Robust H∞ control for networked systems with transmission delays and successive packet dropouts under stochastic sampling

This paper is concerned with the H_∞ performance analysis for networked control systems with transmission delays and successive packet dropouts under stochastic sampling. The parameter uncertainties are time‐varying norm‐bounded and appear in both the state and input matrices. If packet loss is considered the same as time delay, when models the networked control systems with successive packet dropouts and delays as ordinary linear system with input‐delay approach, due to sampling period is stochastic, then the delay caused by packet losses is a stochastic variable, which leads to difficulties in the stability analysis of the considered system. However, if we can transform the system with stochastic delay into a continuous system with stochastic parameter, we can solve the problem. In this paper, by assuming that the network packet loss rate and employing the information of probabilistic distribution of the time delays, the stochastic sampling system is transformed into a continuous‐time model with stochastic variable, which satisfies a Bernoulli distribution. By linear matrix inequality approach, sufficient conditions are obtained, which guarantee the robust mean‐square exponential stability of the system with an H_∞ performance. What's more, an H_∞ controller design procedure is then proposed, and a less conservative result is obtained by taking the probability into consideration. Finally, a numerical simulation example is employed to show the effectiveness of the obtained results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.