Output feedback model predictive control for LPV systems based on quasi-min–max algorithm

This paper proposes a robust output feedback model predictive control (MPC) scheme for linear parameter varying (LPV) systems based on a quasi-min–max algorithm. This approach involves an off-line design of a robust state observer for LPV systems using linear matrix inequality (LMI) and an on-line robust output feedback MPC algorithm using the estimated state. The proposed MPC method for LPV systems is applicable for a variety of systems with constraints and guarantees the robust stability of the output feedback systems. A numerical example for an LPV system subject to input constraints is given to demonstrate its effectiveness.     

Feedback noncausal model predictive control of wave energy converters

In this paper, a novel feedback noncausal model predictive control (MPC) strategy for sea wave energy converters (WECs) is proposed, where the wave prediction information can be explicitly incorporated into the MPC strategy to improve the WEC control performance. The main novelties of the MPC strategy proposed in this paper include: (i) the recursive feasibility and robust constraints satisfaction are guaranteed without a significant increase in the computational burden; (ii) the information of short-term wave prediction is incorporated into the feedback noncausal MPC method to maximise the potential energy output; (iii) the sea condition for the WEC to safely operate in can be explicitly calculated. The proposed feedback noncausal MPC algorithm can also be extended to a wide class of control design problems, especially to the energy maximisation problems with constraints to be satisfied and subject to persistent but predictable disturbances. Numerical simulations are provided to show the efficacy of the proposed feedback noncausal MPC.     

Predictive metamorphic control

In spite of its easy implementation, ability to handle constraints and nonlinearities, etc., model predictive control (MPC) does have drawbacks including tuning difficulties. In this paper, we propose a refinement to the basic MPC strategy by incorporating a tuning parameter such that one can move smoothly from an existing controller to a new MPC strategy. Each change of this tuning parameter leads to a new stabilising control law, therefore, allowing one to gradually move from an existing control law to a new and better one. For the infinite horizon case without constraints and for the general case with state and input constraints, stability results are established. We also examine the practical applicability of the proposed approach by employing it in the nominal prediction model of the tube-based output feedback robust MPC method. The merits of the proposed method are illustrated by examples.     

Synthesis of Mixed Objective Output Feedback Robust Model Predictive Control

Aiming at the constrained polytopic uncertain system with energy‐bounded disturbance and unmeasurable states, a novel synthesis scheme to design the output feedback robust model predictive control(MPC)is put forward by using mixed H₂/H_∞ design approach. The proposed scheme involves an offline design of a robust state observer using linear matrix inequalities(LMIs)and an online output feedback robust MPC algorithm using the estimated states in which the desired mixed objective robust output feedback controllers are cast into efficiently tractable LMI‐based convex optimization problems. In addition, the closed‐loop stability and the recursive feasibility of the proposed robust MPC are guaranteed through an appropriate reformulation of the estimation error bound (EEB). A numerical example subject to input constraints illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed controller.     

Output feedback robust MPC for LPV system with polytopic model parametric uncertainty and bounded disturbance

The output feedback robust model predictive control (MPC), for the linear parameter varying (LPV) system with norm-bounded disturbance, is addressed, where the model parametric matrices are only known to be bounded within a polytope. The previous techniques of norm-bounding technique, quadratic boundedness (QB), dynamic output feedback, and ellipsoid (true-state bound; TSB) refreshment formula for guaranteeing recursive feasibility, are fused into the newly proposed approaches. In the notion of QB, the full Lyapunov matrix is applied for the first time in this context. The single-step dynamic output feedback robust MPC, where the infinite-horizon control moves are parameterised as a dynamic output feedback law, is the main topic of this paper, while the multi-step method is also suggested. In order to strictly guarantee the physical constraints, the outer bound of the true state replaces the true state itself, so tightness of this bound has a major effect on the control performance. In order to tighten the TSB, a procedure for refreshing the real-time ellipsoid based on that of the last sampling instant is given. This paper is conclusive for the past results and far-reaching for the future researches. Two benchmark examples are given to show the effectiveness of the novel results.     

