Olivier Bournez

Bio: Olivier Bournez is an academic researcher from École Polytechnique. The author has contributed to research in topics: Computability & Model of computation. The author has an hindex of 22, co-authored 123 publications receiving 2194 citations. Previous affiliations of Olivier Bournez include Centre national de la recherche scientifique & École normale supérieure de Lyon.

Approximate Reachability Analysis of Piecewise-Linear Dynamical Systems

Abstract: In this paper we describe an experimental system called d/dt for approximating reachable states for hybrid systems whose continuous dynamics is defined by linear differential equations. We use an approximation algorithm whose accumulation of errors during the continuous evolution is much smaller than in previously-used methods. The d/dt system can, so far, treat non-trivial continuous systems, hybrid systems, convex differential inclusions and controller synthesis problems.

Effective synthesis of switching controllers for linear systems

Abstract: In this paper, we suggest a novel methodology for synthesizing switching controllers for continuous and hybrid systems whose dynamics are defined by linear differential equations. We formulate the synthesis problem as finding the conditions upon which a controller should switch the behavior of the system from one "mode" to another in order to avoid a set of bad states and propose an abstract algorithm that solves the problem by an iterative computation of reachable states. We have implemented a concrete version of the algorithm, which uses a new approximation scheme for reachability analysis of linear systems.

Orthogonal Polyhedra: Representation and Computation

Abstract: In this paper we investigate orthogonal polyhedra, i.e. polyhedra which are finite unions of full-dimensional hyper-rectangles. We define representation schemes for these polyhedra based on their vertices, and show that these compact representation schemes are canonical for all (convex and non-convex) polyhedra in any dimension. We then develop efficient algorithms for membership, face-detection and Boolean operations for these representations.

Proving positive almost-sure termination

Abstract: In order to extend the modeling capabilities of rewriting systems, it is rather natural to consider that the firing of rules can be subject to some probabilistic laws. Considering rewrite rules subject to probabilities leads to numerous questions about the underlying notions and results. We focus here on the problem of termination of a set of probabilistic rewrite rules. A probabilistic rewrite system is said almost surely terminating if the probability that a derivation leads to a normal form is one. Such a system is said positively almost surely terminating if furthermore the mean length of a derivation is finite. We provide several results and techniques in order to prove positive almost sure termination of a given set of probabilistic rewrite rules. All these techniques subsume classical ones for non-probabilistic systems.

Stability and Stabilizability of Switched Linear Systems: A Survey of Recent Results

Abstract: During the past several years, there have been increasing research activities in the field of stability analysis and switching stabilization for switched systems. This paper aims to briefly survey recent results in this field. First, the stability analysis for switched systems is reviewed. We focus on the stability analysis for switched linear systems under arbitrary switching, and we highlight necessary and sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability. After a brief review of the stability analysis under restricted switching and the multiple Lyapunov function theory, the switching stabilization problem is studied, and a variety of switching stabilization methods found in the literature are outlined. Then the switching stabilizability problem is investigated, that is under what condition it is possible to stabilize a switched system by properly designing switching control laws. Note that the switching stabilizability problem has been one of the most elusive problems in the switched systems literature. A necessary and sufficient condition for asymptotic stabilizability of switched linear systems is described here.

Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems

Abstract: Series Preface * Preface to the Third Edition * 1 Linear Systems * 2 Nonlinear Systems: Local Theory * 3 Nonlinear Systems: Global Theory * 4 Nonlinear Systems: Bifurcation Theory * References * Index

SpaceEx: scalable verification of hybrid systems

Abstract: We present a scalable reachability algorithm for hybrid systems with piecewise affine, non-deterministic dynamics. It combines polyhedra and support function representations of continuous sets to compute an over-approximation of the reachable states. The algorithm improves over previous work by using variable time steps to guarantee a given local error bound. In addition, we propose an improved approximation model, which drastically improves the accuracy of the algorithm. The algorithm is implemented as part of SpaceEx, a new verification platform for hybrid systems, available at spaceex.imag.fr. Experimental results of full fixed-point computations with hybrid systems with more than 100 variables illustrate the scalability of the approach.

Discrete abstractions of hybrid systems

Abstract: A hybrid system is a dynamical system with both discrete and continuous state changes. For analysis purposes, it is often useful to abstract a system in a way that preserves the properties being analysed while hiding the details that are of no interest. We show that interesting classes of hybrid systems can be abstracted to purely discrete systems while preserving all properties that are definable in temporal logic. The classes that permit discrete abstractions fall into two categories. Either the continuous dynamics must be restricted, as is the case for timed and rectangular hybrid systems, or the discrete dynamics must be restricted, as is the case for o-minimal hybrid systems. In this paper, we survey and unify results from both areas.