Safe Autonomous Agent Formation Operations Via Obstacle Collision Avoidance

In this paper, we consider the problem of flocking and shape‐orientation control of multi‐agent systems with inter‐agent and obstacle collision avoidance. We first consider the problem of forcing a set of autonomous agents to form a desired formation shape and orientation while avoiding inter‐agent collision and collision with convex obstacles, and following a trajectory known to only one of the agents, namely the leader of the formation. Then we build upon the solution given to this problem and solve the problem of guaranteeing obstacle collision avoidance by changing the size and the orientation of the formation. Changing the size and the orientation of the formation is helpful when the agents want to go through a narrow passage while the existing size or orientation of the formation does not allow this. We also propose collision avoidance algorithms that temporarily change the shape of the formation to avoid collision with stationary or moving nonconvex obstacles. Simulation results are presented to show the performance of the proposed control laws.     

A Maximum Principle via Malliavin calculus for combined stochastic control and impulse control of forward‐backward systems

We consider a combined stochastic control and impulse control problem of forward‐backward systems driven by Lévy processes, where both the system coefficients and the objective performance functional are allowed to be random, non‐Markovian; the information available to the controller is partial information. Applying a Malliavin calculus approach, we derive a maximum principle for this control problem, where the adjoint processes are explicitly represented by the parameters and the states of the system. Finally, we give two examples of applications. © 2015 Chinese Automatic Control Society and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd     

Convergence Analysis of Wireless Remote Iterative Learning Control Systems with Channel Noise

Channel noise, including sensor‐to‐controller(SC) noise and controller‐to‐actuator(CA) noise, impacts the convergence of wireless remote iterative learning control (ILC) system significantly. In this paper, the relationship between output error, SC noise and CA noise is obtained firstly by super‐vector formulation, and then the norm of output error vector covariance matrix is employed to analyze the convergence of the system in presence of SC noise and CA noise. Upper bound of the norm at any sample time reveals that the SC noise is accumulated only in iteration domain, while the CA noise is accumulated not only in iteration domain but also in time domain. Furthermore, the accumulated effect of the CA noise in time domain is ruled by system matrices, so the values of which determine the effect of the CA noise is greater or less than that of the SC noise on convergence of the system. Finally, some simulation results are given to illustrate correctness of the result.     

Optimal Terminal Iterative Learning Control for the Automatic Train Stop System

The train stop control is a typical set‐point control task, where only the final state (i.e., the terminal train stop position) is of concern and specified. For such a control problem, an optimal terminal iterative learning control (TILC) approach is presented in this paper, where the stopping position and initial braking speed are chosen as the terminal system output and the control input, respectively. The controller design only depends on the measured input/output (I/O) data without requiring any modeling information of the train operation system, and the learning gain is updated by the system I/O data iteratively to accommodate the system uncertainties. The monotonic convergence of the terminal tracking error is guaranteed by rigorous mathematical analysis. Extensive simulation results are provided to show the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Optimal Control of Switching Times in Switched Stochastic Systems

In this paper, we solve an optimal control problem for switched stochastic systems using calculus of variations, where the objective is to minimize a cost functional defined on the state and the switching times are the sole control variables. In particular, we focus on the problem in which a pre‐specified sequence of active subsystems is given. For one switching time case, the derivative of the cost functional with respect to the switching time is derived, which has an especially simple form and can be directly used in gradient descent algorithms to locate the optimal switching instant. Then, we propose an approach to deal with the problem with multi‐switching times case. Finally, two numerical examples are given, highlighting the viability and advantages of the proposed methodology.     

On Constrained MMVC of Discrete‐Time First‐Order Linear Stochastic Systems with PSI I: The Critically Stable Case

This paper is devoted to the study of the modified minimal variance control (MMVC) of discrete‐time first‐order linear critically stable stochastic systems with prospective strong intervention (PSI) and control input constraints. Due to different evolutionary characteristics of systems with PSI, that is, the two modes of tending to infinity and having bounded oscillations, the discrete‐time first‐order linear critically stable systems can be partitioned into two types regarding the signs of a key system parameter a. A necessary and sufficient condition for the state mean convergence of a system with a = 1 is derived and the corresponding design of MMVC is formulated. For the critical stable system with a =? 1, its oscillation amplitudes of state means can be effectively suppressed or the means can converge under control. Finally, the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed control strategies comparing with MVC are confirmed by numerical simulations.     

On the Controllability of Nonlocal Second‐Order Impulsive Neutral Stochastic Integro‐Differential Equations with Infinite Delay

In this paper, we investigate the controllability for a class of nonlocal second‐order impulsive neutral stochastic integro‐differential equations with infinite delay in Hilbert spaces. More precisely, a set of sufficient conditions for the controllability results of nonlocal second‐order impulsive neutral stochastic integro‐differential equations with infinite delay are derived by means of the Banach fixed point theorem combined with theories of a strongly continuous cosine family of bounded linear operators. As an application, an example is provided to illustrate the obtained theory.     

A Saturating Extension of an Output Feedback Controller for Internally Damped Euler‐Lagrange Systems

In this research, a novel extension of the passivity‐based output feedback trajectory tracking controller is developed for internally damped Euler‐Lagrange systems with input saturation. Compared with the previous output feedback controllers, this new design of a combined adaptive controller‐observer system will reduce the risk of actuator saturation effectively via generalized saturation functions. Semi‐global uniform ultimate boundedness stability of the tracking errors and state estimation errors is guaranteed by Lyapunov stability analysis. An application of the proposed saturated output feedback controller is the stabilization of a nonholonomic wheeled mobile robot with saturated actuators towards desired trajectories. Simulation results are provided to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed controller in dealing with the actuator saturation.     

Adaptive Motion/Force Tracking Control for a Class of Mobile Manipulators

In this paper, modeling and adaptive motion/force tracking control is considered for a class of mobile manipulators under the holonomic and affine constraints with the presence of uncertainties and disturbances. Based on a suitable reduced dynamic model, adaptive controllers are proposed to ensure that the states of a closed‐loop system asymptotically track desired trajectories while the constraint force remains bounded by tuning design parameters. Detailed simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the control strategy.     

Robust‐Adaptive Control Strategies for a Time Delay Bioelectrochemical Process Using Interval Observers

The paper addresses the design and the analysis of adaptive and robust‐adaptive control strategies for a complex recycled wastewater treatment bioprocess. The design procedures are developed under the realistic assumptions that the bacterial growth rates are unknown and the influent flow rates are time‐varying and uncertain, but some lower and upper bounds of these uncertainties are known. The proposed control structures are achieved by combining a linearizing control law with an appropriately (asymptotic or interval based) state observer and with a parameter estimator used for on‐line estimation of unknown kinetics. These approaches are applied to a complex time delay bioprocess resulting from the association of a recycling bioreactor with an electrochemical reactor. Numerical simulations are performed in order to validate the proposed algorithms.