Simultaneous pole-placement/stabilization of pairs of linear time-invariant plants using a continuous-time periodic controller

Given a pair of single input single output (SISO), linear time-invariant (LTI), and strictly proper plants of relative order r, this paper employs a continuous-time periodic controller to achieve 1) simultaneous pole-placement for r = 1 and 2) guaranteed simultaneous stabilization for r = 2; 3, and 4, which jobs LTI controllers cannot, in general, do. The controller also ensures insignificant output ripples. The analysis is based on averaging principle. The computational steps for controller synthesis are linear algebraic in nature. An example illustrates the design procedure.     

基于周期控制的有限集输入通道任意增益/相角裕度调节方法

针对有限多输入多输出(MIMO)线性时不变(LTI)对象集,提出了一种调节输入通道增益/相角裕度的方法,采用离散线性二次调节器(LQR)理论和周期控制方法设计一个针对有限对象集的线性周期控制器.该控制器可使有限对象集的所有反馈控制回路在输入通道同时实现任意大的增益裕度和直到90°的相角裕度.仿真结果表明了该方法的有效性.     

Robustness of discrete periodically time-varying control under LTIunstructured perturbations

Investigates robustness of linear periodically time varying (LPTV) control of discrete linear time invariant (LTI) plants subject to LTI unstructured perturbations. The note first derives a necessary and sufficient condition for robust stability of an LPTV system subject to LTI perturbations, which is less conservative than the well known small gain condition. It then presents a quantitative analysis on the robustness of LPTV control under LTI unstructured perturbations in comparison with that of LTI control. It is shown that under the normal value of the controller period suggested in the previous literature, the stability margin is deteriorated by LPTV control if LTI unstructured perturbations are considered. Hence LTI control is superior to LPTV control in this respect     

一种有限对象集的输出通道任意增益/相角裕度调节方法

针对一类有限多输入多输出线性时不变对象集,提出一种调节输出通道增益/相角裕度的方法.采用增益相角裕度测试器理论,将问题转化为有限不确定对象集的稳定性问题;基于连续线性二次调节器理论,设计针对单个对象的输出反馈控制器;利用周期控制方法,设计针对有限对象集的线性周期控制器.该控制器可使有限对象集的所有反馈控制回路在输出通道同时实现任意大的增益裕度和直到90°的相角裕度.仿真结果表明了该方法的有效性.     

Linear periodic controller design for decentralized control systems

In the decentralized control of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems, a decentralized fixed mode (DFM) is a system mode which is immoveable using an LTI controller, while a quotient DFM (QDFM) is one which is immoveable using any form of nonlinear time-varying compensation. If a system has no unstable DFMs, there are well-known procedures for designing an LTI stabilizing controller; for systems which have unstable DFMs but no unstable QDFMs, we provide a simple design algorithm which yields a linear periodic sampled-data stabilizing controller.     

An LMI approach to dencentralized H8 control

We consider the design of a decentralized controller for a linear time invariant (LTI) system. This system is modelled as an interconnection of subsystems. For every subsystem, a linear time invariant controller is sought such that the overall closed loop system is stable and achieves a given H performance level. The main idea is to design every local controller such that the corresponding closed loop subsystem has a certain input-output (dissipative) property. This local property is constrained to be consistent with the overall objective of stability and performance. The local controllers are designed simultaneously, avoiding the traditional iterative process: both objectives (the local one and the global one) are achieved in one shot. Applying this idea leads us to solving the following new problem: given an LTI system, parameterize all the dissipative properties which can be achieved by feedback. The proposed approach leads to solving convex optimization problems that involve linear matrix inequality constraints.     

Stabilization in the Presence of an Uncertain Arbitrarily Large Delay

Handling delays in control systems is difficult and is of long-standing interest. It is well known that, given a finite-dimensional linear time-invariant (LTI) plant and a finite-dimensional LTI stabilizing controller, closed-loop stability will be maintained under a small delay in the feedback loop. However, in some situations there is a large delay, perhaps arising from a slow communications link or a large but variable computational delay (e.g., in a system which uses image processing). While there are techniques available to design a controller to handle a known delay, there is no general theory for designing a controller to handle an arbitrarily large uncertain delay. Here we prove constructively that, given a finite-dimensional LTI plant and an upper bound on the admissible time delay, there exists a linear periodic controller which robustly stabilizes the plant.     

