Semi‐global output consensus of a group of linear systems in the presence of external disturbances and actuator saturation: An output regulation approach

This paper studies the problem of semi‐global leader‐following output consensus of a multi‐agent system. The output of each follower agent in the system, described by a same general linear system subject to external disturbances and actuator saturation, is to track the output of the leader, described by a linear system, which also generates disturbances as the exosystem does in the classical output regulation problem. Conditions on the agent dynamics are identified, under which a low‐gain feedback‐based linear state‐control algorithm is constructed for each follower agent such that the output consensus is achieved when the communication topology among the agents is a digraph containing no loop, and the leader is reachable from any follower agent. We also extend the results to the non‐identical disturbance case. In this case, conditions based on both the agent dynamics and the communication topology are identified, under which a low‐gain feedback‐based linear state‐control algorithm is constructed for each follower agent such that the leader‐following output consensus is achieved when the communication topology among the follower agents is a strongly connected and detailed balanced digraph, and the leader is a neighbor of at least one follower. In addition, under some further conditions on the agent dynamics, the control algorithm is adapted so as to achieve semi‐global leader‐following output consensus for a jointly connected undirected graph and the leader reachable from at least one follower. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new view of anti‐windup design for uncertain linear systems in the frequency domain

This paper presents a new perspective on the stability problem for uncertain LTI feedback systems with actuator input amplitude saturation. The solution is obtained using the quantitative feedback theory and a 3 DoF non‐interfering control structure. Describing function (DF) analysis is used as a criterion for closed loop stability and limit cycle avoidance, but the circle or Popov criteria could also be employed. The novelty is the combination of a controller parameterization from the literature and describing function‐based limit cycle avoidance with margins for uncertain plants. Two examples are given. The first is a benchmark problem and a comparison is made with other proposed solutions. The second is an example that was implemented and tested on an X‐Y linear stage used for nano‐positioning applications. Design and implementation considerations are given. An example is given on how the method can be extended to amplitude and rate saturation with the help of the generalized describing function, and a novel anti‐windup compensation structure inspired by previous contributions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Partial consensus of identical feedforward dynamic systems with input saturations

This paper studies the partial consensus problem for identical feedforward dynamic systems with input saturations. We construct two consensus protocols using the partial‐state information and full‐state information, respectively. Applying a change of coordinates, feedforward system is transformed into the block diagonal form. Then, by utilizing the bounded real lemma and small gain theorem, we solve the partial consensus problem, and the existence of each protocol is derived. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adaptive chatter mitigation control for machining processes with input saturations

Chatter is an unstable nonlinear dynamical phenomenon often encountered in machining operations because of the self‐excitation mechanism, which may lead to overcut or rapid tool wear, and hence, greatly influence the surface quality and productivity in milling operations. Recent years have witnessed an increasing industrial demand of high quality and high efficiency machining. This paper hereby develops a constrained active adaptive control method to mitigate the chatter dynamics with input saturations. To guarantee the feasibility of the proposed approach, moderate stable conditions of the closed‐loop system are afterwards derived by using the LaSalle–Yoshizawa theorem as well. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to show the substantially enlarged stable region in the Lobe Diagram. Thus, the method can be expected to improve the efficiency of milling processes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Semi‐global and global containment control of multi‐agent systems with second‐order dynamics and input saturation

This paper considers both semi‐global and global containment control for a second‐order multi‐agent system that is composed by a network of identical harmonic oscillators or double integrators with multiple leaders and input saturation. A distributed low gain feedback algorithm is proposed to solve the semi‐global containment control problem for the network whose topology is directed and initial condition is taken from any a priori given bounded set. In particular, by using a parametric Lyapunov equation approach, M‐matrix properties and algebraic graph theory, an upper bound of the low gain parameter is estimated such that the low gain feedback matrix can be analytically determined without involving numerical computation. Furthermore, under the assumption that the induced subgraph formed by the followers is strongly connected and detail balanced, two linear feedback protocols are designed for coupled harmonic oscillators and coupled double integrators, respectively, to asymptotically achieve the global containment control of the network with any initial condition. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controller design and analysis for singularly perturbed switched systems with actuator saturation

