Event disturbance rejection: a case study

TL;DR

This paper proposes a control approach inspired by linear output regulation principles, utilizing excitable systems to robustly reject discrete events like spikes, focusing on event regulation rather than trajectory tracking.

Contribution

It introduces a novel control structure based on excitable systems for robust event disturbance rejection, extending linear regulation concepts to discrete event regulation.

Findings

Demonstrates robustness under system mismatches

Enables steady-state analysis similar to linear systems

Focuses on event regulation rather than trajectory tracking

Abstract

This article introduces the problem of robust event disturbance rejection. Inspired by the design principle of linear output regulation, a control structure based on excitable systems is proposed. Unlike the linear case, contraction of the closed-loop system must be enforced through specific input signals. This induced contraction enables a steady-state analysis similar to the linear case. Thanks to the excitable nature of the systems, the focus shifts from precise trajectory tracking to the regulation of discrete events, such as spikes. The study emphasizes rejecting events rather than trajectories and demonstrates the robustness of the approach, even under mismatches between the controller and the exosystem. This work is a first step towards developing a design principle for event regulation.