Maintainability of positive linear discrete-time systems

The concept of maintainability for (time-invariant) positive linear discrete-time systems (PLDS) is introduced and studied in detail. A state x(t) of a PLDS is said to be maintainable if there exists an admissible control such that x(t + 1) = x(t) for t = 0, 1, 2, ... For time-invariant systems, if a given state is maintainable it is maintainable at all times. The set of all maintainable states is called a maintainable set. Maintainability and stability are different concepts - while stability is an asymptotic ("long-term") notion, maintainability is a "short-term" concept. Moreover, stability always implies maintainability but maintainability does not necessarily imply stability. If no additional constraints are imposed on the states and controls except the standard non-negativity restrictions, the maintainable sets are polyhedral cones. Their geometry is determined completely by the structural and spectral properties of nonnegative system pair (A, B) ≥ 0. Different cases are studied in the paper and relevant numerical examples are presented. PLDS with two-side bounded controls are also discussed and an interesting result is obtained namely the maintainable set of an asymptotically stable PLDS coincides with its asymptotic reachable set.