Successor Sets of Discrete-time Nonlinear Systems Using Hybrid Zonotopes

Abstract: This paper presents identities for calculating over-approximated successor sets of discrete-time nonlinear systems using hybrid zonotopes. The proposed technique extends the state-update set construct, previously developed for linear hybrid systems, to nonlinear systems. Forward reachability of nonlinear systems can then be performed using only projection, intersection, and Cartesian product set operations with the state-update set. It is shown that use of an over-approximation of the state-update set yields over-approximations of successor sets. A technique to over-approximate a nonlinear function using a special ordered set approximation, equivalently represented as a hybrid zonotope, is then presented. A numerical example of a nonlinear system controlled by a piecewise-affine control law demonstrates that the approach provides a computationally-efficient and tight over-approximation of the closed-loop reachable set.