Optimal move blocking strategies for model predictive control

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic methodology for designing move blocking strategies to reduce the complexity of a model predictive controller for linear systems, with explicit optimisation of the blocking structure using mixed-integer programming. Given a move-blocked predictive controller with a terminal invariant set constraint for stability, combined with an input parameterisation to preserve recursive feasibility, two different optimisation problems are formulated for blocking structure selection. The first problem calculates the maximum achievable reduction in the number of input decision variables and prediction horizon length, subject to the controller's region of attraction containin..