An alternative approach to designing stabilizing compensators for saturating linear time‐invariant plants

We present a new methodology for designing low‐gain linear time‐invariant (LTI) controllers for semi‐global stabilization of an LTI plant with actuator saturation, which is based on the representation of a proper LTI feedback using a pre‐compensator‐plus‐static‐output‐feedback architecture. We also mesh the new design methodology with time‐scale notions to develop lower‐order controllers for some plants. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The periodic optimality of LQ controllers satisfying strong stabilization

An LQ strong stabilization problem is proposed. To determine when a controller with periodic gains is locally superior to a linear time invariant compensator for this problem, a Π test is presented. For systems with strictly proper transfer functions, it is proven that the frequency range where stable periodic controllers based on weak variations about the LTI case can give better performance than stable LTI compensators is finite. In the development, a means to evaluate the second partials of functions with respect to matrix-valued parameters is introduced. For those systems where periodic control is warranted, techniques for designing optimal periodic strongly stabilizing controllers are presented. Two examples detailing the application of the Π test are provided, as well as an optimal periodic controller design example.     

Properties of linear switching time-varying discrete-time systems with applications

We study two discrete-time, linear switching time-varying (LSTV) structures, each of which consists of a periodic switch connected to several linear time-invariant (LTI) systems. Such structures can be used to represent any linear periodically time-varying (LPTV) systems. We give basic properties associated with the LSTV structures in terms of their LTI building blocks, and then apply the results to solve a general approximation problem: How to optimally approximate an LPTV system with period p by an LPTV system with period ? The optimality is measured using norms. The study is extended to general multirate periodic systems.     

Feedback Stabilization Over Signal-to-Noise Ratio Constrained Channels

There has recently been significant interest in feedback stabilization problems with communication constraints including constraints on the available data rate. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) constraints are one way in which data-rate limits arise, and are the focus of this paper. In both continuous and discrete-time settings, we show that there are limitations on the ability to stabilize an unstable plant over a SNR constrained channel using finite-dimensional linear time invariant (LTI) feedback. In the case of state feedback, or output feedback with a delay-free, minimum phase plant, these limitations in fact match precisely those that might have been inferred by considering the associated ideal Shannon capacity data rate over the same channel. In the case of LTI output feedback, additional limitations are shown to apply if the plant is nonminimum phase. In this case, we show that for a continuous-time nonminimum phase plant, a periodic linear time varying feedback scheme with fast sampling may be used to recover the original SNR requirement at the cost of robustness properties. The proposed framework inherently captures channel noise effects in a simple formulation suited to conventional LTI control performance and robustness analysis, and has potential to handle time delays and bandwidth constraints in a variety of control over communication links problems.     

Low-Order Stabilization of LTI Systems With Time Delay

This paper considers the problem of stabilizing a single-input-single-output (SISO) linear time-invariant (LTI) plant with known time delay using a low-order controller, such as a Proportional (P), a Proportional-Integral (PI), or a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. For the SISO LTI system with time delay, the closed-loop characteristic function is a quasipolynomial that possesses the following features: all its infinite roots are located on the left of certain vertical line of the complex plane, and the number of its unstable roots is finite. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the stability of LTI systems with time delay are first presented by employing an extended Hermite-Biehler Theorem applicable to quasi-polynomials. Based on the conditions, analytical algorithms are then proposed to compute the stabilizing sets of P, PI and PID controllers. The resulting characterizations of the stabilizing sets for P, PI and PID controllers are analogous to the Youla parameterization of all stabilizing controllers for plants without time delay. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the proposed algorithm.     

Design and validation of linear robust controllers for nonlinear plants

This paper describes a robust nonlinear control system design procedure inspired by the nonlinear control ideas of Horowitz's Quantitative Feedback Theory. The central concept is the identification of a family of linear time-invariant (LTI) plants that is equivalent to an uncertain nonlinear (and/or time varying) plant in the sense that an LTI controller feasible for this linear plant family is also feasible for the original nonlinear plant. We identify two conditions for evaluating an equivalent linear family (the equivalence condition and the continuity condition) and show that when these two conditions are satisfied an LTI controller that provides satisfactory robust control of an equivalent linear plant family also provides satisfactory robust control for the related uncertain nonlinear plant, independent of the robust design technique used. We then use these two conditions to analyse the validity of the nonlinear QFT design technique published earlier. Our results suggest that nonlinear QFT can be an attractive approach to nonlinear robust control but its validity (in the sense that the linear design solves the nonlinear control problem) can be demonstrated only if additional conditions and contraints not previously reported are satisfied. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust stabilization of discrete-time periodic linear systems for tracking and disturbance rejection

In analogy to the Ku?era–Youla parametrization, we construct and parametrize all stabilizing controllers of a stabilizable linear periodic discrete-time input/output system, the plant. We establish a necessary and sufficient algebraic condition for the existence of controllers among these for which the output of the plant tracks a given reference signal in spite of disturbance signals on the input and the output of the plant. With a minor additional assumption, the tracking stabilizing controllers are robust. As in the linear time-invariant (LTI) case, the reference and disturbance signals are assumed to be generated by an autonomous system. Our results are the analogs for periodic behaviors of the corresponding LTI results of Vidyasagar. A completely different approach to stabilization and control of discrete periodic systems was developed by Bittanti and Colaneri. We derive a categorical duality between periodic behaviors over the time-axis of natural numbers and finitely generated modules over a suitable noncommutative ring of difference operators and use this for the proof of the main stabilization and control results. Morita’s theory of equivalences between module categories is employed as an essential algebraic tool. All results of the paper are constructive.     

