Set-point control of nonlinear systems with state and control constraints: a Lyapunov-function, reference-governor approach

Proposes an approach to reference governor design. As in the prior literature, the governor accepts input commands and modifies their evolution so that specified pointwise-in-time constraints on state and control variables are satisfied. The new approach has several important advantages: it applies to continuous-time nonlinear systems, the design process is based on families of Lyapunov functions, the governor has a relatively simple implementation, the underlying theory is simple and self-contained. Key issues related to reference governor implementation are discussed in a general way, including the description of hybrid reference governors that allow the set of command inputs to be nonconvex.