Discrete‐time global leader‐following consensus of a group of general linear systems using bounded controls

This paper deals with the problem of global leader‐following consensus of a group of discrete‐time general linear systems with bounded controls. For each follower agent in the group, we construct both a bounded state feedback control law and a bounded output feedback control law. The feedback laws for each input of an agent use a multi‐hop relay protocol, in which the agent obtains the information of other agents through multi‐hop paths in the communication network. The number of hops each agent uses to obtain its information about other agents for an input is less than or equal to the sum of the number of real eigenvalues on the unit circle and the number of pairs of complex eigenvalues on the unit circle of the subsystem corresponding to the input, and the feedback gains are constructed from the adjacency matrix of the communication network. We show that these control laws achieve global leader‐following consensus when the communication topology among follower agents forms a strongly connected and detailed balanced directed graph and the leader is a neighbor of at least one follower agent. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discrete-time certainty equivalence output feedback: allowing discontinuous control laws including those from model predictive control

We present certainty equivalence output feedback results for discrete-time nonlinear systems that employ possibly discontinuous control laws in the feedback loop. Coupling assumptions of nominal robustness with uniform observability or detectability assumptions, we assert nominally robust stability for output feedback closed loops. We further show that model predictive control (MPC) can be used to generate a feedback control law that is robustly globally asymptotically stabilizing when used in a certainty equivalence output feedback closed loop. Allowing for discontinuous feedback control laws is important for systems employing MPC, since the method can, and sometimes necessarily does, result in discontinuous control laws.     

Non-fragile observer-based output feedback control for polytopic uncertain system under distributed model predictive control approach

In this paper, a non-fragile observer-based output feedback control problem for the polytopic uncertain system under distributed model predictive control (MPC) approach is discussed. By decomposing the global system into some subsystems, the computation complexity is reduced, so it follows that the online designing time can be saved.Moreover, an observer-based output feedback control algorithm is proposed in the framework of distributed MPC to deal with the difficulties in obtaining the states measurements. In this way, the presented observer-based output-feedback MPC strategy is more flexible and applicable in practice than the traditional state-feedback one. What is more, the non-fragility of the controller has been taken into consideration in favour of increasing the robustness of the polytopic uncertain system. After that, a sufficient stability criterion is presented by using Lyapunov-like functional approach, meanwhile, the corresponding control law and the upper bound of the quadratic cost function are derived by solving an optimisation subject to convex constraints. Finally, some simulation examples are employed to show the effectiveness of the method.     

Decentralized control of discrete‐time linear time invariant systems with input saturation

We study decentralized stabilization of discrete‐time linear time invariant (LTI) systems subject to actuator saturation using LTI controllers. The requirement of stabilization under both saturation constraints and decentralization imposes obvious necessary conditions on the open‐loop plant, namely that its eigenvalues are in the closed unit disc and further that the eigenvalues on the unit circle are not decentralized fixed modes. The key contribution of this work is to provide a broad sufficient condition for decentralized stabilization under saturation. Specifically, we show through an iterative argument that the stabilization is possible: whenever (1) the open‐loop eigenvalues are in the closed unit disc; (2) the eigenvalues on the unit circle are not decentralized fixed modes; and (3) these eigenvalues on the unit circle have algebraic multiplicity of 1. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Infinite horizon MPC with non-minimal state space feedback