A test for stability robustness of linear time‐varying systems utilizing the linear time‐invariant ν‐gap metric

A stability robustness test is developed for internally stable, nominal, linear time‐invariant (LTI) feedback systems subject to structured, linear time‐varying uncertainty. There exists (in the literature) a necessary and sufficient structured small gain condition that determines robust stability in such cases. In this paper, the structured small gain theorem is utilized to formulate a (sufficient) stability robustness condition in a scaled LTI ν‐gap metric framework. The scaled LTI ν‐gap metric stability condition is shown to be computable via linear matrix inequality techniques, similar to the structured small gain condition. Apart from a comparison with a generalized robust stability margin as the final part of the stability test, however, the solution algorithm implemented to test the scaled LTI ν‐gap metric stability robustness condition is shown to be independent of knowledge about the controller transfer function (as opposed to the LMI feasibility problem associated with the scaled small gain condition which is dependent on knowledge about the controller). Thus, given a nominal plant and a structured uncertainty set, the stability robustness condition presented in this paper provides a single constraint on a controller (in terms of a large enough generalized robust stability margin) that (sufficiently) guarantees to stabilize all plants in the uncertainty set. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Control of LTI plants over erasure channels

This paper studies linear time-invariant (LTI) control architectures for LTI plants when communication takes place over a scalar erasure channel. Assuming i.i.d. data dropouts, we first show that such a channel is equivalent, in a second order moment sense, to an additive white noise channel subject to an instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio constraint. This key result is then exploited in two ways: First, we use it to characterize the set of all LTI controllers that achieve mean square stability in control architectures closed over scalar erasure channels. Second, we use it to show that the optimal design of LTI controllers over scalar erasure channels can be carried out by using tools from standard quadratic optimal control theory. We finally apply our results to the dynamic output feedback control of LTI single-input single-output (SISO) plants subject to data dropouts. In this case, we are able to establish closed form necessary and sufficient conditions on the minimal successful transmission probability that allows one to design mean square stabilizing controllers.     

Quantitative feedback theory for multiple-input-multiple output feedback systems with control input failures†

In quantitative feedback theory (QFT), plant parameter and disturbance uncertainties are the reasons for using feedback. The system design is tuned to quantitative statements of these parameters and of the performance tolerances. Available design freedom is used to minimize the cost of feedback which is in the bandwidths of the loop transfer functions. This paper extends QFT to 2 × 2 linear time invariant (LTI) multiple-input-multiple-output plants, in which total failure of some control inputs is possible. Maximum possible achievement of the performance specifications is determined, with single fixed LTI compensation networks. A detailed design example is included.     

Pointwise stabilizability of families of linear time-invariantplants

The topic of (robust) pointwise stabilizability of families of linear time-invariant (LTI) plants arising from unstructured modeling uncertainty is addressed. The results presented extend some earlier work and show that there is no advantage in using general nonlinear time-varying (NLTV) controllers over LTI ones for certain problems of (robust) pointwise stabilization     

IQC‐based robustness analysis of discrete‐time linear time‐varying systems

The paper investigates the robust stability and performance of uncertain linear time‐varying (LTV) systems using an integral quadratic constraint (IQC) based analysis approach. Specifically, previous theoretical work on IQC‐based robustness analysis of linear time‐invariant (LTI) systems is extended to discrete‐time LTV systems. In the case of a general LTV nominal system, the analysis solution is provided in terms of an infinite‐dimensional convex optimization problem. This optimization problem reduces into a finite‐dimensional semidefinite program when the nominal system in question is finite horizon, periodic, or, more generally, eventually periodic. Finally, the results are applied to an unmanned aircraft control system executing an aggressive maneuver, where the developed techniques are used to find the region in which the aircraft is guaranteed to reside at the end of its planned trajectory. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Some results on minimum magnitude regulated response

Analytical results are obtained for the minimum peak tracking error magnitude achievable by some finite settling time control systems in response to a step reference input. The limits of these results as the settling time approaches infinity are also obtained. These represent performance bounds which apply for any finite order linear time-invariant (LTI) controller of a given configuration (i.e., one-parameter or two-parameter). The systems considered are one-parameter discrete-time single-input, single-output (SISO) where the plant has one unstable pole and one non-minimum-phase zero. The result for a two-parameter compensator for plants with one non-minimum-phase zero is presented