Event-triggered robust model predictive control of continuous-time nonlinear systems

The event-triggered control is of compelling features in efficiently exploiting system resources, and thus has found many applications in sensor networks, networked control systems, multi-agent systems and so on. In this paper, we study the event-triggered model predictive control (MPC) problem for continuous-time nonlinear systems subject to bounded disturbances. An event-triggered mechanism is first designed by measuring the error between the system state and its optimal prediction; the event-triggered MPC algorithm that is built upon the triggering mechanism and the dual-mode approach is then designed. The rigorous analysis of the feasibility and stability is conducted, and the sufficient conditions for ensuring the feasibility and stability are developed. We show that the feasibility of the event-triggered MPC algorithm can be guaranteed if, the prediction horizon is designed properly and the disturbances are small enough. Furthermore, it is shown that the stability is related to the prediction horizon, the disturbance bound and the triggering level, and that the state trajectory converges to a robust invariant set under the proposed conditions. Finally, a case study is provided to verify the theoretical results.     

Tube‐based robust nonlinear model predictive control

This paper extends tube‐based model predictive control of linear systems to achieve robust control of nonlinear systems subject to additive disturbances. A central or reference trajectory is determined by solving a nominal optimal control problem. The local linear controller, employed in tube‐based robust control of linear systems, is replaced by an ancillary model predictive controller that forces the trajectories of the disturbed system to lie in a tube whose center is the reference trajectory thereby enabling robust control of uncertain nonlinear systems to be achieved. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

高超声速飞行器非线性鲁棒控制律设计

高超声速飞行器具有模型非线性程度高、耦合程度强、参数不确定性大、抗干扰能力弱等特点,其自主控制具有较大的挑战.论文提出了一种基于鲁棒补偿技术和反馈线性化方法的非线性鲁棒控制方法.文中首先采用反馈线性化的方法对纵向模型进行输入输出线性化,实现速度和高度通道的解耦和非线性模型的线性化.针对得到的线性模型,设计包括标称控制器和鲁棒补偿器的线性控制器.基于极点配置原理,设计标称控制器使标称线性系统具有期望的输入输出特性,利用鲁棒补偿器来抑制参数不确定性和外界扰动对于闭环控制系统的影响.基于小增益定理,证明了闭环控制系统的鲁棒稳定性和鲁棒跟踪性能.相比于非线性回路成形控制方法,仿真结果表明了所设计非线性鲁棒控制算法的有效性和优越性.     

Robust control for nonlinear systems with unknown perturbations using simplified robust right coprime factorisation

This article is concerned with operator-based robust control for nonlinear feedback system with unknown perturbations with simplified robust right coprime factorisation method. By the designed simplified robust controllers, the Bezout identity for the nominal nonlinear system and the perturbed nonlinear system are guaranteed to be simply satisfied, which means that not only the nonlinear system with nominal plant but also that with perturbed plant can be stabilised. Moreover, the plant output can be guaranteed to asymptotically track the reference output. The effectiveness of the proposed design scheme is verified by the simulation results.     

在线优化线性反馈增益的非线性鲁棒预测控制方法

以鲁棒控制不变集作为预测控制的终端约束集,设计了一种新的鲁棒预测控制算法.将预测控制在不同采样点的待优化控制律考虑为线性反馈控制律,并通过在线优化求解线性反馈增益.从理论上证明了若采用所设计的鲁棒预测控制器,则系统是输入状态稳定的.最后通过计算机仿真验证了所提出设计方法的可行性.     

Decentralized tube‐based model predictive control of uncertain nonlinear multiagent systems

This paper addresses the problem of decentralized tube‐based nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) for a general class of uncertain nonlinear continuous‐time multiagent systems with additive and bounded disturbance. In particular, the problem of robust navigation of a multiagent system to predefined states of the workspace while using only local information is addressed under certain distance and control input constraints. We propose a decentralized feedback control protocol that consists of two terms: a nominal control input, which is computed online and is the outcome of a decentralized finite horizon optimal control problem that each agent solves at every sampling time, for its nominal system dynamics; and an additive state‐feedback law which is computed offline and guarantees that the real trajectories of each agent will belong to a hypertube centered along the nominal trajectory, for all times. The volume of the hypertube depends on the upper bound of the disturbances as well as the bounds of the derivatives of the dynamics. In addition, by introducing certain distance constraints, the proposed scheme guarantees that the initially connected agents remain connected for all times. Under standard assumptions that arise in nominal NMPC schemes, controllability assumptions, communication capabilities between the agents, it is guaranteed that the multiagent system is input‐to‐state stable with respect to the disturbances, for all initial conditions satisfying the state constraints. Simulation results verify the correctness of the proposed framework.     

