Multi-Input Multi-Output Repetitive Control Theory And Taylor Series Based Repetitive Control Design

Repetitive control (RC) systems aim to achieve zero tracking error when tracking a periodic command, or when tracking a constant command in the presence of a periodic disturbance, or both a periodic command and periodic disturbance. This dissertation presents a new approach using Taylor Series Expansion of the inverse system z-transfer function model to design Finite Impulse Response (FIR) repetitive controllers for single-input single-output (SISO) systems, and compares the designs obtained to those generated by optimization in the frequency domain. This approach is very simple, straightforward, and easy to use. It also supplies considerable insight, and gives understanding of the cause of the patterns for zero locations in the optimization based design. The approach forms a different and effective time domain design method, and it can also be used to guide the choice of parameters in performing in the frequency domain optimization design. Next, this dissertation presents the theoretical foundation for frequency based optimization design of repetitive control design for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems. A comprehensive stability theory for MIMO repetitive control is developed. A necessary and sufficient condition for asymptotic stability in MIMO RC is derived, and four sufficient conditions are created. One of these is the MIMO version of the approximate monotonic decay condition in SISO RC, and one is a necessary and sufficient condition for stability for all possible disturbance periods. An appropriate optimization criterion for direct MIMO is presented based on minimizing a Frobenius norm summed over frequencies from zero to Nyquist. This design process is very tractable, requiring only solution of a linear algebraic equation. An alternative approach reduces the problem to a set of SISO design problems, one for each input-output pair. The performances of the resulting designs are studied by extensive examples. Both approaches are seen to be able to create RC designs with fast monotonic decay of the tracking error. Finally, this dissertation presents an analysis of using an experiment design sequence for parameter identification based on the theory of iterative learning control (ILC), a sister field to repetitive control. This is suggested as an alternative to the results in optimal experiment design. Modified ILC laws that are intentionally non-robust to model errors are developed, as a way to fine tune the use of ILC for identification purposes. The non-robustness with respect to its ability to improve identification of system parameters when the model error is correct is studied. It is demonstrated that in many cases the approach makes the learning particularly sensitive to relatively small parameter errors in the model, but sensitivity is sometimes limited to parameter errors of a specific sign

Identification of linear periodically time-varying (LPTV) systems

A linear periodically time-varying (LPTV) system is a linear time-varying system with the coefficients changing periodically, which is widely used in control, communications, signal processing, and even circuit modeling. This thesis concentrates on identification of LPTV systems. To this end, the representations of LPTV systems are thoroughly reviewed. Identification methods are developed accordingly. The usefulness of the proposed identification methods is verified by the simulation results. A periodic input signal is applied to a finite impulse response (FIR)-LPTV system and measure the noise-contaminated output. Using such periodic inputs, we show that we can formulate the problem of identification of LPTV systems in the frequency domain. With the help of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), the identification method reduces to finding the least-squares (LS) solution of a set of linear equations. A sufficient condition for the identifiability of LPTV systems is given, which can be used to find appropriate inputs for the purpose of identification. In the frequency domain, we show that the input and the output can be related by using the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and a least-squares method can be used to identify the alias components. A lower bound on the mean square error (MSE) of the estimated alias components is given for FIR-LPTV systems. The optimal training signal achieving this lower MSE bound is designed subsequently. The algorithm is extended to the identification of infinite impulse response (IIR)-LPTV systems as well. Simulation results show the accuracy of the estimation and the efficiency of the optimal training signal design

Frequency-Domain Analysis of Linear Time-Periodic Systems

In this paper, we study convergence of truncated representations of the frequency-response operator of a linear time-periodic system. The frequency-response operator is frequently called the harmonic transfer function. We introduce the concepts of input, output, and skew roll-off. These concepts are related to the decay rates of elements in the harmonic transfer function. A system with high input and output roll-off may be well approximated by a low-dimensional matrix function. A system with high skew roll-off may be represented by an operator with only few diagonals. Furthermore, the roll-off rates are shown to be determined by certain properties of Taylor and Fourier expansions of the periodic systems. Finally, we clarify the connections between the different methods for computing the harmonic transfer function that are suggested in the literature

Optimal Subharmonic Entrainment

For many natural and engineered systems, a central function or design goal is the synchronization of one or more rhythmic or oscillating processes to an external forcing signal, which may be periodic on a different time-scale from the actuated process. Such subharmonic synchrony, which is dynamically established when N control cycles occur for every M cycles of a forced oscillator, is referred to as N:M entrainment. In many applications, entrainment must be established in an optimal manner, for example by minimizing control energy or the transient time to phase locking. We present a theory for deriving inputs that establish subharmonic N:M entrainment of general nonlinear oscillators, or of collections of rhythmic dynamical units, while optimizing such objectives. Ordinary differential equation models of oscillating systems are reduced to phase variable representations, each of which consists of a natural frequency and phase response curve. Formal averaging and the calculus of variations are then applied to such reduced models in order to derive optimal subharmonic entrainment waveforms. The optimal entrainment of a canonical model for a spiking neuron is used to illustrate this approach, which is readily extended to arbitrary oscillating systems