Certainty-equivalent adaptive MPC for uncertain nonlinear systems

Fuente: arXiv
Enregistré dans:
Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Köhler, Johannes
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
Sujets:
Accès en ligne:
Tags: Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
_version_ 1866915872611762176
author Köhler, Johannes
author_facet Köhler, Johannes
contents We provide a method to design adaptive controllers for nonlinear systems using model predictive control (MPC). By combining a certainty-equivalent MPC formulation with least-mean-square parameter adaptation, we obtain an adaptive controller with strong robust performance guarantees: The cumulative tracking error and violation of state constraints scale linearly with noise energy, disturbance energy, and path length of parameter variation. A key technical contribution is developing the underlying certainty-equivalent MPC that tracks output references, accounts for actuator limitations and desired state constraints, requires no system-specific offline design, and provides strong inherent robustness properties. This is achieved by leveraging finite-horizon rollouts, artificial references, recent analysis techniques for optimization-based controllers, and soft state constraints. For open-loop stable systems, we derive a semi-global result that applies to arbitrarily large measurement noise, disturbances, and parametric uncertainty. For stabilizable systems, we derive a regional result that is valid within a given region of attraction and for sufficiently small uncertainty. Applicability and benefits are demonstrated with numerical simulations involving systems with large parametric uncertainty: a linear stable chain of mass-spring-dampers and a nonlinear unstable quadrotor navigating obstacles.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_17843
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Certainty-equivalent adaptive MPC for uncertain nonlinear systems
Köhler, Johannes
Optimization and Control
Systems and Control
We provide a method to design adaptive controllers for nonlinear systems using model predictive control (MPC). By combining a certainty-equivalent MPC formulation with least-mean-square parameter adaptation, we obtain an adaptive controller with strong robust performance guarantees: The cumulative tracking error and violation of state constraints scale linearly with noise energy, disturbance energy, and path length of parameter variation. A key technical contribution is developing the underlying certainty-equivalent MPC that tracks output references, accounts for actuator limitations and desired state constraints, requires no system-specific offline design, and provides strong inherent robustness properties. This is achieved by leveraging finite-horizon rollouts, artificial references, recent analysis techniques for optimization-based controllers, and soft state constraints. For open-loop stable systems, we derive a semi-global result that applies to arbitrarily large measurement noise, disturbances, and parametric uncertainty. For stabilizable systems, we derive a regional result that is valid within a given region of attraction and for sufficiently small uncertainty. Applicability and benefits are demonstrated with numerical simulations involving systems with large parametric uncertainty: a linear stable chain of mass-spring-dampers and a nonlinear unstable quadrotor navigating obstacles.
title Certainty-equivalent adaptive MPC for uncertain nonlinear systems
topic Optimization and Control
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.17843