Output tracking control for networked control systems with time delay and packet dropout

This article studies the problems of H _∞ output tracking performance analysis and controller design for networked control systems (NCSs) with time delay and packet dropout. By using linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based method, H _∞ output tracking performance analysis and controller design are presented for NCSs with constant sampling period. For NCSs with time-varying sampling period, a multi-objective optimisation methodology in terms of LMIs is used to deal with H _∞ output tracking performance analysis and controller design. The designed controllers can guarantee asymptotic tracking of prescribed reference outputs while rejecting disturbances. The simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed H _∞ output tracking controller design.     

Sampled-data H ∞ control for networked control systems with digital control inputs

In this article, the problem of sampled-data H _∞ control for networked control systems (NCSs) with digital control inputs is considered, where the physical plant is modelled as a continuous-time one, and the control inputs are discrete-time signals. By exploiting a novel Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, using the Leibniz–Newton formula and a free-weighting matrix method, sufficient conditions for sampled-data H _∞ performance analysis and H _∞ controller design for such systems are given. Since the obtained conditions of H _∞ controller design are not expressed strictly in term of linear matrix inequalities, the sampled-data H _∞ controller is solved using modified cone complementary linearisation algorithm. In addition, the new sampled-data stability criteria for the NCSs is proved to be less conservative than some existing results. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.     

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.     

H∞ controller design for boilers

This paper examines the ability of the H_∞ design methodology to provide a solution to a gas- or oil-fired boiler control problem, and addresses the nontrivial application issues of the H_∞ design. The H_∞ methodology is applied to an experimentally verified heating-cogeneration boiler model which exhibits nonlinearities, instability, time delays, non-minimum phase behaviour, and coloured noise disturbances with sensor noise in the frequency range of the significant plant dynamics. The design shows that, to satisfy performance criteria, a high order controller is needed. The paper also demonstrates a trade-off between the reduction of controller order and the loss of controller performance.     

Delay‐dependent adaptive reliable H∞ control of linear time‐varying delay systems

This paper considers the problem of delay‐dependent adaptive reliable H_∞ controller design against actuator faults for linear time‐varying delay systems. Based on the online estimation of eventual faults, the parameters of adaptive reliable H_∞ controller are updating automatically to compensate the fault effects on the system. A new delay‐dependent reliable H_∞ controller is established using a linear matrix inequality technique and an adaptive method, which guarantees the stability and adaptive H_∞ performance of closed‐loop systems in normal and faulty cases. A numerical example and its simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust observer–controller compensator design using the loop shaping design procedure and the algebraic method

This paper investigates robust observer‐controller compensator design using Vidyasagar's structure (VS). VS has a unit matrix parameter H similar to the Q parameter for the Youla–Kucera parameterization. VS can be designed based on the left coprimeness of the central controller in the H_∞‐loop shaping design procedure (H_∞‐LSDP) and therefore can preserve the intrinsic properties of the H_∞‐LSDP. This paper introduces algebraic methods to simplify the design of H in the VS controller by solving specific algebraic equations. In particular, the algebraic design of H can achieve two things. First, a dynamic H adjusts the tracking performance and yields the integral action. Second, a dynamic H rejects the input and output sinusoidal disturbances with known frequencies. These attributes are indications of the flexibility of the proposed method since the output‐feedback controller design of the H_∞‐LSDP cannot easily deal with such conditions. This paper discusses the achieved loop and the closed‐loop behavior of the system with VS, and also gives two numerical examples. The first example shows that the proposed method results in a better design in many aspects than the resulting from H_∞‐LSDP. The second example shows the application of the proposed method to rejecting input and output step disturbances, and input and output multiple sinusoidal disturbances, for which the H_∞‐LSDP can hardly be used. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Delay-dependent H ∞ controller design for linear neutral systems with discrete and distributed delays

This article considers the delay-dependent H _∞ control problem for linear neutral systems with both discrete and distributed delays. The problem we address is to design a state feedback controller such that the resulting closed-loop system is asymptotically stable and satisfies a prescribed H _∞ performance level. First, a delay-dependent sufficient condition for the solvability of the problem is obtained in terms of matrix inequalities. Then, by using the cone complementarity linearization approach, an H _∞ controller is developed based on the solvability condition. Finally, numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy based design of fixed structure robust H∞ loop shaping controller