In the MPC literature, stability is usually assured under the assumption that the state is measured. Since the closed-loop system may be nonlinear because of the constraints, it is not possible to apply the separation principle to prove global stability for the output feedback case. It is well known that, a nonlinear closed-loop system with the state estimated via an exponentially converging observer combined with a state feedback controller can be unstable even when the controller is stable.One alternative to overcome the state estimation problem is to adopt a non-minimal state space model, in which the states are represented by measured past inputs and outputs [P.C. Young, M.A. Behzadi, C.L. Wang, A. Chotai, Direct digital and adaptative control by input–output, state variable feedback pole assignment, International Journal of Control 46 (1987) 1867–1881; C. Wang, P.C. Young, Direct digital control by input–output, state variable feedback: theoretical background, International Journal of Control 47 (1988) 97–109]. In this case, no observer is needed since the state variables can be directly measured. However, an important disadvantage of this approach is that the realigned model is not of minimal order, which makes the infinite horizon approach to obtain nominal stability difficult to apply. Here, we propose a method to properly formulate an infinite horizon MPC based on the output-realigned model, which avoids the use of an observer and guarantees the closed loop stability. The simulation results show that, besides providing closed-loop stability for systems with integrating and stable modes, the proposed controller may have a better performance than those MPC controllers that make use of an observer to estimate the current states.     

Robust output feedback model predictive control using off-line linear matrix inequalities

A fundamental question about model predictive control (MPC) is its robustness to model uncertainty. In this paper, we present a robust constrained output feedback MPC algorithm that can stabilize plants with both polytopic uncertainty and norm-bound uncertainty. The design procedure involves off-line design of a robust constrained state feedback MPC law and a state estimator using linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Since we employ an off-line approach for the controller design which gives a sequence of explicit control laws, we are able to analyze the robust stabilizability of the combined control laws and estimator, and by adjusting the design parameters, guarantee robust stability of the closed-loop system in the presence of constraints. The algorithm is illustrated with two examples.     

A framework for design of scheduled output feedback model predictive control

We present a stabilizing scheduled output feedback Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm for constrained nonlinear systems with large operating regions. We design a set of local output feedback predictive controllers with their estimated regions of stability covering the desired operating region, and implement them as a single scheduled output feedback MPC which on-line switches between the set of local controllers and achieves nonlinear transitions with guaranteed stability. This algorithm provides a general framework for scheduled output feedback MPC design.     

Stable MPC for tracking with maximal domain of attraction

In this work, a stable MPC that maximizes the domain of attraction of the closed-loop system is proposed. The proposed approach is suitable to real applications in the sense that it accounts for the case of output tracking, it is offset free if the output target is reachable and minimizes the offset if some of the constraints are active at steady state. The new approach is based on the definition of a Minkowski functional related to the input and terminal constraints of the stable infinite horizon MPC. It is also shown that the domain of attraction is defined by the system model and the constraints, and it does not depend on the controller tuning parameters. The proposed controller is illustrated with small order examples of the control literature.     

Constrained model predictive force control of an electrohydraulic actuator

An analytical MPC controller was designed for force control of a single-rod electrohydraulic actuator. The controller based on a difference equation uses short control horizon. The constraints on both input and output variables are taken into consideration by the controller. The mechanism of output constraints satisfaction uses output prediction and makes possible to constrain the output values many sampling instants ahead. Thus, it extends capabilities of the analytical MPC controllers to the field reserved so far for much more computationally expensive numerical MPC algorithms. Results of real life experiments illustrate efficiency of the proposed controller. The results also show that the MPC controller has better tracking performance than conventional P and PI controllers. The MPC controller with the constraint handling mechanisms, though relatively simple, offers very good performance. As the design process is detailed, it is possible to relatively easy adapt the proposed approach to other control plants.     

