochastic differential equations is robust to small perturbations. We express robustness in two ways, firstly in the sense that stochastic stability is maintained under small parametric perturbations not exceeding a state-dependent bound vanishing at the origin but positive elsewhere, and secondly via stochastic input-to-state stability (ISS) which allows non-zero perturbations everywhere. We prove the former property assuming the existence of a Lyapunov function certifying stochastic stability of the nominal system. Under the same assumption, stochastic ISS holds under a suitable state-dependent perturbation scaling. Stochastic exponential stability is maintained under proportionally bounded perturbations and implies exponential ISS even without perturbation scaling. Finally, we propose a novel approach to stochastic integrator backstepping in pure-feedback form that uses the tools from our robustness analysis.

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arXiv2026

Value iteration with stopping criterion: finite iterations, stability, and near-optimality guarantees

Value iteration (VI) is a cornerstone of dynamic programming that allows computing near-optimal feedback laws for general plant dynamics and cost functions. In practice, however, it must be stopped after finitely many iterations. This raises the question of when to stop the algorithm so that the resulting policies and value functions achieve desirable properties, like given near-optimality bounds and stability. In this context, we study deterministic, discrete-time systems with infinite-horizon (possibly discounted) costs whose inputs are generated by VI. We equip VI with a generalized stopping criterion that encompasses existing choices while allowing new ones. Our aim is to analyze the properties of the policies and value functions at the final iteration. Under mild assumptions, we first show that VI indeed terminates in a finite number of iterations. We then establish that the final policies are stabilizing by properly designing the stopping criterion, and derive explicit near-optimality bounds characterized by this choice. These results offer a design framework for the stopping criteria that balances computational effort with stability and performance guarantees.

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arXiv2026

Discounted MPC and infinite-horizon optimal control under plant-model mismatch: Stability and suboptimality

We study closed-loop stability and suboptimality for MPC and infinite-horizon optimal control solved using a surrogate model that differs from the real plant. We employ a unified framework based on quadratic costs to analyze both finite- and infinite-horizon problems, encompassing discounted and undiscounted scenarios alike. Plant-model mismatch bounds proportional to states and controls are assumed, under which the origin remains an equilibrium. Under continuity of the model and cost-controllability, exponential stability of the closed loop can be guaranteed. Furthermore, we give a suboptimality bound for the closed-loop cost recovering the optimal cost of the surrogate. The results reveal a tradeoff between horizon length, discounting and plant-model mismatch. The robustness guarantees are uniform over the horizon length, meaning that larger horizons do not require successively smaller plant-model mismatch.

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arXiv2025

Observer Design for Networked Linear Systems with Fast and Slow Dynamics under Measurement Noise

This paper addresses the emulation-based observer design for networked control systems (NCS) with linear plants that operate at two time scales in the presence of measurement noise. The system is formulated as a hybrid singularly perturbed dynamical system, enabling the systematic use of singular perturbation techniques to derive explicit bounds on the maximum allowable transmission intervals (MATI) for both fast and slow communication channels. Under the resulting conditions, the proposed observer guarantees that the estimation error satisfies a global exponential derivative-input-to-state stability (DISS)-like property, where the ultimate bound scales proportionally with the magnitudes of the measurement noise and the time derivative of the control input. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated through a numerical example.

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arXiv2025

A Framework for Adaptive Stabilisation of Nonlinear Stochastic Systems

We consider the adaptive control problem for discrete-time, nonlinear stochastic systems with linearly parameterised uncertainty. Assuming access to a parameterised family of controllers that can stabilise the system in a bounded set within an informative region of the state space when the parameter is well-chosen, we propose a certainty equivalence learning-based adaptive control strategy, and subsequently derive stability bounds on the closed-loop system that hold for some probabilities. We then show that if the entire state space is informative, and the family of controllers is globally stabilising with appropriately chosen parameters, high probability stability guarantees can be derived.

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arXiv2025

An optimistic planning algorithm for switched discrete-time LQR

We introduce TROOP, a tree-based Riccati optimistic online planner, that is designed to generate near-optimal control laws for discrete-time switched linear systems with switched quadratic costs. The key challenge that we address is balancing computational resources against control performance, which is important as constructing near-optimal inputs often requires substantial amount of computations. TROOP addresses this trade-off by adopting an online best-first search strategy inspired by A*, allowing for efficient estimates of the optimal value function. The control laws obtained guarantee both near-optimality and stability properties for the closed-loop system. These properties depend on the planning depth, which determines how far into the future the algorithm explores and is closely related to the amount of computations. TROOP thus strikes a balance between computational efficiency and control performance, which is illustrated by numerical simulations on an example.

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arXiv2025

Robust Recurrence of Discrete-Time Infinite-Horizon Stochastic Optimal Control with Discounted Cost

We analyze the stability of general nonlinear discrete-time stochastic systems controlled by optimal inputs that minimize an infinite-horizon discounted cost. Under a novel stochastic formulation of cost-controllability and detectability assumptions inspired by the related literature on deterministic systems, we prove that uniform semi-global practical recurrence holds for the closed-loop system, where the adjustable parameter is the discount factor. Under additional continuity assumptions, we further prove that this property is robust.