This paper proposes the application of Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES) in fixed structure H_∞ loop shaping controller design. Integral Time Absolute Error (ITAE) performance requirement is incorporated as a constraint with an objective of maximization of stability margin in the fixed structure H_∞ loop shaping controller design problem. Pneumatic servo system, separating tower process and F18 fighter aircraft system are considered as test systems. The CMA-ES designed fixed structure H_∞ loop-shaping controller is compared with the traditional H_∞ loop shaping controller, non-smooth optimization and Heuristic Kalman Algorithm (HKA) based fixed structure H_∞ loop shaping controllers in terms of stability margin. 20% perturbation in the nominal plant is used to validate the robustness of the CMA-ES designed H_∞ loop shaping controller. The effect of Finite Word Length (FWL) is considered to show the implementation difficulties of controller in digital processors. Simulation results demonstrated that CMA-ES based fixed structure H_∞ loop shaping controller is suitable for real time implementation with good robust stability and performance.     

Output-feedback control for sampled-data systems with variable sampling rate

In this paper, we propose design method of controller for sampled-data systems with variable sampling rate. First, we give design method for both H₂ and H_∞ controller. For H₂ control, performance of the system is introduced according to a standard sampled-data setting. A discrete-time H₂ control problem is employed for solving the original problem. Its solvability condition is then established as a parameter-dependent linear matrix inequality. A probabilistic approach is taken for coping with the parameter-dependency. H_∞ controller is designed by almost the same manner. Applying both results, we have design method for multi-objective control.     

H∞-optimal controller discretization

A redesign method for discretizing a continuous-time controller is proposed. The resulting hybrid control system, for example with continuous-time plant and discrete-time controller, is stable, and performance including the system's inter-sampling behaviour can be optimized by approximating some chosen reference transfer function of the continuous-time control system. In order to obtain a tractable problem, the continuous-time part of the hybrid system and the reference transfer function are approximated by a discrete-time system with arbitrary fast sampling. After lifting the resulting periodic system, the approximation problem can be formulated as a standard H_∞-problem which is solved using standard software for H_∞-controller design.     

Robust dynamic ship positioning control system design and applications

This paper describes the robust control system design for a ship dynamic positioning system. The control design is based on an approximate linear model derived from the nonlinear hydrodynamic equations governing the horizontal motions of the ship. The nonlinear models of the ship, seawaves, current, wind and thrusters are derived and simulated for control design verification. The H_∞ control design technique is employed to design the controller. The control problem is formulated in state‐space form and the design specifications are translated into requirements on the weighting functions of the error signal and the thrusters input. A tuning procedure is proposed based on the wind and wave disturbances. The controller is initially tested on the nonlinear ship model and simulation results are presented to demonstrate the robustness of the H_∞ controller. Tank tests results are then presented to assess the controller performance. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stabilisation and H∞ control of neutral stochastic delay Markovian jump systems

This paper investigates the exponential stabilisation and H_∞ control problem of neutral stochastic delay Markovian jump systems. First, a delay feedback controller is designed to stabilise the neutral stochastic delay Markovian jump system in the drift part. Second, sufficient conditions for the existence of feedback controller are proposed to ensure that the resulting closed-loop system is exponentially stable in mean square and satisfies a prescribed H_∞ performance level. Finally, numerical examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed design methods.     

Delay-fractioning-dependent robust H ∞ control for linear systems with delay in state or input and its applications

A new delay fraction technique is proposed to investigate the H _∞ control of uncertain systems with time delay in state or input. First, the variation interval of the time-varying delay is divided into several subintervals with equal length. By checking the variation of derivative of the Lyapunov functional in every subinterval, some new criteria on H _∞ performance analysis of the systems are derived in terms of the convexity properties of a matrix inequality and some other new analysis techniques. Then, criteria for the H _∞ control design are presented, which are concluded from the H _∞ performance analysis results. As applications of the derived results, H _∞ performance analysis and H _∞ control design are carried out for some systems, including two numerical systems, linearised truck trailer system and traffic network system. Discussions show that, the proposed method is effective for these systems and much less conservativeness appears than those given in the existing references.     

