On stochastic stability of packetized predictive control of non-linear systems over erasure channels

We study a predictive control formulation for discrete-time non-linear plant models where controller output data is transmitted over an unreliable communication channel. The channel is affected by random data-loss and does not provide acknowledgments of receipt. To achieve robustness with respect to dropouts, at every sampling instant the controller transmits packets of data. These contain possible control inputs for a finite number of future time instants, and minimize a finite horizon cost function. At the plant actuator side, received packets are buffered, providing the plant inputs. Within this context, we adopt a stochastic Lyapunov function approach to establish stability results of this networked control system.