Abstract

Hybrid dynamical systems are dynamical systems in which continuous and discrete evolutions coexist and interact. Their twofold nature makes them particularly powerful for both describing and synthesizing complex dynamical behaviors. In this work we exploit this capability for designing innovative control and estimation algorithms that cope with challenges in aerospace applications. In particular: 1. we propose different impulsive control strategies for the problem of close-range rendezvous between two spacecrafts in elliptic orbits; 2. we design a robust time-sub-optimal controller for a class of linear systems emerging in aerospace applications where the control input is limited in magnitude; 3. we synthesize an observer to estimate the speed of rotary systems providing angular measurements that evolve on the unit circle. To this end, we make use of a recent formalism tailored to hybrid dynamical systems for both modeling and proving desirable properties of the proposed algorithms, which are as well confirmed by simulative and experimental validations.