Observer‐predictor feedback for consensus of discrete‐time multiagent systems with both state and input delays

This article is concerned with the consensus problem for discrete‐time multiagent systems with both state and input delays. Single observer‐predictor‐based protocols and multiple observer‐predictors feedback protocols are simultaneously established to predict the future state such that the input delay that can be arbitrarily large yet bounded is completely compensated. It is shown that the consensus of the multiagent system can be achieved by the single/multiple observer‐predictors feedback protocol. Moreover, sufficient conditions guaranteeing the consensus of the multiagent system are provided in terms of the stability of some simple observer‐error systems, and the separation principle is discovered. Finally, a numerical example is worked out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.     

Time‐ and State‐Dependent Input Delay‐Compensated Bang‐Bang Control of a Screw Extruder for 3D Printing

In this paper, a delay‐compensated bang‐bang control design methodology for the control of the nozzle output flow rate of screw extruder‐based three‐dimensional printing processes is developed. A geometrical decomposition of the screw extruder in a partially and a fully filled regions allows to describe the material convection in the extruder chamber by a one‐dimensional hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE) coupled with an ordinary differential equation. After solving the hyperbolic PDE by the method of characteristics, the coupled PDE–ordinary differential equation's system is transformed into a nonlinear state‐dependent input delay system. The aforementioned delay system is extended to the non‐isothermal case with the consideration of periodic fluctuations acting on the material's convection speed, which represent the process variabilities due to temperature changes in the extruder chamber, resulting to a nonlinear system with an input delay that simultaneously depends on the state and the time variable. Global exponential stability of the nonlinear delay‐free plant is established under a piecewise exponential feedback controller that is designed. By combining the nominal, piecewise exponential feedback controller with nonlinear predictor feedback, the compensation of the time‐dependent and state‐dependent input delay of the extruder model is achieved. Global asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop system under the bang‐bang predictor feedback control law is established when certain conditions related to the extruder design and the material properties, as well as to the magnitude and frequency of the materials transport speed variations, are satisfied. Simulations results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two‐stage stability control for strict‐feedback systems with input delays and input nonlinear uncertainties

In this paper, a two‐stage control procedure is proposed for stabilization of a class of strict‐feedback systems with unknown constant time delays and nonlinear uncertainties in the input. A nominal controller is first designed to compensate input time delays without considering input nonlinear uncertainties. Extended from backstepping algorithm, input delay compensation is realized by means of predicted states that are computed through integration of cascaded system dynamics, making the nominal closed‐loop system asymptotically stable. Based on the nominal controller presented for the input delay system, a multi‐timescale system is subsequently developed to estimate the unknown input nonlinearity and make the estimate approach the nominal control input as fast as possible. It is proved that the proposed control scheme can make states of the strict‐feedback systems converge to zero and all the signals of the closed‐loop systems are guaranteed to be bounded in the presence of input time delays and nonlinear uncertainties. Simulation verification is carried out to illuminate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach.     

Weighted predictor‐feedback formation control in local frames under time‐varying delays and switching topology

This article presents a novel control strategy based on predictor‐feedback delay compensation for multiagent systems to reach a prescribed target formation under unknown but bounded communication delays and switching communication topology. Both communication delays and network topology can be subjected to arbitrarily‐fast time variations. The key idea is to implement predictor‐feedback strategies using only relative measurements between agents expressed in each local agent's frame, with the aim to counteract the negative effect of time delays. Nevertheless, due to the decentralized nature of the control, the presence of time‐varying delays and switching communication topology, only partial delay compensation is possible. Despite this, we show that better performance can be achieved with our proposal with respect to nonpredictor control schemes by introducing a weighting factor for predictor‐feedback terms in the control law. Sufficient conditions based on Linear Matrix Inequalities for robust stability are also provided, which allow to easily design the controller parameters in order to maximize the speed of convergence. Finally, simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Inverse optimal control for strict‐feedforward nonlinear systems with input delays

We consider inverse optimal control for strict‐feedforward systems with input delays. A basic predictor control is designed for compensation for this class of nonlinear systems. Furthermore, the proposed predictor control is inverse optimal with respect to a meaningful differential game problem. For a class of linearizable strict‐feedforward system, an explicit formula for compensation for input delay, which is also inverse optimal with respect to a meaningful differential game problem, is also acquired. A cart with an inverted pendulum system is given to illustrate the validity of the proposed method.     

