Algebraic characterization of fixed modes in decentralized control

Algebraic characterizations are presented for the existence of fixed modes of a linear closed-loop system with decentralized feedback control. The class of controllers for which fixed modes are present is extended beyond that currently known.     

Algebraic characterization of decentralized fixed modes

An input-output, frequency-domain characterization of decentralized fixed modes is given in this paper, using only standard block-diagram algebra, well-known determinantal expansions and the Binet-Cauchy formula.     

On the characterization of fixed modes in decentralized control

Characterizations of decentralized fixed modes in terms of remnant zeros are presented. A novel criterion for testing the fixed modes is obtained. The result can be used to derive an existing algebraic criterion through a simple rank evaluation of certain matrices     

Discrete-time control of continuous systems with approximate decentralized fixed modes

In this paper, the discrete-time control of decentralized continuous-time systems, which have approximate decentralized fixed modes, is studied. It is shown that under certain conditions, discrete-time controllers can improve the overall performance of the decentralized control system, when a linear time-invariant continuous-time controller is ineffective. In order to obtain these conditions, a quantitative measure for different types of approximate fixed modes in a decentralized system is given. In this case, it is shown that discrete-time zero-order hold (ZOH) controllers, and in particular, that generalized sampled-data hold functions (GSHF), can significantly improve the overall performance of the resultant closed-loop system. The proposed sampled-data controller is, in fact, a linear time-varying controller for the continuous-time system.     

A characterization of decentralized fixed modes in terms of transmission zeros

A simple development is given to show that a linear time-invariant plant has a decentralized fixed mode at λ if and only if λ is a transmission zero of certain subsystems of the plant.     

A graph-theoretic method to find decentralized fixed modes of LTI systems

This paper deals with the decentralized pole assignability of interconnected systems by means of linear time-invariant (LTI) controllers. A simple graph-theoretic approach is proposed to identify the distinct decentralized fixed modes (DFMs) of the system, i.e., the unrepeated modes which cannot be moved by means of a LTI decentralized controller. The state-space representation of the system is transformed to the decoupled form using a proper change of coordinates. For any unrepeated mode, a matrix is then computed which resembles the transfer function matrix of the system at some point in the complex plane. A bipartite graph is constructed accordingly in terms of the computed matrix. Now, the problem of verifying if this mode is a DFM of the system reduces to checking if the constructed graph has a complete bipartite subgraph with a certain property. The sole restriction of this work is that it is only capable of identifying the distinct DFMs of a system. However, it is axiomatic that most of the modes of the real-world systems are normally distinct. The primary advantage of the present paper is its simplicity, compared to the existing ones which often require evaluating the rank of several matrices.     

On the quantitative characterization of approximate decentralized fixed modes using transmission zeros

The spectrum of a linear time-invariant multivariable system, using decentralized linear time-invariant controllers, can only be assigned to a symmetric set of complex numbers that include the decentralized fixed modes (DFM). Hence only systems with stable DFM can be stabilized. Although the concept of DFM characterizes when a decentralized controller can stabilize a system, it gives no indication of howhard it is to effect such a stabilization. A system is considered hard to stabilize if large controller gains are required. Modes that are hard to shift are termedapproximate decentralized fixed modes. In this paper two new assignability measures which quantify the difficulty of shifting a mode are derived. The first is coordinate invariant and is based on the distance between a mode and a set of transmission zeros. The second is coordinate dependent and is based on the minimum singular value of a set of transmission zero matrices. This work has been supported by the Natural Sciences are Engineering Research Council of Canada under Grant No. A4396.     

Practical stabilization of robotic systems by decentralized control

The practical stability of large-scale robotic systems with variable parameters is considered. The control should ensure the system state to belong to a finite region around the nominal trajectory for various values of parameters. The robotic system is considered as a set of decoupled subsystems each of which corresponds to one degree of freedom. For each decoupled subsystem a local controller is synthesized ensuring the practical stability of free subsystem. Then the practical stability of the coupled global system is analysed for various values of mechanical parameters. This permits the synthesis of decentralized control which provides practical stabilization of robotic systems in given finite regions and for the given set of allowable parameter values. Global control is also introduced. Decentralized control for a manipulation robot with variable payload is synthesized.     

Optimal decentralized control of dynamic systems

In this paper, several aspects of decentralized control theory applied to dynamic systems are studied. First of all, some classical definitions about matricial functions and new results on gradient calculations are presented. In the following we generalize to matricial problems the method of gradient projection of Rosen. Finally, some aspects of stability, initialization and initial condition independence are studied in detail, and two numerical examples are considered in order to emphasize the advantages of the given procedure: the decentralized Kalman filter and the optimal power-frequency control.     

On decentralized stabilization of interconnected systems

A decentralized control scheme is proposed for stabilization of interconnected systems consisting of arbitrarily connected, linear, time-invariant multivariable subsystems. Sufficient conditions are given for an interconnected system to be stabilized using only local state feedback. The obtained results are illustrated by an example.