Simultaneous ℋ︁2/ℋ︁∞ control of uncertain jump systems with functional time‐delays

This paper presents new results pertaining to the control design of a class of linear uncertain systems with Markovian jump parameters. An integral part of the system dynamics is a delayed state in which the time‐delays are mode dependent. The jumping parameters are modelled as a continuous‐time, discrete‐state Markov process and the uncertainties are norm‐bounded. We construct an appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional and design a simultaneous ℋ︁₂/ℋ︁_∞ controller which minimizes a quadratic ℋ︁₂ performance measure while satisfying a prescribed ℋ︁_∞‐norm bound on the closed‐loop system. It is established that sufficient conditions for the existence of the simultaneous ℋ︁₂/ℋ︁_∞ controller and the associated performance upper bound are cast in the form of linear matrix inequalities. Simulation results are provided and extension to the case where the jumping rates are subject to uncertainties is presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Low‐order H∞ controller design on the frequency domain by partial optimization

In this paper, an optimization method of low‐order multivariable controllers for H_∞ control is proposed. Starting from a low‐order stabilizing controller, our method gives a sequence of controllers for which the H_∞ norm performance index is monotonically non‐increasing by tuning the numerator coefficient matrices of the low‐order controller. This controller class includes multivariable PID controllers. The proposed method is a descent method where the feasible direction is calculated by solving a linear matrix inequality that represents a sufficient condition for the H_∞ criterion for each frequency. Usefulness is shown by two numerical examples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Limitations of nonlinear discrete periodic control for disturbance attenuation and robust stabilization

This paper presents a performance analysis of nonlinear periodically time-varying discrete controllers acting upon a linear time-invariant discrete plant. Time-invariant controllers are distinguished from strictly periodically time-varying controllers. For a given nonlinear periodic controller, a time-invariant controller is constructed. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given under which the time-invariant controller gives strictly better control performance than the time-invariant controller from which it was obtained, for the attenuation of l_p exogenous disturbances and the robust stabilization of l_p unstructured perturbations, for all p[1,∞].     

Linear parameter-varying versus linear time-invariant control design for a pressurized water reactor

The applicability of employing a parameter-dependent control to a nuclear pressurized water reactor is investigated and is compared to that of using an ℋ︁_∞ control. A linear time-invariant controller cannot maintain performance over the entire operating range. The parameter-dependent synthesis technique produces a controller which achieves specified performance against the worst-case time variation of a measurable parameter which enters the plant in a linear fractional manner. The plant can thus have widely varying dynamics over the operating range. The controllers designed perform well over the entire operating range. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A graphical tuning method of fractional order proportional integral derivative controllers for interval fractional order plant

In this paper, a novel graphical tuning method of fractional order proportional integral derivative (FOPID) controllers is proposed for a given interval fractional order plant family. Firstly, an approach is presented to solve the problem of robustly stabilizing the interval fractional order plant using FOPID controller. Moreover, some alternative methods are developed to reduce the computational burden of the presented approach. The results obtained here are general and strict proofs are given on these results. Secondly, a new approach is presented to calculate the complete sets of FOPID controller parameters which guarantee the specified H_∞-norm constraint for the interval fractional order plant. The developed approach is convenient and flexible. Finally, a unified design framework is proposed. The aim of the unified design is to compute the biggest region which can simultaneously provide internal stability, maintain the classical gain and phase margin and guarantee the modern H_∞-norm constraint for the interval fractional order plant. Examples are followed to illustrate the design procedure.     

On Controlling the Transient Response of Linear Time Invariant Systems with Fixed Structure Controllers

The problem of controlling transient response is important in many industrial applications; for example, the speed and accuracy of motion control of robots directly relates to the productivity of the robot. The objective of transient control is to determine a feedback controller of a fixed structure that renders the closed loop response of a specified system to lie in a specified envelope. One may associate a set of errors which measures the deviation of the response from the envelope. The set of errors may be defined in such a way that all the errors are non‐negative if and only if the response does not deviate from the envelope at any time. The transient problem can be thus posed as the problem of determining a stabilizing controller that renders the set of all errors to be non‐negative at every time. One may associate a control parameter vector K with a controller of a specified structure. The main topic of investigation of this paper is to find a bound for the set of real control parameters, K, so that a rational, proper transfer function, has a decaying, non‐negative impulse response. It is assumed that the coefficients of the polynomials N(s, k) and D(s, K) are affine in K.     