Robust Laguerre-based model predictive control for trajectory tracking of a mobile robot using an linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based approach

This paper studies the trajectory tracking of a constrained mobile robot under slippery conditions. The goal is to propose a controller for real-time operations of time-varying dynamics with insignificant execution time. Therefore, a Laguerre-based model predictive control (LMPC) is designed, and robustness is provided with an linear matrix inequality (LMI)-feedback controller. Moreover, a recursive least square (RLS) algorithm with a forgetting factor is utilized to identify the required parameters of the LMI-based controller. LMPC and LMI-based controller stability is achieved with suboptimal theory and Lyapunov function, respectively. This algorithm separates the nominal system and introduces new dynamics containing uncertainties. Furthermore, LMPC is removed from the online calculation, which dramatically reduces computation burden and time; consequently, online computation is dedicated to determining the LMI feedback. Simulations are provided to compare the proposed robust controller to its not robust counterpart. Finally, it is demonstrated that this controller diminishes the execution time considerably, making it incomparable to previous robust MPC strategies.     

A robust model predictive control algorithm for incrementally conic uncertain/nonlinear systems

This paper presents a robustly stabilizing model predictive control algorithm for systems with incrementally conic uncertain/nonlinear terms and bounded disturbances. The resulting control input consists of feedforward and feedback components. The feedforward control generates a nominal trajectory from online solution of a finite‐horizon constrained optimal control problem for a nominal system model. The feedback control policy is designed off‐line by utilizing a model of the uncertainty/nonlinearity and establishes invariant ‘state tubes’ around the nominal system trajectories. The entire controller is shown to be robustly stabilizing with a region of attraction composed of the initial states for which the finite‐horizon constrained optimal control problem is feasible for the nominal system. Synthesis of the feedback control policy involves solution of linear matrix inequalities. An illustrative numerical example is provided to demonstrate the control design and the resulting closed‐loop system performance. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一类非线性不确定动态系统的鲁棒稳定控制器设计及Benchmark问题求解

本文研究一类非线性不稳定动态系统的基于状态反馈的鲁棒稳定控制设计问题，提出了一种基于状态反馈的非线性控制律，该控制器使得闭环系统鲁棒稳定，对于Ｂｅｎｃｈｍａｒｋ问题验证了所提控制律的正确性和有效性。     

一类非线性不确定动态系统的鲁棒稳定控制器设计及Benchmark问题求解

本文研究一类非线性不确定动态系统的基于状态反馈的鲁棒稳定控制器设计问题，提出了一种基于状态反馈的非线性控制律，该控制器使得闭环系统鲁棒稳定．对于Ｂｅｎｃｈｍａｒｋ问题验证了所提控制律的正确性和有效性．     

Contractive model predictive control for constrained nonlinearsystems

This paper addresses the development of stabilizing state and output feedback model predictive control (MPC) algorithms for constrained continuous-time nonlinear systems with discrete observations. Moreover, we propose a nonlinear observer structure for this class of systems and derive sufficient conditions under which this observer provides asymptotically convergent estimates. The MPC scheme proposed consists of a basic finite horizon nonlinear MPC technique with the introduction of an additional state constraint, which has been called a contractive constraint. The resulting MPC scheme has been denoted contractive MPC. This is a Lyapunov-based approach in which a Lyapunov function chosen a priori is decreased, not continuously, but discretely; it is allowed to increase at other times. We show in this work that the implementation of this additional constraint into the online optimization makes it possible to prove strong nominal stability properties of the closed-loop system     

Robust RHC for wheeled vehicles with bounded disturbances

The robust receding horizon control (RHC) synthesis approach is developed in this paper, for the simultaneous tracking and regulation problem (STRP) of wheeled vehicles with bounded disturbances. Considering the bounded disturbances, we firstly provide a robust positively invariant (RPI) set and associated feedback controller for the perturbed vehicles, which contribute to the foundation of the robust RHC synthesis approach. Then, by extending the tube‐based approach introduced in the article of Mayne et al (robust model predictive control of constrained linear systems with bounded disturbances in Automatica, 2005, vol. 41) to the STRP of wheeled vehicles, we employ the designed RPI set to determine the robust tube and terminal state region, and further construct a nominal optimal control problem. The actual control input is implemented by correcting the solved nominal input with the designed feedback controller. Following the contributed properties of the developed RPI set and extended tube‐based approach, a robust RHC algorithm is finally proposed with the guarantees of recursive feasibility and robust convergence, which can also be adapted for real‐time implementation. Additionally, due to the elaborate control design, the effect of disturbances can be completely nullified to achieve better tracking performance. The effectiveness and advantage of the proposed approach are illustrated by two simulation examples.     