Observer‐based fault diagnosis and self‐restore control for systems with measurement delays

The problems of fault diagnosis and fault‐tolerant control are considered for systems with measurement delays. In contrast to the present fault diagnosis and fault‐tolerant control approaches, which consider only the input delay and/or state delay, the main contribution of this paper consists of proposing a new observer‐based reduced‐order fault diagnoser construction approach and a design approach to dynamic self‐restore fault‐tolerant control law for systems with measurement delays. First, the time‐delay system is transformed into a delay‐free system in form by a special functional‐based delay‐free transformation approach for measurement delays. Then, the fault diagnosis is realized online via the proposed reduced‐order fault diagnoser. Using the results of fault diagnosis, two dynamic self‐restore control laws are designed to make the system isolated from faults. A numerical example demonstrates the feasibility and validity of the proposed scheme. © 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

A delay‐independent output feedback for linear systems with time‐varying input delay

It is well known that a delay‐dependent or delay‐independent truncated predictor feedback law stabilizes a general linear system in the presence of a certain amount of input delay. Results also exist on estimating the maximum delay bound that guarantees stability. In the face of a time‐varying or unknown delay, delay‐independent feedback laws are preferable over delay‐dependent feedback laws as the former provide robustness to the uncertainties in the delay. In the light of few results on the construction of delay‐independent output feedback laws for general linear systems with input delay, we present in this paper a delay‐independent observer–based output feedback law that stabilizes the system. Our design is based on the truncated predictor feedback design. We establish an estimate of the maximum allowable delay bound through the Razumikhin‐type stability analysis. An implication of the delay bound result reveals the capability of the proposed output feedback law in handling an arbitrarily large input delay in linear systems with all open‐loop poles at the origin or in the open left‐half plane. Compared with that of the delay‐dependent output feedback laws in the literature, this same level of stabilization result is not sacrificed by the absence of the prior knowledge of the delay.     

Delay‐range‐dependent control of nonlinear time‐delay systems under input saturation

This paper describes a delay‐range‐dependent local state feedback controller synthesis approach providing estimation of the region of stability for nonlinear time‐delay systems under input saturation. By employing a Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, properties of nonlinear functions, local sector condition and Jensen's inequality, a sufficient condition is derived for stabilization of nonlinear systems with interval delays varying within a range. Novel solutions to the delay‐range‐dependent and delay‐dependent stabilization problems for linear and nonlinear time‐delay systems, respectively, subject to input saturation are derived as specific scenarios of the proposed control strategy. Also, a delay‐rate‐independent condition for control of nonlinear systems in the presence of input saturation with unknown delay‐derivative bound information is established. And further, a robust state feedback controller synthesis scheme ensuring L₂ gain reduction from disturbance to output is devised to address the problem of the stabilization of input‐constrained nonlinear time‐delay systems with varying interval lags. The proposed design conditions can be solved using linear matrix inequality tools in connection with conventional cone complementary linearization algorithms. Simulation results for an unstable nonlinear time‐delay network and a large‐scale chemical reactor under input saturation and varying interval time‐delays are analyzed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Compensation of time‐varying input delay for discrete‐time nonlinear systems

