A "Throw-and-Catch" Hybrid Control Strategy for Robust Global Stabilization of Nonlinear Systems

We present a control strategy that combines local state feedback laws and open-loop schedules to robustly globally asymptotically stabilize a compact subset (typically a point) of the state space for a nonlinear system. The control algorithm is illustrated on the problem of global stabilization of the upright position of the pendubot and implemented in a hybrid controller containing logic variables and logic rules with hysteresis. We also present the design procedure of the hybrid controller for general nonlinear systems. Recent results in the literature on robustness of asymptotic stability in hybrid systems are used in establishing that the closed-loop system is robust to measurement noise and other external disturbances.