Robust economic model predictive control based on a periodicity constraint

This paper proposes robust economic model predictive control based on a periodicity constraint for linear systems subject to unknown‐but‐bounded additive disturbances. In this economic MPC design, a periodic steady‐state trajectory is not required and thus assumed unknown, which precludes the use of enforcing terminal state constraints as in other standard economic formulations. Instead, based on the desired periodicity of system operation, we optimize the economic performance over a set of periodic trajectories that include the current state. To achieve robust constraint satisfaction, we use a tube‐based technique in the economic MPC formulation. The mismatches between the nominal model and the closed‐loop system with perturbations are limited using a local control law. With the proposed robust tube‐based strategy, recursive feasibility is guaranteed. Moreover, under a convexity assumption, the closed‐loop convergence of the closed‐loop system is analyzed, and an optimality certificate is provided to check if the closed‐loop trajectory reaches a neighborhood of the optimal nominal periodic steady trajectory using Karush‐Kuhn‐Tucker optimality conditions. Finally, through numerical examples, we show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

一类干扰有界约束非线性系统的鲁棒模型预测控制

针对一类干扰有界约束非线性系统设计了基于控制不变集切换策略的鲁棒模型预测控制算法.针对非线性系统线性化之后的结果,给出了平衡点的非线性标称系统控制不变集的计算方法.然后在考虑线性化误差和加性有界干扰影响的基础上,构造了平衡点附近最小鲁棒正不变集.结合不变集切换策略和Tube不变集控制方法,提出了干扰有界约束非线性系统的不变集切换策略.最后将该算法应用到一类典型的非线性化工过程连续搅拌反应釜(CSTR)中,仿真结果验证了算法的有效性.     

Reduction of matched and unmatched uncertainties for a class of nonlinear perturbed systems via robust control

The aim of this paper is to design a robust control for stabilization of a class of nonlinear perturbed system subject to matched and unmatched disturbances. Here, the concept of dynamic sliding mode control and the attractive ellipsoid method advantages are used to design a robust nonlinear control algorithm, which reduces considerably the perturbation effects. Hence, in finite time, the dynamic sliding mode control brings the system trajectory to a specific configuration. After this time, the controller reduces the perturbation effects by using the high‐gain control obtained in the attractive ellipsoid method. Thus, based on the solution of a specific matrix inequality, the feedback control of the system guarantees that the trajectory will be stabilized in the ultimate uniform bounded sense. To illustrate the theoretical results, a numerical example with a comparative study is introduced. Finally, the performance of the controller designed in this paper is tested on an electromechanical real‐time system.     

Robust distributed model predictive control of linear systems with structured time-varying uncertainties

In this work, synthesis of robust distributed model predictive control (MPC) is presented for a class of linear systems subject to structured time-varying uncertainties. By decomposing a global system into smaller dimensional subsystems, a set of distributed MPC controllers, instead of a centralised controller, are designed. To ensure the robust stability of the closed-loop system with respect to model uncertainties, distributed state feedback laws are obtained by solving a min–max optimisation problem. The design of robust distributed MPC is then transformed into solving a minimisation optimisation problem with linear matrix inequality constraints. An iterative online algorithm with adjustable maximum iteration is proposed to coordinate the distributed controllers to achieve a global performance. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed robust distributed MPC algorithm.     

基于不确定性机器人的跟踪控制策略研究

针对不确定刚体连杆机器人在动力学建模时参数不精确以及未被考虑的干扰因素可能引起的控制系统品质的恶化问题,提出一种轨迹跟踪控制方案。控制器由基于标称模型设计的计算力矩控制器和基于不确定性因素设计的鲁棒跟踪补偿控制器组成,结构比较简单。计算力矩控制器使标称系统跟踪期望轨迹;鲁棒补偿控制器则用于消除参数误差带来的不确定性影响。理论分析和仿真证明了控制方法的有效性。     

Robust control of a family of uncertain nonminimum‐phase systems via continuous‐time and sampled‐data output feedback

The problem of global robust stabilization is studied by both continuous‐time and sampled‐data output feedback for a family of nonminimum‐phase nonlinear systems with uncertainty. The uncertain nonlinear system considered in this paper has an interconnect structure consisting of a driving system and a possibly unstable zero dynamics with uncertainty, ie, the uncertain driven system. Under a linear growth condition on the uncertain zero dynamics and a Lipschitz condition on the driving system, we show that it is possible to globally robustly stabilize the family of uncertain nonminimum‐phase systems by a single continuous‐time or a sampled‐data output feedback controller. The sampled‐data output feedback controller is designed by using the emulated versions of a continuous‐time observer and a state feedback controller, ie, by holding the input/output signals constant over each sampling interval. The design of either continuous‐time or sampled‐data output compensator uses only the information of the nominal system of the uncertain controlled plant. In the case of sampled‐data control, global robust stability of the hybrid closed‐loop system with uncertainty is established by means of a feedback domination method together with the robustness of the nominal closed‐loop system if the sampling time is small enough.     

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.     

Observer-Based Nonlinear Control of A Torque Motor with Perturbation Estimation

This paper presents an observer-based nonlinear control method that was developed and implemented to provide accurate tracking control of a limited angle torque motor following a 50Hz reference waveform. The method is based on a robust nonlinear observer, which is used to estimate system states and perturbations and then employ input-output feedback linearization to compensate for the system nonlinearities and uncertainties. The estimation of system states and perturbations allows input-output linearization of the nonlinear system without an accurate mathematical model of nominal plant. The simulation results show that the observer-based nonlinear control method is superior in comparison with the conventional model-based state feedback linearizing controller.