Nonlinear observer design via passivation of error dynamics

We present a new design scheme of nonlinear state observers (global, full order, asymptotic observers) through passivation of the error dynamics. In order to consider passivity of the error dynamics for the observer problem, we place a conceptual input and output on the generalized error dynamics which also includes the plant, and the strictness of passivity is extended with respect to a set in which the estimation error becomes zero. Then, output feedback passivation for the error dynamics will lead to the construction of a state observer. It is also shown that a nonlinear observer is generally vulnerable to measurement disturbance, in the sense that even an arbitrarily small measurement disturbance can lead to a blowup of the error state. However, due to the passivity of the error dynamics, the proposed nonlinear injection gain can be easily modified for the observer to be robust to measurement disturbances.     

Optimal digital controller and observer design for multiple time-delay transfer function matrices with multiple input–output time delays

In this article, we address the optimal digital design methodology for multiple time-delay transfer function matrices with multiple input–output time delays. In our approach, the multiple time-delay analogue transfer function matrix with multiple input–output time delays is minimally realised using a continuous-time state-space model. For deriving an explicit form of the optimal digital controller, the realised continuous-time multiple input–output time-delay system is discretised, and an extended high-order discrete-time state-space model is constructed for discrete-time LQR design. To derive a low-order optimal digital observer for the multiple input–output time-delay system, the multiple time-delay state obtained from the multiple time-delay outputs is discretised. Then, the well-known duality concept is employed to design an optimal digital observer using the low-order discretised multiple input time-delay system together with the newly discretised multiple time-delay state. The proposed approach is restricted to multiple time-delay systems where multiple time delays arise only in the input and output, and not in the state.     

An improved state-space model structure and a corresponding predictive functional control design with improved control performance

Conventional state-space model predictive control requires a state estimator/observer to access the state information for feedback controller design. Its drawbacks are the numerical convergence stability of the observer and closed-loop control performance deterioration with activated plant input/output constraints. The recent direct use of measured input and output variables to formulate a non-minimal state-space (NMSS) model overcomes these problems, but the subsequent controller is too sensitive to model mismatch. In this article, an improved structure of NMSS model that incorporates the output-tracking error is first formulated and then a subsequent predictive functional control design is proposed. The proposed controller is tested on both model match and model mismatch cases for comparison with previous controllers. Results show that control performance is improved. In addition, a linear programming method for constraints dealing and a closed form of transfer function representation of the control system are provided for further insight into the proposed method.     

An intrinsic observer for a class of Lagrangian systems

We propose a new design method of asymptotic observers for a class of nonlinear mechanical systems: Lagrangian systems with configuration (position) measurements. Our main contribution is to introduce a state (position and velocity) observer that is invariant under any changes of the configuration coordinates. The observer dynamics equations, as the Euler-Lagrange equations, are intrinsic. The design method uses the Riemannian structure defined by the kinetic energy on the configuration manifold. The local convergence is proved by showing that the Jacobian of the observer dynamics is negative definite (contraction) for a particular metric defined on the state-space, a metric derived from the kinetic energy and the observer gains. From a practical point of view, such intrinsic observers can be approximated, when the estimated configuration is close to the true one, by an explicit set of differential equations involving the Riemannian curvature tensor. These equations can be automatically generated via symbolic differentiations of the metric and potential up to order two. Numerical simulations for the ball and beam system, an example where the scalar curvature is always negative, show the effectiveness of such approximation when the measured positions are noisy or include high frequency neglected dynamics.     

A globally exponentially convergent immersion and invariance speed observer for mechanical systems with non-holonomic constraints

The problem of velocity estimation for general, n degrees-of-freedom, mechanical systems, is of great practical and theoretical interest. For unconstrained systems many partial solutions have been reported in the literature. However, even in this case, the basic question of whether it is possible to design a globally convergent speed observer remains open. In this paper, an affirmative answer to the question is given for general mechanical systems with knon-holonomic constraints, by proving the existence of a 3n−2k+1-dimensional globally exponentially convergent speed observer. An observer for unconstrained mechanical systems is obtained as a particular case of this general result. Instrumental for the construction of the speed observer is the use of the Immersion and Invariance technique, in which the observer design problem is recast as a problem of rendering attractive and invariant a manifold defined in the extended state-space of the plant and the observer.     

Discrete-time track following controller design using a state-space disturbance observer

This paper presents a method to design a discrete-time track following controller using a state-space disturbance observer. To improve sensitivity, an add-on state-space disturbance observer is introduced to a LQG/LTR track following controller, which does not affect the observer and state feedback poles thereby preserving the separation principle. Therefore disturbance observer design is possible to shape the sensitivity without affecting the stability of the LQG/LTR track following controller. The proposed disturbance observer is designed in state-space without disturbance model such as plant's inverse dynamics, periodic signal generator, and Q filter. Simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed design method using a disturbance observer.     