Graphical computation of gain and phase margin specifications-oriented robust PID controllers for uncertain systems with time-varying delay

This paper proposes a novel graphical method to compute all feasible gain and phase margin specifications-oriented robust PID controllers to stabilize uncertain control systems with time-varying delay. A virtual gain-phase margin tester compensator is incorporated to guarantee the concerned system with certain robust safety margins. The complex Kharitonov theorem is used to characterize the parametric uncertainties of the considered system and is exploited as a stability criterion for the Hurwitz property of a family of polynomials with complex coefficients varying within given intervals. The coefficients of the characteristic equation are overbounded and eight vertex Kharitonov polynomials are derived to perform stability analysis. The stability equation method and the parameter plane method are exploited to portray constant gain margin and phase margin boundaries. The feasible controllers stabilizing every one of the eight vertex polynomials are identified in the parameter plane by taking the overlapped region of the plotted boundaries. The overlapped region of the useful region of each vertex polynomial is the Kharitonov region, which represents all the feasible specifications-oriented robust PID controller gain sets. Variations of the Kharitonov region with respect to variations of the derivative gain are extensively studied. The way to select representative points from the Kharitonov region for designing robust controllers is suggested. Finally, three illustrative examples with computer simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and confirm the validity of the proposed methodology. Based on the pre-specified gain and phase margin specifications, a non-conservative Kharitonov region can be graphically identified directly in the parameter plane for designing robust PID controllers.     

Robust stabilization of singularly perturbed systems

We discuss the problem of designing stabilizing controllers for singularly perturbed systems on the basis of simplified models. In [1], it was shown that a constant gain output feedback controller designed on the basis of the simplified model need not stabilize the ‘true’ system containing both fast and slow modes. This phenomenon was then expanded to include the case where the simplified system is strictly proper in [2]. The objectives of this note are threefold: (i) to show that, given any proper system and any stabilizing controller for it that is proper but not strictly proper, there exists a singular perturbation of the system that is destabilized by that controller, (ii) to show that any strictly proper controller for a singularly perturbed system designed on the basis of a reduced order model will stabilize the true system for sufficiently small values of the fast dynamics parameter, and (iii) to provide a characterization, in the same spirit as [3,4], of the set of all strictly proper controllers that stabilize a given proper plant. By combining these results, it is possible to generate the class of all robustly stabilizing controllers for a given singularly perturbed system.     

Fractional Order Modeling And Nonlinear Fractional Order Pi‐Type Control For PMLSM System

In this paper, firstly a fractional order (FO) model is proposed for the speed control of a permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) servo system. To identify the parameters of the FO model, a practical modeling algorithm is presented. The algorithm is based on a pattern search method and its effectiveness is verified by real experimental results. Second, a new fractional order proportional integral type controller, that is, (PI^μ)^λ or FO[FOPI], is introduced. Then a tuning methodology is presented for the FO[FOPI] controller. In this tuning method, the controller is designed to satisfy four design specifications: stability requirement, specified gain crossover frequency, specified phase margin, flat phase constraint, and minimum integral absolute error. Both set point tracking and load disturbance rejection cases are considered. The advantages of the tuning method are that it fully considers the stability requirement and avoids solving a complex nonlinear optimization problem. Simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed FO[FOPI] controller over classical FOPI and FO[PI] controllers.     

H 2 design of one-degree-of-freedom decoupling controllers for square plants

Decoupling design of one-degree-of-freedom controllers is treated for the generalised plant model within the H ₂ framework. The class of all realisable closed loop transfer matrices is parametrised under a mild assumption on non-unity feedback sensors. A set of compact assumptions is presented to guarantee the existence of the optimal H ₂ controller. Together with the optimal one, the class of all H ₂ controllers that yield finite H ₂ cost is obtained. The optimal closed transfer matrix and its associated controller are shown to be strictly proper under the reasonable order assumptions on the generalised plant.     