This paper investigates the problems of controller design and stability analysis for singularly perturbed switched systems subject to actuator saturation. A set of well‐defined sufficient conditions for the existence of state feedback controllers is proposed, under which the closed‐loop system is locally asymptotically stable for arbitrary switching law as long as the singular perturbation parameter is sufficiently small. With the obtained controller, the estimation problem of stability bound and basin of attraction of the closed‐loop system is reduced to solving a convex optimization problem. A numerical example and a hydraulic servo position system are used to illustrate the obtained results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of General Ideal Proportional Navigation Guidance Laws

In this work, the capture region of the general ideal proportional navigation guidance law is analyzed with the following constraints: (i) the target's input acceleration is subject to independent or magnitude saturation, and (ii) the missile's input acceleration is subject to magnitude saturation. In addition to the case of unbounded maneuverability of missile with or without knowing the target acceleration, the necessary and sufficient condition for a bounded maneuvering missile that captures a nonmaneuvering target is also derived. Furthermore, the conditions that result in zero impact velocity are discovered and discussed in some of the cases. The capture regions that cannot be obtained analytically are determined numerically by a powerful classifier, the least square support vector machines. To have the capture region ready for least square support vector machines, all the state variables are transformed into modified polar variables and non‐dimensionalized to reduce the number of independent variables. In order to make the implementation possible in real time, an approximation of the Gaussian radial basis function is adopted to obtain the corresponding nonlinear feature mapping function. Through numerous numerical experiments, the proposed technique is found to be adequate for storing the capture region in an onboard fire control computer.     

Simultaneous Design of Parallel Distributed Output Feedback and Anti‐windup Compensators for Constrained Takagi‐Sugeno Fuzzy Systems

This paper is devoted to developing a novel approach to deal with constrained continuous‐time nonlinear systems in the form of Takagi‐Sugeno fuzzy models. Here, the disturbed systems are subject to both input and state constraints. The one‐step design method is used to simultaneously synthesize the dynamic output feedback controller and its anti‐windup strategy. A parameter‐dependent version of the generalized sector condition is used together with Lyapunov stability theory to derive linear matrix inequality design conditions. Based on this result and for different design specifications, the synthesis of an anti‐windup based dynamic output feedback controller is expressed on the form of convex optimization problems. A physically motivated example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Semiglobal stabilization of saturated linear systems via multiple parametric Lyapunov equations

This paper investigates the problem of semiglobal stabilization with guaranteed flexible pole placement for saturated linear systems. To retain the advantages of the parametric Lyapunov equation, matrix‐partitioning idea is used to derive a new pole shift lemma. Starting from system matrix transformations, a recursive algorithm is proposed to shift every eigenvalue of a linear system separately without mode decomposition in each step. A new method introducing various parameters to every Lyapunov equation in each step is presented. As an application, the semiglobal stabilization with guaranteed flexible pole placement for saturated linear systems can be achieved by this method. Finally, its effectiveness and advantages are demonstrated via a simulation example. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distributed finite‐time tracking of multiple Euler–Lagrange systems without velocity measurements

This paper investigates the distributed finite‐time tracking problem of networked agents with multiple Euler–Lagrange dynamics. To achieve finite‐time tracking, a distributed finite‐time protocol is first proposed on the basis of both relative position and relative velocity measurements. By using tools from homogeneous theory, it is theoretically shown that the proposed protocol can guarantee finite‐time tracking in the presence of control input constraints. On the basis of the state feedback analysis and with the aid of second‐order sliding‐mode observer approach, a new class of finite‐time tracking protocols based only on the relative position measurements is developed and employed. It is proved that the multiple agents equipped with the designed protocols can track the target location in finite time. Furthermore, a decentralized finite‐time protocol based on a distributed estimator is proposed to solve the finite‐time tracking problems with a dynamic leader. The effectiveness of the theoretical results is finally illustrated by numerical simulations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.