非方广义系统的未知输入有限时间观测器设计

研究了含未知输入的非方广义系统的有限时间输入解耦观测器设计问题,在一定条件下基于非方广义系统的结构特征,引入一个输入-状态对的非奇异转换,把含未知输入的非方广义系统等价地转化为输入已知的正常状态空间系统．用传统的设计正常状态空间系统观测器的方法去构造含未知输入的非方广义系统的未知输入观测器,并给出了观测器存在的充分条件,由此得出了有限时间观测器的设计步骤．     

未知输入离散时滞奇异系统的观测器设计

讨论含未知输入的多时滞离散非方奇异系统的观测器设计问题．在两个一般秩的条件下,利用一系列等价变挟,将其转化为一个多时滞正常线性离散系统的观测器设计问题;利用线性矩阵不等式方法,给出了存在一个与系统状态维数相同的观测器的充分条件,并用此观测器对系统的状态和未知输入进行估计．     

Nonlinear robust observer design using an invariant manifold approach

This paper presents a method to design a reduced order observer using an invariant manifold approach. The main advantages of this method are that it enables a systematic design approach, and (unlike most nonlinear observer design methods), it can be generalized over a larger class of nonlinear systems. The method uses specific mapping functions in a way that minimizes the error dynamics close to zero. Another important aspect is the robustness property which is due to the manifold attractivity: an important feature when an observer is used in a closed loop control system. A two degree-of-freedom system is used as an example. The observer design is validated using numerical simulation. Then experimental validation is carried out using hardware-in-the-loop testing. The proposed observer is then compared with a very well known nonlinear observer based on the off-line solution of the Riccati equation for systems with Lipschitz type nonlinearity. In all cases, the performance of the proposed observer is shown to be very high.     

Linear and nonlinear state-space controllers for magnetic levitation

The problem of precisely controlling (within sensor resolution) the height of a steel ball above the ground by levitating it against the force of gravity using an electromagnet is considered. The state variables used to model the system are the ball's position below the magnet, the ball's speed and the current in the electromagnet. Two state-space controllers are compared in terms of their performance in controlling the ball's position. The first controller is based on feedback linearization where a nonlinear state-space transformation along with nonlinear state feedback is used to linearize the system exactly. A linear controller is then used on the resulting system to control the ball's position. As a direct measurement of ball speed is not available, a nonlinear observer with linear error dynamics is used to estimate the speed. The second controller is a standard linear state feedback controller whose design is based on a linear model found by perturbing the nonlinear system model about an operating point. A linear observer is used to estimate the ball's velocity. Experimental results are presented to compare the effectiveness of the two controllers in terms of their ability to respond to step inputs and to track sinusoidal reference trajectories.     

基于非光滑观测器的带死区三明治系统状态估计

在控制工程实际中,许多含有死区的系统可以用带死区的三明治系统描述．本文针对带死区的三明治系统特点,构建了一种非光滑观测器以对系统状态进行估计．首先根据带死区三明治系统的特点,由分离原理,建立了描述系统特性的非光滑状态空间方程．据此构造了能够随系统工作区间变化而自动切换的非光滑观测器,给出了相应的收敛定理及其证明．最后通过仿真,分别比较了非光滑观测器和传统的观测器对状态的跟踪效果,比较结果表明非光滑观测器对于带死区三明治系统状态变量估计的准确性要优于传统的观测器．     

广义非线性扩张状态观测器设计及性能分析

针对时变外扰,提出广义非线性扩张状态观测器设计方法.在分析传统扩张状态观测器的设计策略的基础上,通过对总扰动进行重构、引入广义扩张状态,设计反映扰动中已知分量的广义扩张状态观测器(扩张r+1阶).理论分析了观测器的收敛性,并得出了观测误差上界与扩张阶数的定量关系式.通过仿真对广义扩张状态观测器抑制外界正弦扰动的有效性进行检验,数值模拟结果表明,本文设计的观测器能够有效利用扰动中已知分量的信息,降低系统的不确定性,提高观测精度.     

A complete model of a finite-dimensional impedance-passive system

We extend the classes of standard discrete- and continuous-time input/state/output matrix systems by adding reverse internal and/or external channels. The reverse internal channel permits the impulse response to contain a differentiating part, and the reverse external channel allows us to include inputs which are forced to be zero and outputs which are undetermined. The purpose of this extension is obtaining a class of state-space matrix systems that can be used to realise all right-coprime positive-real rational relations—in particular non-proper positive-real rational transfer functions can be realised. We generalise the notions of impedance and scattering passivity to extended systems. When we restrict our attention to passive systems, the new class of extended impedance-passive systems is closed under the operations of interchanging the input and the output, as well as frequency inversion and duality. We generalise two system Cayley transformations to extended systems. The first transformation that we consider is the internal Cayley transformation, which maps an impedance- or scattering-passive continuous-time system into a discrete-time approximation of the original system that is again impedance passive or scattering passive, respectively. The second transformation is the external Cayley transformation that maps a contiuous- or discrete-time impedance-passive system into a scattering-passive system with the same time axis. In our extended setting, the two Cayley transformations become bijections between the respective classes of extended passive systems.     

