A Switched Systems Framework for Path Following With Intermittent State Feedback

In many applications, autonomous agents are tasked with operating in regions where state feedback is unavailable. Inspired by such applications, a novel switched systems-based framework is developed for uncertain nonlinear systems subjected to temporary loss of state feedback. The framework developed in this letter facilitates the use of a predictor when state estimates are not available, and the use of an observer or a reset map when feedback becomes available. Maximum and minimum dwell-time conditions are derived via a Lyapunov-based switched systems analysis to ensure stability for the overall switched system. An approach for designing a novel auxiliary trajectory is provided to guide the agent in and out of the feedback denied region while adhering to dwell-time conditions. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the performance of an example controller with an example predictor and observer or reset map using a quadcopter.