Dynamic control allocation for nonlinear systems via a sensitivity approach

The objective of this letter is to develop a dynamic control allocation framework for nonlinear systems subject to periodic exogenous signals. The proposed approach combines gradient-based optimization with parameter-dependent sensitivity dynamics, enabling an extension of control allocation beyond conventional strategies, tailored to constant references and instantaneous costs; this methodology systematically addresses periodic reference trajectories and integral cost functionals, while preserving the desirable property of output invisibility, similarly to the linear settings. The proposed technique is implemented and validated on a nonlinear mechanical system.