Simultaneous stabilization of full state information Linear Time‐Invariant systems

Single necessary and sufficient stability conditions, are presented, for a common Linear Time‐Invariant (LTI) controller that simultaneously stabilizes each of a given family of LTI plants. It is assumed that the strictly proper, lumped and LTI plants have stabilizable realizations and are strongly stabilizable, and that the state‐space dimensions of the plants do not change, are even and are double the input‐space dimensions of the plants. The stabilizing controller is designed for a nominal plant and its free parameter is fixed assuring stability for all the plants, and assuring a stable controller. The stability conditions for simultaneous stabilization are based on the parity interlacing property, on a matrix that must be unimodular and on an analytical expression of the stabilizing controllers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

Sufficient algebraic conditions for stability of cones of polynomials

In this paper a sufficient condition for a cone of polynomials to be Hurwitz is established. Such condition is a matrix inequality, which gives a simple algebraic test for the stability of rays of polynomials. As an application to stable open-loop systems, a cone of gains c such that the function u=−kc^Tx is a stabilizing control feedback for all k>0 is shown to exist.     

Plant zero structure and further order reduction of a singular H∞ controller

A new class of reduced‐order controllers is obtained for the H_∞ problem. The reduced‐order controller does not compromise the performance attained by the full‐order controller. Algorithms for deriving reduced‐order H_∞ controllers are presented in both continuous and discrete time. The reduction in order is related to unstable transmission zeros of the subsystem from disturbance inputs to measurement outputs. In the case where the subsystem has no infinite zeros, the resulting order of the H_∞ controller is lower than that of the existing reduced‐order H_∞ controller designs which are based on reduced‐order observer design. Furthermore, the mechanism of the controller order reduction is analysed on the basis of the two‐Riccati equation approach. The structure of the reduced‐order H_∞ controller is investigated. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

All‐Stabilizing Proportional Controllers for First‐Order Bi‐Proper Systems with Time Delay: An Analytical Derivation

In this paper, a simple derivation for an all‐stabilizing proportional controller set for first‐order bi‐proper systems with time delay is proposed. In contrast to proper systems, an extremely limited number of studies are available in the literature for such bi‐proper systems. To fill this gap in the literature, broader aspects of the stabilizing set are taken into consideration. The effect of zero on the stabilizing set is clearly discussed and we also prove that, when their zeros are placed symmetrically to the origin, the stabilizing set of non‐minimum phase plant is always smaller than that of the minimum phase one. Moreover, for an open‐loop unstable plant, maximum allowable time delay (MATD) is explicitly expressed as a function of the locations of the pole and zero. From that function, it is shown that for a minimum phase plant, the supremum of the MATD is two times that of the time constant of the plant and the infimum of the MATD is the time constant of the plant. We also prove that the supremum is the time constant and the infimum is zero for a non‐minimum phase plant.     

GENERATION OF EXACT QFT BOUNDS FOR PLANTS WITH AFFINELY DEPENDENT UNCERTAINTIES

This paper presents an efficient method for the generation of exact QFT bounds for robust sensitivity reduction and gain‐phase margin specifications for plants with affinely dependent uncertainties. It is shown that, for a plant with m affinely dependent uncertainties, the exact QFT bounds for robust sensitivity reduction and gain‐phase margin specifications at a given frequency and controller phase can be computed by solving m^2m‐1 bivariate polynomial inequalities corresponding to the edges of the parameter domain box. Moreover, the solution set for each bivariate polynomial inequality can be computed by solving for the real roots of one fourth‐order and six second‐order polynomials. This avoids the unfavorable trade‐off between the computational burden and the accuracy of QFT bounds that has arisen in the application of many existing QFT bound generation algorithms. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed method and its computational superiority.     