Design of robust model predictive control with input constraints

This article addresses the problem of designing a robust output feedback model predictive control (MPC) with input constraints, which ensures a parameter-dependent quadratic stability and guaranteed cost for the case of linear polytopic systems. A new heuristic method is introduced to guarantee input constraints for the MPC. To reject disturbances and maintain the process at the optimal operating conditions or setpoints, the integrator is added to the controller design procedure. Finally, some numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Convergence in economic model predictive control with average constraints

In this paper, we thoroughly investigate various aspects of economic model predictive control with average constraints, i.e., constraints on average values of state and input variables. In particular, we first show that a certain time-varying output constraint has to be included into the MPC problem formulation in order to ensure fulfillment of these average constraints. Optimizing a general (possibly economic) performance criterion may result in a non-converging behavior of the corresponding closed-loop system. While such a behavior might be acceptable in some cases, it may be undesirable for other types of applications. Hence as a second contribution, we provide a Lyapunov-like analysis to conclude that indeed asymptotic convergence to the optimal steady-state follows if the system satisfies a certain dissipativity condition. Finally, for the case that this dissipativity property is not satisfied but still a convergent behavior of the closed-loop is required, we examine two different methods how convergence can be enforced within an economic MPC setup by imposing additional average constraints on the system. In the first method, an additional average constraint is defined which results in the system being dissipative, while the second consists of imposing an additional even zero-moment average constraint. We illustrate our results with various examples.     

Robust model predictive control under redundant channel transmission with applications in networked DC motor systems

In networked systems, intermittent failures in data transmission are usually inevitable due to the limited bandwidth of the communication channel, and an effective countermeasure is to add redundance so as to improve the reliability of the communication service. This paper is concerned with the model predictive control (MPC) problem by using static output feedback for a class of polytopic uncertain systems with redundant channels under both input and output constraints. By utilizing the min–max control approach combined with stochastic analysis, sufficient conditions are established to guarantee the feasibility of the designed MPC scheme that ensures the robust stability of the closed‐loop system. In terms of the solution to an auxiliary optimization problem, an easy‐to‐implement MPC algorithm is proposed to obtain the desired sub‐optimal control sequence as well as the upper bound of the quadratic cost function. Finally, to illustrate its effectiveness, the proposed design method is applied to control a networked direct current motor system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The use of a cell filter for state estimation in closed-loop NMPC of low dimensional systems

Combining variants of the Kalman filter and moving horizon estimation (MHE) with nonlinear MPC has been studied before. The MHE is appealing due to its ability to impose constraints and demonstrated superiority over extended Kalman filter. However, nonlinear MPC based on MHE requires solutions to two back to back nonlinear programs. In this paper we propose to use the cell filter (CF) to provide state feedback to the MPC regulator. The cell filter is a piecewise constant approximation of the conditional probability density of the states, whose temporal evolution is modeled by an aggregate Markov chain. Since the CF is based on discretized state, input and output spaces, the curse of dimensionality limits its application to low dimensional and constrained systems. In this paper we present simulation examples of closed-loop MPC for a nonlinear reactor and agricultural pest control based on state feedback from both CF and MHE.     

MPC for discrete-event systems with soft and hard synchronization constraints

Discrete-event systems with only synchronization and no concurrency, also known as timed event graphs or (max, +)-linear systems, have been studied by several authors. The synchronization constraints that arise in these discrete-event systems are hard, i.e. they cannot be broken under any circumstances. In this paper we consider a more extended class of discrete-event systems with both hard and soft synchronization constraints, i.e. if necessary, some synchronization conditions may be broken, but then a penalty is incurred. We show how the model predictive control (MPC) framework, which is a very popular controller design method in the process industry, can be extended to this class of discrete-event systems. In general, the MPC control design problem for discrete-event systems with soft and hard synchronization constraints leads to a non-linear non-convex optimization problem. We show that the optimal MPC strategy can also be computed using an extended linear complementary problem.     

Arbitrary decay rate for two connected strings with joint anti-damping by boundary output feedback

In this paper, we are concerned with the boundary stabilization of two connected strings with middle joint anti-damping for which all eigenvalues of the (control) free system are located on the right complex plane. We first design an explicit state feedback controller to achieve exponential stability for the closed-loop system. Consequently, we design the output feedback by using infinite-dimensional observer. The backstepping approach is adopted in investigation. It is shown that by using one boundary stabilizer only, the output feedback can make the closed-loop system exponentially stable with arbitrary decay rate.