arXiv subjects

Guillaume Ducard

Publications and source records attributed to Guillaume Ducard.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Linear Stability Analysis of an INDI Pitch-Rate Controller under Model Mismatch for a Tilt-Rotor VTOL UAV

Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) is attractive for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight control because it reduces dependence on a full aerodynamic model while retaining strong disturbance-rejection capability. For a tilt-rotor vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) architecture, however, the admissible model-mismatch range of the fast inner loop is still not characterized analytically in a parameter-explicit way. This paper isolates the pitch-rate/elevon subchannel of an existing cascaded INDI controller and studies its linear stability under model mismatch. A closed-form fifth-order transfer function is derived for the full controller-estimator-actuator-plant interconnection, and stability is characterized through the Routh-Hurwitz criterion over a parameterized linear model. Two representative three-parameter sweeps produce interpretable stability regions. Based on these feasibility maps, two uncertainty-aware tuning procedures are proposed: a robustness-oriented design that maximizes a weighted worst-case combination of gain margin and phase margin, and a performance-oriented design that maximizes worst-case closed-loop bandwidth subject to margin constraints. The results show that actuator lag and inertia mismatch are comparatively benign at nominal gain, whereas control-effectiveness mismatch, particularly a sign error in the allocation, is the most dangerous destabilizing factor, leading to concrete tuning recommendations for conservative and aggressive operating conditions.

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arXiv2026

Implicit Predecessor-Based Region of Attraction Estimation and Robust Invariance Analysis for a Two-Wheeled Inverted Pendulum

Estimating the region of attraction (RoA) of nonlinear systems is fundamental for assessing closed-loop stability and ensuring safe operation. While Lyapunov-based approaches provide certified stability guarantees, they often yield conservative inner approximations of the RoA. This paper combines a certified Lyapunov-based positively invariant set with a predecessor-based implicit representation to compute a significantly less conservative inner approximation of the RoA while preserving formal stability guarantees. In addition, the robust positive invariance of the initial certified Lyapunov-based invariant set is analyzed under bounded additive input disturbances, providing formal robustness guarantees. The proposed methodology is demonstrated on a nonlinear two-wheeled inverted pendulum stabilized by a saturated linear quadratic regulator. The resulting RoA approximation is compared with the initial Lyapunov-certified invariant set and validated through Monte Carlo simulations and hardware experiments, showing a substantially enlarged certified operating region that matches the empirical closed-loop behavior. These results demonstrate the practical applicability of combining certified Lyapunov analysis with predecessor-based set propagation for RoA approximation and robustness assessment of nonlinear systems.

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arXiv2026

SOS-based Stability Verification for Saturated INDI Control of Hybrid-VTOL Aircraft Pitch Rate Dynamics

Incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion (INDI) is a prominent flight-control strategy valued for its robust disturbance rejection; however, its formal stability verification has traditionally been limited to linearized dynamical models. This paper presents a formal nonlinear stability certificate for a saturated INDI pitch-rate controller for a hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft by representing the INDI controller via an equivalent recurrent equilibrium network (REN). By casting the saturated INDI architecture as a REN, the closed-loop dynamics are exactly mapped to an augmented state-feedback system. This structural equivalence enables the use of sum of squares (SOS) programming to synthesize a locally valid Lyapunov function without relying on conservative bounding approximations. The resulting certificate yields an inner estimate of the region of attraction (RoA) that explicitly accounts for actuator saturation, formally verifying the controller's stability in operating regimes where standard linear margins lose their validity.