Robust FOPID controller design for fractional‐order delay systems using positive stability region analysis

In this paper, a robust fractional‐order PID (FOPID) controller design method for fractional‐order delay systems is proposed based on positive stability region (PSR) analysis. Firstly, the PSR is presented to improve the existing stability region (SR) in D‐decomposition method. Then, the optimal fractional orders λ and μ of FOPID controller are achieved at the biggest three‐dimensional PSR, which means the best robustness. Given the optimal λ and μ, the other FOPID controller parameters k_p, k_i, k_d can be solved under the control specifications, including gain crossover frequency, phase margin, and an extended flat phase constraint. In addition, the steps of the proposed robust FOPID controller design process are listed at length, and an example is given to illustrate the corresponding steps. At last, the control performances of the obtained robust FOPID controller are compared with some other controllers (PID and FOPI). The simulation results illustrate the superior robustness as well as the transient performance of the proposed control algorithm.     

Stabilisation of perturbed chains of integrators using Lyapunov-based homogeneous controllers

In this paper, we present a Lyapunov-based homogeneous controller for the stabilisation of a perturbed chain of integrators of arbitrary order r ≥ 1. The proposed controller is based on homogeneous controller for stabilisation of pure chain of integrators. The control of homogeneity degree is also introduced and various controllers are designed using this concept, namely a bounded-controller with minimum amplitude of discontinuous control and a controller with globally fixed-time convergence. The performance of the controller is validated through simulations.     

On the robust control of stable minimum phase plants with large uncertainty in a time constant. A fractional-order control approach

This paper addresses the problem of designing controllers that are robust to a great uncertainty in a time constant of the plant. Plants must be represented by minimum phase rational transfer functions of an arbitrary order. The design specifications are: (1) a phase margin for the nominal plant, (2) a gain crossover frequency for the nominal plant, (3) zero steady state error to step commands, and (4) a constant phase margin for all the possible values of the time constant (T$T$): 0<T<∞$0<T<\infty$. We propose a theorem that defines the structure of the set of controllers that fulfil these specifications and show that it is necessary for these robust controllers to include a fractional-order PI$PI$ term. Examples are developed for both stable and unstable plants, and the results are compared with a standard PI$PI$ controller and a robust controller designed using the QFT$QFT$ methodology.     

Robust isophase margin control of oscillatory systems with large uncertainties in their parameters: A fractional‐order control approach

This paper addresses the problem of designing controllers that are robust to large changes in the undamped natural frequencies of a plant. Plants must be represented by means of minimum phase rational transfer functions of an arbitrary order whose oscillatory dynamics must fulfill the pole‐zero interlacing property on the imaginary axis. The design specifications are as follows: (i) a phase margin for the nominal plant; (ii) a gain crossover frequency for the nominal plant; and (iii) a constant phase margin for large variations in the undamped natural frequencies of the plant, the zeros associated with the oscillatory part of the plant and the gain of the plant. Theorems are proposed that define the structure of the controllers that fulfill these specifications. We show that these robust controllers must necessarily include a fractional‐order integro‐differential term. Analytical simple expressions with which to obtain the simplest controllers that verify the aforementioned specifications are also obtained. Some relevant features of these fractional‐order controllers are later highlighted. Finally, as an example, these controllers are applied to a Buck electronic converter. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust Performance Controller Synthesis Based on Discrete‐Time Noncausal Linear Periodically Time‐Varying Scaling

This paper is concerned with the technique called discrete‐time noncausal linear periodically time‐varying (LPTV) scaling for robust stability analysis and synthesis. It is defined through the lifting treatment of discrete‐time systems, and naturally leads to a sort of noncausal operation of signals. In the robust stability analysis of linear time‐invariant (LTI) systems, it has been shown that even static noncausal LPTV scaling induces some frequency‐dependent scaling when it is interpreted in the context of lifting‐free treatment. This paper first discusses in detail different aspects of the effectiveness of noncausal LPTV scaling, with the aim of showing its effectiveness in controller synthesis. More precisely, we study the robust performance controller synthesis problem, where we allow the controllers to be LPTV. As in the LTI robust performance controller synthesis problem, we tackle our problem with an iterative method without guaranteed convergence to a globally optimal controller. Despite such a design procedure, the closed‐loop H_∞ performance is expected to improve as the period of the controller is increased, and we discuss how the frequency‐domain properties of noncausal LPTV scaling could contribute to such improvement. We demonstrate with a numerical example that an effective LPTV controller can be designed for a class of uncertainties for which the well‐known μ‐synthesis fails to derive even a robust stabilization controller.