Dynamic Output Feedback Control with Reference Tracking: A Quasi-data-driven Approach

Abstract The problem of quasi-data-driven dynamic output feedback control design is addressed in this work by considering input-state-output data from linear time-invariant systems. The new design is achieved directly from the collected data using state data from the open-loop offline experiments. This distinguishes this work from other approaches that employ equality constraints, which makes the design more conservative. Then, the result is extended for the case where the state data are not available, presenting an approach for the input–output problem. Moreover, this work also addresses the problem of piecewise constant reference tracking by using a reference input scheme. The design of the scheme is done by using offline data from the open-loop system, providing a way to render the steady tracking error to zero. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is illustrated in a case study of a real-world setup of a twin-rotor aerodynamic system, where both input-state-output and input–output problems are implemented and compared.