Alternative passive maps in the Brayton-Moser framework: Implications on control and optimization

Abstract: In the recent years, passivity theory has gained renewed attention because of its advantages and practicality in modeling of multi-domain systems and constructive control techniques. Unlike Lyapunov theory, passivity theory takes a behavioral approach in its control design methodologies. Hence, it provides solutions, which not only achieve the control objectives, but are also easily interpretable in the standard engineering parlance. The fundamental idea in passivity based control (PBC) methodologies is to find a controller that renders the closed-loop system passive. It is well known that, the PBC methodologies that rely on power-conjugate port-variables do not work for control objectives that require bounded power and unbounded energy. This is commonly known as the dissipation obstacle. One possible alternative that has been well explored, in the case of finite dimensional systems, is Brayton-Moser formulation. However, designing controllers in this framework leads to various difficulties, such as, solving for partial differential equations and finding storage functions satisfying a gradient structure.