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arXiv2025

Stabilization of singularly perturbed networked control systems over a single channel

This paper studies the emulation-based stabilization of nonlinear networked control systems with two time scales. We address the challenge of using a single communication channel for transmitting both fast and slow variables between the plant and the controller. A novel dual clock mechanism is proposed to schedule transmissions for this purpose. The system is modeled as a hybrid singularly perturbed dynamical system, and singular perturbation analysis is employed to determine individual maximum allowable transmission intervals for both fast and slow variables, ensuring semi-global practical asymptotic stability. Enhanced stability guarantees are also provided under stronger assumptions. The efficacy of the proposed method is illustrated through a numerical example.

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arXiv2024

Online Convex Optimization Using Coordinate Descent Algorithms

This paper considers the problem of online optimization where the objective function is time-varying. In particular, we extend coordinate descent type algorithms to the online case, where the objective function varies after a finite number of iterations of the algorithm. Instead of solving the problem exactly at each time step, we only apply a finite number of iterations at each time step. Commonly used notions of regret are used to measure the performance of the online algorithm. Moreover, coordinate descent algorithms with different updating rules are considered, including both deterministic and stochastic rules that are developed in the literature of classical offline optimization. A thorough regret analysis is given for each case. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the theoretical results.

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arXiv2024

Policy iteration for discrete-time systems with discounted costs: stability and near-optimality guarantees

Given a discounted cost, we study deterministic discrete-time systems whose inputs are generated by policy iteration (PI). We provide novel near-optimality and stability properties, while allowing for non stabilizing initial policies. That is, we first give novel bounds on the mismatch between the value function generated by PI and the optimal value function, which are less conservative in general than those encountered in the dynamic programming literature for the considered class of systems. Then, we show that the system in closed-loop with policies generated by PI are stabilizing under mild conditions, after a finite (and known) number of iterations.

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arXiv2024

Hybrid low-dimensional limiting state of charge estimator for multi-cell lithium-ion batteries

The state of charge (SOC) of lithium-ion batteries needs to be accurately estimated for safety and reliability purposes. For battery packs made of a large number of cells, it is not always feasible to design one SOC estimator per cell due to limited computational resources. Instead, only the minimum and the maximum SOC need to be estimated. The challenge is that the cells having minimum and maximum SOC typically change over time. In this context, we present a low-dimensional hybrid estimator of the minimum (maximum) SOC, whose convergence is analytically guaranteed. We consider for this purpose a battery consisting of cells interconnected in series, which we model by electric equivalent circuit models. We then present the hybrid estimator, which runs an observer designed for a single cell at any time instant, selected by a switching-like logic mechanism. We establish a practical exponential stability property for the estimation error on the minimum (maximum) SOC thereby guaranteeing the ability of the hybrid scheme to generate accurate estimates of the minimum (maximum) SOC. The analysis relies on non-smooth hybrid Lyapunov techniques. A numerical illustration is provided to showcase the relevance of the proposed approach.

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arXiv2023

Stability analysis of optimal control problems with time-dependent costs

We present stability conditions for deterministic time-varying nonlinear discrete-time systems whose inputs aim to minimize an infinite-horizon time-dependent cost. Global asymptotic and exponential stability properties for general attractors are established. This work covers and generalizes the related results on discounted optimal control problems to more general systems and cost functions.

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arXiv2023

Stability Bounds for Learning-Based Adaptive Control of Discrete-Time Multi-Dimensional Stochastic Linear Systems with Input Constraints

We consider the problem of adaptive stabilization for discrete-time, multi-dimensional linear systems with bounded control input constraints and unbounded stochastic disturbances, where the parameters of the true system are unknown. To address this challenge, we propose a certainty-equivalent control scheme which combines online parameter estimation with saturated linear control. We establish the existence of a high probability stability bound on the closed-loop system, under additional assumptions on the system and noise processes. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate our results.

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arXiv2023

Learning-Based Adaptive Control for Stochastic Linear Systems with Input Constraints

We propose a certainty-equivalence scheme for adaptive control of scalar linear systems subject to additive, i.i.d. Gaussian disturbances and bounded control input constraints, without requiring prior knowledge of the bounds of the system parameters, nor the control direction. Assuming that the system is at-worst marginally stable, mean square boundedness of the closed-loop system states is proven. Lastly, numerical examples are presented to illustrate our results.

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arXiv2022

Energy-efficient transmission policies for the linear quadratic control of scalar systems

This paper considers controlled scalar systems relying on a lossy wireless feedback channel. In contrast with the existing literature, the focus is not on the system controller but on the wireless transmit power controller that is implemented at the system side for reporting the state to the controller. Such a problem may be of interest, \emph{e.g.}, for the remote control of drones, where communication costs may have to be considered. Determining the power control policy that minimizes the combination of the dynamical system cost and the wireless transmission energy is shown to be a non-trivial optimization problem. It turns out that the recursive structure of the problem can be exploited to determine the optimal power control policy. As illustrated in the numerical performance analysis, in the scenario of a dynamics without perturbations, the optimal power control policy consists in decreasing the transmit power at the right pace. This allows a significant performance gain compared to conventional policies such as the full transmit power policy or the open-loop policy.

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