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arXiv2026

Region of Attraction Estimation for Linear Quadratic Regulator, Linear and Robust Model Predictive Control on a Two-Wheeled Inverted Pendulum

Nonlinear underactuated systems such as two-wheeled inverted pendulums (TWIPs) exhibit a limited region of attraction (RoA), which defines the set of initial conditions from which the closed-loop system converges to the equilibrium. The RoA of nonlinear and constrained systems is generally nonconvex and analytically intractable, requiring numerical or approximate estimation methods. This work investigates the estimation of the RoA for a TWIP stabilized under three model-based control strategies: saturated linear quadratic regulator (LQR), linear model predictive control (MPC), and constraint tightening MPC (CTMPC). We first derive a Lyapunov-based invariant set that provides a certified inner approximation of the RoA. Since this analytical bound is highly conservative, a Monte Carlo-based estimation procedure is then employed to obtain a more representative approximation of the RoA, capturing how the controllers behave beyond the analytically guaranteed region. The proposed methodology combines analytical guarantees with data-driven estimation, providing both a formally certified inner bound and an empirical characterization of the RoA, offering a practical way to evaluate controller performance without relying solely on conservative analytical bounds or purely empirical simulation.

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arXiv2025

Contributions to Semialgebraic-Set-Based Stability Verification of Dynamical Systems with Neural-Network-Based Controllers

Neural-network-based controllers (NNCs) can represent complex, highly nonlinear control laws, but verifying the closed-loop stability of dynamical systems using them remains challenging. This work presents contributions to a state-of-the-art stability verification procedure for NNC-controlled systems which relies on semialgebraic-set-based input-output modeling to pose the search for a Lyapunov function as an optimization problem. Specifically, this procedure's conservatism when analyzing NNCs using transcendental activation functions and the restriction to feedforward NNCs are addressed by a) introducing novel semialgebraic activation functions that preserve key properties of common transcendental activations and b) proving compatibility of NNCs from the broader class of recurrent equilibrium networks (RENs) with this procedure. Furthermore, the indirect optimization of a local region of attraction (RoA) estimate using a restricted set of candidate Lyapunov functions is greatly improved via c) the introduction of a richer parameterization of candidate Lyapunov functions than previously reported and d) the formulation of novel semidefinite programs (SDPs) that directly optimize the resulting RoA estimate. The value of these contributions is highlighted in two numerical examples.

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arXiv2025

Synthesis and SOS-based Stability Verification of a Neural-Network-Based Controller for a Two-wheeled Inverted Pendulum

This work newly establishes the feasibility and practical value of a sum of squares (SOS)-based stability verification procedure for applied control problems utilizing neural-network-based controllers (NNCs). It successfully verifies closed-loop stability properties of a NNC synthesized using a generalizable procedure to imitate a robust, tube-based model predictive controller (MPC) for a two-wheeled inverted pendulum demonstrator system. This is achieved by first developing a state estimator and control-oriented model for the two-wheeled inverted pendulum. Next, this control-oriented model is used to synthesize a baseline linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) and a robust, tube-based MPC, which is computationally too demanding for real-time execution on the demonstrator system's embedded hardware. The generalizable synthesis procedure generates an NNC imitating the robust, tube-based MPC. Via an SOS-based stability verification procedure, a certificate of local asymptotic stability and a relevant inner estimate of the region of attraction (RoA) are obtained for the closed-loop system incorporating this NNC. Finally, experimental results on the physical two-wheeled inverted pendulum demonstrate that the NNC both stabilizes the system, and improves the control performance compared to the baseline LQR in both regulation and reference-tracking tasks.

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arXiv2025

Improved Sum-of-Squares Stability Verification of Neural-Network-Based Controllers

This work presents several improvements to the closed-loop stability verification framework using semialgebraic sets and convex semidefinite programming to examine neural-network-based control systems regulating nonlinear dynamical systems. First, the utility of the framework is greatly expanded: two semialgebraic functions mimicking common, smooth activation functions are presented and compatibility with control systems incorporating Recurrent Equilibrium Networks (RENs) and thereby Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) is established. Second, the validity of the framework's state-of-the-art stability analyses is established via an alternate proof. Third, based on this proof, two new optimization problems simplifying the analysis of local stability properties are presented. To simplify the analysis of a closed-loop system's Region of Attraction (RoA), the first problem explicitly parameterizes a class of candidate Lyapunov functions larger than in previous works. The second problem utilizes the unique guarantees available under the condition of invariance to further expand the set of candidate Lyapunov functions and directly determine whether an invariant set forms part of the system's RoA. These contributions are successfully demonstrated in two numerical examples and suggestions for future research are provided.

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