Multirate Model Predictive Control of Inner-Outer Loops

Inner-outer-loop control is widely used for controlling mechanical systems with time-scale separation. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a popular technique for systems that require command following with state and control constraints. We present a conversion algorithm for MPC-based inner- and outer-loop control by accounting for timing intricacies. For uncertain systems, we apply inner-outer-loop control based on predictive cost adaptive control (PCAC) to flight-control examples, with and without the conversion algorithm. Numerical examples show that inner-outer-loop PCAC improves command following and constraint satisfaction when the conversion algorithm is used. The investigation in this paper is numerical, and thus the contribution is technological rather than theoretical.