PAC: A Novel Self-Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Controller for Micro Aerial Vehicles

There exists an increasing demand for a flexible and computationally efficient controller for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) due to a high degree of environmental perturbations. In this work, an evolving neuro-fuzzy controller, namely Parsimonious Controller (PAC) is proposed. It features fewer network parameters than conventional approaches due to the absence of rule premise parameters. PAC is built upon a recently developed evolving neuro-fuzzy system known as parsimonious learning machine (PALM) and adopts new rule growing and pruning modules derived from the approximation of bias and variance. These rule adaptation methods have no reliance on user-defined thresholds, thereby increasing the PAC's autonomy for real-time deployment. PAC adapts the consequent parameters with the sliding mode control (SMC) theory in the single-pass fashion. The boundedness and convergence of the closed-loop control system's tracking error and the controller's consequent parameters are confirmed by utilizing the LaSalle-Yoshizawa theorem. Lastly, the controller's efficacy is evaluated by observing various trajectory tracking performance from a bio-inspired flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle (BI-FWMAV) and a rotary wing micro aerial vehicle called hexacopter. Furthermore, it is compared to three distinctive controllers. Our PAC outperforms the linear PID controller and feed-forward neural network (FFNN) based nonlinear adaptive controller. Compared to its predecessor, G-controller, the tracking accuracy is comparable, but the PAC incurs significantly fewer parameters to attain similar or better performance than the G-controller.Comment: This paper has been accepted for publication in Information Science Journal 201

Performance Improvement of Low-Cost Iterative Learning-Based Fuzzy Control Systems for Tower Crane Systems

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Ioan Dzitac, one of the fathers of this journal and its founding Editor-in-Chief till 2021. The paper addresses the performance improvement of three Single Input-Single Output (SISO) fuzzy control systems that control separately the positions of interest of tower crane systems, namely the cart position, the arm angular position and the payload position. Three separate low-cost SISO fuzzy controllers are employed in terms of first order discrete-time intelligent Proportional-Integral (PI) controllers with Takagi-Sugeno-Kang Proportional-Derivative (PD) fuzzy terms. Iterative Learning Control (ILC) system structures with PD learning functions are involved in the current iteration SISO ILC structures. Optimization problems are defined in order to tune the parameters of the learning functions. The objective functions are defined as the sums of squared control errors, and they are solved in the iteration domain using the recent metaheuristic Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA). The experimental results prove the performance improvement of the SISO control systems after ten iterations of SMA

Development of Self-Learning Type-2 Fuzzy Systems for System Identification and Control of Autonomous Systems

