Model Predictive Control with Models of Different Granularity and a Non-uniformly Spaced Prediction Horizon

Abstract: Horizon length and model accuracy are defining factors when designing a Model Predictive Controller. While long horizons and detailed models have a positive effect on control performance, computational complexity increases. As predictions become less precise over the horizon length, it is worth investigating a combination of different models and varying time step size. Here, we propose a Model Predictive Control scheme that splits the prediction horizon into two segments. A detailed model is used for the short-term prediction horizon and a simplified model with an increased sampling time is employed for the long-term horizon. This approach combines the advantage of a long prediction horizon with a reduction of computational effort due to a simplified model and less decision variables. The presented Model Predictive Control is recursively feasible. A simulation study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method: employing a long prediction horizon with advantages regarding computational complexity.