We consider general discrete‐time nonlinear systems (of arbitrary nonlinear growth) with time‐varying input delays and design an explicit predictor feedback controller to compensate the input delay. Such results have been achieved in continuous time, but only under the restriction that the delay rate is bounded by unity, which ensures that the input signal flow does not get reversed, namely, that old inputs are not felt multiple times by the plant (because on such subsequent occasions, the control input acts as a disturbance). For discrete‐time systems, an analogous restriction would be that the input delay is non‐increasing. In this work, we do not impose such a restriction. We provide a design and a global stability analysis that allow the input delay to be arbitrary (containing intervals of increase, decrease, or stagnation) over an arbitrarily long finite period of time. Unlike in the continuous‐time case, the predictor feedback law in the discrete‐time case is explicit. We specialize the result to linear time‐invariant systems and provide an explicit estimate of the exponential decay rate. Carefully constructed examples are provided to illustrate the design and analytical challenges. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On input‐to‐state stability‐based design for leader/follower formation control with measurement delays

This paper addresses the design of low‐level controllers for leader–follower formations of nonholonomic vehicles in the presence of bounded measurement delays. The concept of input‐to‐state stability is extended to encompass the effect of bounded delays and restrictions on the input. A method is proposed to integrate a Smith predictor in a backstepping design on the basis of nested saturations and nonlinear small‐gain assignment, which allows for time delays in the feedback loop. Robustness analysis under uncertain bounded time delays is provided, and design tradeoffs resulting from the use of bounded controls are discussed. Illustrative simulations are shown to validate the design and robustness analysis in the context of a simple leader–follower trailing control problem. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust output regulation of linear time‐delay systems: A state predictor approach

This paper considers the robust output regulation problem for linear systems in the presence of state, input, and output delays. First, a state feedback control law is constructed from a state predictor, recently developed for systems with state and input delays. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a solution to the regulator equations are presented. Next, an error feedback control law for the output regulation problem is constructed by means of an error‐based state predictor. Finally, the proposed error feedback solution is extended to solve the output regulation problem in the presence of model uncertainty. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed predictor‐based solutions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于嵌套?伪预估器反馈的时滞控制系统输入时滞补偿

本文研究同时具有输入和状态时滞的控制系统的输入时滞补偿问题. 通过建立嵌套?伪预估器反馈方法预测系统未来的状态, 使得任意大但有界的输入时滞得到完全补偿. 不同于传统的预估器反馈利用开环系统预测系统未来的状态, 嵌套?伪预估器反馈则是利用闭环系统嵌套地预测系统未来的状态. 依据积分时滞系统的稳定性, 给出了保证闭环系统渐近稳定的充要条件. 最后, 采用数值仿真验证所提出方法的有效性.     

Simultaneous compensation of input and state delays for nonlinear systems

The problem of compensation of arbitrary large input delay for nonlinear systems was solved recently with the introduction of the nonlinear predictor feedback. In this paper we solve the problem of compensation of input delay for nonlinear systems with simultaneous input and state delays of arbitrary length. The key challenge, in contrast to the case of only input delay, is that the input delay-free system (on which the design and stability proof of the closed-loop system under predictor feedback are based) is infinite-dimensional. We resolve this challenge and we design the predictor feedback law that compensates the input delay. We prove global asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system using two different techniques—one based on the construction of a Lyapunov functional, and one using estimates on solutions. We present two examples, one of a nonlinear delay system in the feedforward form with input delay, and one of a scalar, linear system with simultaneous input and state delays.     

Cooperative robust output regulation problem for discrete‐time linear time‐delay multi‐agent systems

In this paper, we study the cooperative robust output regulation problem for discrete‐time linear multi‐agent systems with both communication and input delays by a distributed internal model approach. We first introduce the distributed internal model for discrete‐time multi‐agent systems with both communication and input delays. Then, we define the so‐called auxiliary system and auxiliary augmented system. Finally, we solve our problem by showing, under some standard assumptions, that if a distributed state feedback control or a distributed output feedback control solves the robust output regulation problem of the auxiliary system, then the same control law solves the cooperative robust output regulation problem of the original multi‐agent systems.     