Robust nonlinear ship course‐keeping control by H∞ I/O linearization and μ‐synthesis

In this paper, the H_∞ input/output (I/O) linearization formulation is applied to design an inner‐loop nonlinear controller for a nonlinear ship course‐keeping control problem. Due to the ship motion dynamics are non‐minimum phase, it is impossible to use the ordinary feedback I/O linearization to resolve. Hence, the technique of H_∞ I/O linearization is proposed to obtain a nonlinear H_∞ controller such that the compensated nonlinear system approximates the linear reference model in I/O behaviour. Then a μ‐synthesis method is employed to design an outer‐loop robust controller to address tracking, regulation, and robustness issues. The time responses of the tracking signals for the closed‐loop system reveal that the overall robust nonlinear controller is able to provide robust stability and robust performance for the plant uncertainties and state measurement errors. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On mean‐square H∞ control for discrete‐time nonlinear stochastic systems with (x,u, v)‐dependent noises

In this paper, the H_∞ control problem is investigated for a general class of discrete‐time nonlinear stochastic systems with state‐, control‐, and disturbance‐dependent noises (also called (x, u, v)‐dependent noises). In the system under study, the system state, the control input, and the disturbance input are all coupled with white noises, and this gives rise to considerable difficulties in the stability and H_∞ performance analysis. By using the inequality techniques, a sufficient condition is established for the existence of the desired controller such that the closed‐loop system is mean‐square asymptotically stable and also satisfies H_∞ performance constraint for all nonzero exogenous disturbances under the zero‐initial condition. The completing square technique is used to design the H_∞ controller with hope to reduce the resulting conservatism, and a special algebraic identity is employed to deal with the cross‐terms induced by (x, u, v)‐dependent noises. Several corollaries with simplified conditions are presented to facilitate the controller design. The effectiveness of the developed methods is demonstrated by two numerical examples with one concerning the multiplier‐accelerator macroeconomic system.     

Multi-objective H ∞ control for vehicle active suspension systems with random actuator delay

This article is concerned with the problem of multi-objective H _∞ control for vehicle active suspension systems with random actuator delay, which can be represented by signal probability distribution. First, the dynamical equations of a quarter-car suspension model are established for the control design purpose. Secondly, when taking into account vehicle performance requirements, namely, ride comfort, suspension deflection and the probability distributed actuator delay, we present the corresponding dynamic system, which will be transformed to the stochastic system for the problem of multi-objective H _∞ controller design. Third, based on the stochastic stability theory, the state feedback controller is proposed to render that the closed-loop system is exponentially stable in mean-square while simultaneously satisfying H _∞ performance and the output constraint requirement. The presented condition is expressed in the form of convex optimisation problems so that it can be efficiently solved via standard numerical software. Finally, a practical design example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Observer-based H∞ controller for 2-D T–S fuzzy model

This paper develops a method of fuzzy observer-based H_∞ controller design for two-dimensional (2-D) discrete Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy systems. By reformulating the system, a linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based sufficient condition is derived. Then the fuzzy controller and the fuzzy observer can be independently designed, which guarantee an H_∞ noise attenuation γ of the whole system. Owing to the introduction of free matrices, the presented design method has a wider range of application and can guarantee a better H_∞ performance of the closed-loop fuzzy control system. Simulation results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Design of fault‐tolerant control for MTTF

Mean time to failure (MTTF) is an important reliability index of fault‐tolerant control systems, which is chosen as a design objective in this paper. However, it is usually evaluated from stochastic reliability models, and no analytical expression is available to relate MTTF to controller parameters. To overcome this difficulty, a two‐stage design scheme is proposed in this paper: A gradient‐based search is firstly carried out on probabilistic H_∞ performance characteristics for MTTF requirement; a sequential randomized algorithm with a weighted violation function is then developed for a controller design to satisfy the required H_∞ performance, and its convergence is guaranteed with probability 1. Two iterative algorithms are carried out alternately to implement this scheme, and a controller can be designed for MTTF requirement. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimisation of the weighting functions of an H ∞ controller using genetic algorithms and structured genetic algorithms

In this article, the optimisation of the weighting functions for an H _∞ controller using genetic algorithms and structured genetic algorithms is considered. The choice of the weighting functions is one of the key steps in the design of an H _∞ controller. The performance of the controller depends on these weighting functions since poorly chosen weighting functions will provide a poor controller. One approach that can solve this problem is the use of evolutionary techniques to tune the weighting parameters. The article presents the improved performance of structured genetic algorithms over conventional genetic algorithms and how this technique can assist with the identification of appropriate weighting functions’ orders.