Modelling and control of dynamic systems are faced by multiple technical challenges, mainly due to the nature of uncertain complex, nonlinear, and time-varying systems. Traditional modelling techniques require a complete understanding of system dynamics and obtaining comprehensive mathematical models is not always achievable due to limited knowledge of the systems as well as the presence of multiple uncertainties in the environment. As universal approximators, fuzzy logic systems (FLSs), neural networks (NNs) and neuro-fuzzy systems have proved to be successful computational tools for representing the behaviour of complex dynamical systems. Moreover, FLSs, NNs and learning-based techniques have been gaining popularity for controlling complex, ill-defined, nonlinear, and time-varying systems in the face of uncertainties. However, fuzzy rules derived by experts can be too ad-hoc, and the performance is less than optimum. In other words, generating fuzzy rules and membership functions in fuzzy systems is a potential challenge especially for systems with many variables. Moreover, under the umbrella of FLSs, although type-1 fuzzy logic control systems (T1-FLCs) have been applied to control various complex nonlinear systems, they have limited capability to handle uncertainties. Aiming to accommodate uncertainties, type-2 fuzzy logic control systems (T2-FLCs) were established. This thesis aims to address the shortcomings of existing fuzzy techniques by utilisation of type-2 FLCs with novel adaptive capabilities. The first contribution of this thesis is a novel online system identification technique by means of a recursive interval type-2 Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy C-means clustering technique (IT2-TS-FC) to accommodate the footprint-of-uncertainties (FoUs). This development is meant to specifically address the shortcomings of type-1 fuzzy systems in capturing the footprint-of-uncertainties such as mechanical wear, rotor damage, battery drain and sensor and actuator faults. Unlike previous type-2 TS fuzzy models, the proposed method constructs two fuzzifiers (upper and lower) and two regression coefficients in the consequent part to handle uncertainties. The weighted least square method is employed to compute the regression coefficients. The proposed method is validated using two benchmarks, namely, real flight test data of a quadcopter drone and Mackey-Glass time series data. The algorithm has the capability to model uncertainties (e.g., noisy dataset). The second contribution of this thesis is the development of a novel self-adaptive interval type-2 fuzzy controller named the SAF2C for controlling multi-input multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear systems. The adaptation law is derived using sliding mode control (SMC) theory to reduce the computation time so that the learning process can be expedited by 80% compared to separate single-input single-output (SISO) controllers. The system employs the `Enhanced Iterative Algorithm with Stop Condition' (EIASC) type-reduction method, which is more computationally efficient than the `Karnik-Mendel' type-reduction algorithm. The stability of the SAF2C is proven using the Lyapunov technique. To ensure the applicability of the proposed control scheme, SAF2C is implemented to control several dynamical systems, including a simulated MIMO hexacopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the face of external disturbance and parameter variations. The ability of SAF2C to filter the measurement noise is demonstrated, where significant improvement is obtained using the proposed controller in the face of measurement noise. Also, the proposed closed-loop control system is applied to control other benchmark dynamic systems (e.g., a simulated autonomous underwater vehicle and inverted pendulum on a cart system) demonstrating high accuracy and robustness to variations in system parameters and external disturbance. Another contribution of this thesis is a novel stand-alone enhanced self-adaptive interval type-2 fuzzy controller named the ESAF2C algorithm, whose type-2 fuzzy parameters are tuned online using the SMC theory. This way, we expect to design a computationally efficient adaptive Type-2 fuzzy system, suitable for real-time applications by introducing the EIASC type-reducer. The proposed technique is applied on a quadcopter UAV (QUAV), where extensive simulations and real-time flight tests for a hovering QUAV under wind disturbances are also conducted to validate the efficacy of the ESAF2C. Specifically, the control performance is investigated in the face of external wind gust disturbances, generated using an industrial fan. Stability analysis of the ESAF2C control system is investigated using the Lyapunov theory. Yet another contribution of this thesis is the development of a type-2 evolving fuzzy control system (T2-EFCS) to facilitate self-learning (either from scratch or from a certain predefined rule). T2-EFCS has two phases, namely, the structure learning and the parameters learning. The structure of T2-EFCS does not require previous information about the fuzzy structure, and it can start the construction of its rules from scratch with only one rule. The rules are then added and pruned in an online fashion to achieve the desired set-point. The proposed technique is applied to control an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) in the presence of multiple external disturbances demonstrating the robustness of the proposed control systems. The proposed approach turns out to be computationally efficient as the system employs fewer fuzzy parameters while maintaining superior control performance

Técnicas de modelado matemático paramétrico y no paramétrico: un caso práctico de identificación de una máquina eléctrica

El modelado matemático es una característica muy importante en relación con el análisis y control de sistemas dinámicos. Además, la identificación del sistema es un enfoque para construir expresiones matemáticas a partir de datos experimentales tomados de procesos. En este contexto, este trabajo describe varias técnicas de modelado e identificación que son herramientas poderosas para determinar el comportamiento de los sistemas dinámicos en el tiempo. En Este trabajo se enfatiza las principales ventajas y/o desventajas que tienen las diferentes formulaciones matemáticas de modelación e identificación. También se presenta una revisión exhaustiva de las principales técnicas de modelado e identificación desde una perspectiva paramétrica y no paramétrica. Se formularon los modelos paramétricos y no paramétricos por medio de sus ecuaciones para aplicarlos en un caso de estudio. Los datos experimentales se toman de una máquina eléctrica, un motor de DC de una plataforma didáctica en la cual se aplican un conjunto de entradas conocidas para medir la velocidad del motor y utilizar estos datos como parte del proceso de modelación e identificación. El artículo concluye con las soluciones proporcionadas por la comparación de técnicas de modelación e identificación donde soluciones sencillas como los sistemas de primer orden son precisos para modelar un motor DC de dinámica lineal sobre otras formulaciones matemáticas más complejasMathematical modeling is an important feature concerning the analysis and control of dynamic systems. Also, system identification is an approach for building mathematical expressions from experimental data taken from processes performance. In this context, the contemporaneous state of the art describes several modelling and identification techniques which are excellent alternatives to determine systems behavior through time. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the main techniques for modeling and identification from a parametric and no parametric perspective. Experimental data are taken from an electrical machine that is a DC motor from a didactic platform. The paper concludes with the analysis of results taken from different identification procedures