Noncertainty equivalent adaptive control of robot manipulators without velocity measurements

This paper presents a noncertainty equivalent adaptive motion control scheme for robot manipulators in the absence of link velocity measurements. A new output feedback adaptation algorithm, based on the attractive manifold design approach, is developed. A proportional-integral adaptation is selected for the adaptive parameter estimator to strengthen the passivity of the system. In order to relieve velocity measurements, an observer is designed to estimate the velocities. The controller guarantees semiglobal asymptotic motion tracking and velocity estimation, as well as L_∞ and L₂ bounded parameter estimation error. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is verified by simulations for a two-link robot manipulator and a four-bar linkage. The results are further compared with the earlier certainty-equivalent adaptive partial and full state feedback controller to highlight potential closed-loop performance improvements.     

Continuous-time non-minimal state-space design

A continuous time non-minimal state-space (NMSS) representation is shown to be explicitly related to the underlying minimal state-space observer/state feedback design method and, moreover, the corresponding state feedback gains are explicitly related. This result provides a starting point for NMSS methods in the continuous-time domain. Numerical examples are given which illustrate the underlying relationship.     

Passivity-based tracking control of an omnidirectional mobile robot using only one geometrical parameter

This paper presents an output feedback tracking control scheme for a three-wheeled omnidirectional mobile robot, based on passivity property and a modified generalized proportional integral (GPI) observer. The proposed control approach is attractive from an implementation point of view, since only one robot geometrical parameter (i.e., contact radius) is required. Firstly, a nominal dynamic model is given and the passivity property is analyzed. Then the controller is designed based on passivity property and a modified GPI observer. The controller design objective is to preserve the passivity property of the robot system in the closed-loop system, which is conceptually different from the traditional model-based control methodology. Particularly, the designed control system takes full advantage of the robot natural damping. Therefore, only considerably small or non differential feedback is needed. In addition, theoretical analysis is given to show the closed-loop stability behavior. Finally, experiments are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control system design in both tracking and robustness performance.     

直流降压变换器的降阶扩张状态观测器与滑模控制设计与实现

本文针对直流降压变换器的负载电阻扰动和输入电压变化等系统不确定因素对输出电压的影响,提出了基于降阶扩张状态观测器的滑模控制方法(SMC+RESO).首先设计降阶扩张状态观测器对系统状态,负载电阻扰动和输入电压变化进行估计,然后基于估计值利用滑模控制技术设计控制器,实现对直流降压变换器系统给定电压跟踪的快速性和准确性.值得注意的是,不同于文[1]所提出的基于扩张状态观测器的滑模控制方法(SMC+ESO),本文所提出的方法采用降阶扩张状态观测器,实现简单,且无需电流传感器,减小了实际应用的成本.利用Lyapunov稳定性定理从理论上证明了所设计的控制器可以保证闭环系统的稳定性.仿真和实验结果表明,与已有的基于扩张状态观测器的滑模控制方法相比,所提出的控制方法更好地改善了系统的跟踪性能和对干扰和不确定性的鲁棒性能,且减少了成本,但是牺牲了系统稳态性能.     

基于非光滑观测器的迟滞三明治系统状态估计

针对带迟滞的三明治系统特点,构建了一种非光滑观测器以对系统状态进行估计.首先根据带迟滞三明治系统的特点,采用分离原理,建立了描述系统特性的非光滑状态空间方程.据此构造了能够随系统工作区间变化而自动切换的非光滑观测器,给出了相应的收敛定理及其证明.最后通过仿真,分别比较了非光滑观测器和传统的观测器对状态的跟踪效果,比较结果表明非光滑观测器对于带迟滞三明治系统状态变量估计的准确性要优于传统的观测器.     

基于无源性的全方位移动机器人自抗扰控制

针对全方位移动机器人轨迹跟踪控制中存在的外界干扰和系统参数不确定性问题,提出基于无源性的自抗扰控制方法.该方法通过扩张状态观测器对系统扰动进行估计,并在基于无源性的控制器中加入扰动补偿项以减小外界干扰和参数不确定性对系统的影响;进而,利用系统的无源特性和Lyapunov 理论证明在该控制器作用下闭环系统有界输入有界输出稳定.仿真结果表明,所提出的控制方法响应速度较快,控制精度较高,对系统外扰和模型参数不确定性具有较强的鲁棒性