Symmetries and periodic orbits in simple hybrid Routhian systems (Q2178205)

Hybrid systems are dynamical systems with components of continuous and discrete time-dependence. Among them, are called ``simple'' those described by a smooth manifold \(D\) (the tangent space of the configuration manifold), a smooth vector field \(X\) on \(D\) (the dynamics), an embedded submanifold \(S\) of \(D\) of codimension one (switching surface) and a smooth embedding \(\Delta: S \rightarrow D\) (impact or reset map). The example considered here is the two-dimensional robotic hopper: a spring-loaded leg attached to the center of mass of a rod, around which the rod can freely rotate. The hopper moves ballistically in a vertical plane with a Lagrangian dynamics, when the leg touches a horizontal line, the embedding \(\Delta\) determines the initial conditions, resulting from the impulse given by the spring, of a new ballistic motion of the hopper. The definition of hybrid Routhian system follows from [\textit{A. Ames} and \textit{S. Sastry}, in: Proceedings of the 25th American Control Conference Minneapolis MN, 2006] and it is here recalled, introducing hybrid group actions and hybrid momentum map. The existence of a cyclic variable allows the Routhian reduction of the time-continuous dynamics, compatible with the structure of simple hybrid system. In the considered example , the cyclic variable is the angle described by the rod around its center of mass. The reduced Routhian corresponds to the dynamics of the spring loaded inverted pendulum. In this article, it is assumed that the reduced Routhian function of the simple hybrid dynamics admits a time-reversal symmetry. Theorem 4.3 shows how points on the trajectories which are fixed under the time-reversal symmetry determine periodic solutions of the system. The stability of the periodic orbits is studied by analyzing the eigenvalues of the Jacobian of their Poincaré maps. The results are applied to underactuated hybrid Routhian control systems, as example, it is considered the 2D controlled spring loaded inverted pendulum, where the controlled variable is the length of the spring.