Current configuration detection in hybrid systems: Application to a conjunction–disjunction mechatronics system

• Hybrid observer.
• Detection of active mode.
• Hybrid mechatronics systems modeling.
• Application to: a conjunction–disjunction system.

This paper deals with the problem of detecting the current configurations of hybrid mechatronic systems, where the evolution of the discrete part is governed by a Petri net. The considered class of systems may have several subsystems, with different dimensions, evolving at the same time. The current configurations are detected using an observer based on the descriptor system theory. It is shown that the evolution of the discrete dynamics can be formulated as a descriptor system. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived in order to guarantee the uniqueness of the reconstruction of the discrete state of the system. The proposed observer is applied to a mechatronic system to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.