Time‐varying input delay compensation for nonlinear systems with additive disturbance: An output feedback approach

This paper addresses the output feedback tracking control of a class of multiple‐input and multiple‐output nonlinear systems subject to time‐varying input delay and additive bounded disturbances. Based on the backstepping design approach, an output feedback robust controller is proposed by integrating an extended state observer and a novel robust controller, which uses a desired trajectory‐based feedforward term to achieve an improved model compensation and a robust delay compensation feedback term based on the finite integral of the past control values to compensate for the time‐varying input delay. The extended state observer can simultaneously estimate the unmeasurable system states and the additive disturbances only with the output measurement and delayed control input. The proposed controller theoretically guarantees prescribed transient performance and steady‐state tracking accuracy in spite of the presence of time‐varying input delay and additive bounded disturbances based on Lyapunov stability analysis by using a Lyapunov‐Krasovskii functional. A specific study on a 2‐link robot manipulator is performed; based on the system model and the proposed design procedure, a suitable controller is developed, and comparative simulation results are obtained to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed control scheme.     

Delay compensation for linear systems with both state and distinct input delays

This paper is concerned with the stabilization of linear systems with both state and distinct input delays. Nested predictor feedback controllers are designed to predict the future states such that the distinct input delays that can be arbitrarily large yet bounded are compensated completely. It is shown that the compensated closed‐loop system possesses the same characteristic equation as the closed‐loop system without distinct input delays. Both continuous‐time and discrete‐time time‐delay systems are studied in this paper. Moreover, the safe implementation problem for the continuous‐time nested predictor feedback controller is solved via adding input filters. Three numerical examples show the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.     

Stabilization of linear systems with time‐varying input delay by event‐triggered delay independent truncated predictor feedback

This article deals with the problem of stabilization of linear systems with time‐varying input delay by an event‐triggered delay independent truncated predictor feedback law, either of the state feedback type or the output feedback type. Only the information of a delay bound rather than the delay itself is required in the design of both control laws and event‐triggering strategies. For both the state feedback case and the output feedback case, an admissible delay bound that guarantees the stabilizability of a general linear system is established, and the Zeno behavior is shown to be excluded. For linear systems with all open‐loop poles at the origin or in the open left‐half plane, stabilization can be achieved for a delay under an arbitrarily large bound.     

An LMI approach to design extended predictor feedback controllers for dynamical systems with input delay

The stabilisation of dynamical systems with input delay by an extended predictor feedback controller is investigated. After considering a more general case of the predictor feedback controllers, the design procedure is transformed into the stabilisation problem of the system controlled by a dynamic output feedback controller. By proposing appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals, the predictor feedback gains are then synthesised from the stability conditions which are obtained in form of linear matrix inequalities. Such design approach is more flexible and extendable in comparison to one used by the conventional predictor feedback control. As a simulation example, the designed extended predictor feedback controller is applied on an active suspension system and is used to stabilise an unstable system with input delays. The obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of the design method.     

Inverse optimal design of input-to-state stabilisation for affine nonlinear systems with input delays

We establish robustness of the predictor feedback control law to perturbations appearing at the system input for affine nonlinear systems with time-varying input delay and additive disturbances. Furthermore, it is shown that it is inverse optimal with respect to a differential game problem. All of the stability and inverse optimality proofs are based on the infinite-dimensional backstepping transformation and an appropriate Lyapunov functional. A single-link manipulator subject to input delays and disturbances is given to illustrate the validity of the proposed method.     

Disturbance‐prediction–based control of input time delay systems for rejection of unknown frequency disturbances

In this paper, a novel disturbance rejection approach is presented for a class of input time‐delay systems subject to sinusoidal disturbances with unknown frequency. In particular, an auxiliary observer is proposed to represent the periodic disturbance in a parametric uncertainty form, where the unknown factor related to disturbance frequency can be estimated. Furthermore, the correlation between the future disturbance and the auxiliary observer output is analyzed, such that the future disturbances can be predicted and rejected through the input channel. Based on the aforementioned observer and predictor structure, the overall control architecture can be established as a framework of disturbance‐prediction–based control for systems with input time delays, where the conditions on the asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop systems are also derived. Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach.