Combined robust and stochastic model predictive control for models of different granularity

Long prediction horizons in Model Predictive Control (MPC) often prove to be efficient, however, this comes with increased computational cost. Recently, a Robust Model Predictive Control (RMPC) method has been proposed which exploits models of different granularity. The prediction over the control horizon is split into short-term predictions with a detailed model using MPC and long-term predictions with a coarse model using RMPC. In many applications robustness is required for the short-term future, but in the long-term future, subject to major uncertainty and potential modeling difficulties, robust planning can lead to highly conservative solutions. We therefore propose combining RMPC on a detailed model for short-term predictions and Stochastic MPC (SMPC), with chance constraints, on a simplified model for long-term predictions. This yields decreased computational effort due to a simple model for long-term predictions, and less conservative solutions, as robustness is only required for short-term predictions. The effectiveness of the method is shown in a mobile robot collision avoidance simulation.