TS fuzzy approach for modeling, analysis and design of non-smooth dynamical systems

There has been growing interest in the past two decades in studying the physical model of dynamical systems that can be described by nonlinear, non-smooth differential equations, i.e. non-smooth dynamical systems. These systems exhibit more colourful and complex dynamics compared to their smooth counterparts; however, their qualitative analysis and design are not yet fully developed and still open to exploration. At the same time, Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy systems have been shown to have a great ability to represent a large class of nonlinear systems and approximate their inherent uncertainties. This thesis explores an area of TS fuzzy systems that have not been considered before; that is, modelling, stability analysis and design for non-smooth dynamical systems. TS fuzzy model structures capable of representing or approximating the essential dis- continuous dynamics of non-smooth systems are proposed in this thesis. It is shown that by incorporating discrete event systems, the proposed structure for TS fuzzy models, which we will call non-smooth TS fuzzy models, can accurately represent the smooth (or contin- uous) as well as non-smooth (or discontinuous) dynamics of different classes of electrical and mechanical non-smooth systems including (sliding and non-sliding) Filippov's systems and impacting systems. The different properties of the TS fuzzy modelling (or formalism) are discussed. It is highlighted that the TS fuzzy formalism, taking advantage of its simple structure, does not need a special platform for its implementation. Stability in its new notion of structural stability (stability of a periodic solution) is one of the most important issues in the qualitative analysis of non-smooth systems. An important part of this thesis is focused on addressing stability issues by extending non- smooth Lyapunov theory for verifying the stability of local orbits, which the non-smooth TS fuzzy models can contain. Stability conditions are proposed for Filippov-type and impacting systems and it is shown that by formulating the conditions as Linear Matrix inequalities (LMIs), the onset of non-smooth bifurcations or chaotic phenomena can be detected by solving a feasibility problem. A number of examples are given to validate the proposed approach. Stability robustness of non-smooth TS fuzzy systems in the presence of model uncertainties is discussed in terms of non-smoothness rather than traditional observer design. The LMI stabilization problem is employed as a building block for devising design strategies to suppress the unwanted chaotic behaviour in non-smooth TS fuzzy models. There have been a large number of control applications in which the overall closed-loop sys tem can be stabilized by switching between pre-designed sub-controllers. Inspired by this idea, the design part of this thesis concentrates on fuzzy-chaos control strategies for Filippov-type systems. These strategies approach the design problem by switching be- tween local state-feedback controllers such that the closed-loop TS fuzzy system of interest rapidly converges to the stable periodic solution of the system. All control strategies are also automated as a design problem recast on linear matrix inequality conditions to be solved by modern optimization techniques. Keywords: Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems, non-smooth Lyapunov theory, non-smooth dy- namical systems, piecewise-smooth dynamical systems, structural stability, discontinuity- induced bifurcation, chaos controllers, dc-dc converters, Filippov's system, impacting system, linear matrix inequalities.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Smart meter based profiling for load forecasting and demand side management in smart grids

The smart grid incorporates an integrated system of smart meters and communication networks that enable two-way communication between utilities and consumers. The granular information from smart meters can be used to improve the load forecast and influence consumer’s energy consumption patterns through demand side management (DSM). However, for localized studies of power system, using a large quantity of smart meter data having high level of noise preclude the use of computationally intensive techniques. Reduction of smart meter data to extract the load profiles and smoother load profiles at lower aggregation level (individual consumer or small groups of consumers) are highly desirable for use in linear techniques for power system studies. Therefore, this thesis addresses the challenges of smart meter data size, complexity, variability and volatility for efficient use in load forecasting and DSM. This thesis presents a novel clustering-based approach for analysis of smart meter data, aimed at more accurate and detailed load profiling, reduced profile complexity and improved load forecast accuracy and DSM solutions. The approach uses an innovative clustering algorithm to reduce the data size by proposing new cluster validity indices. The extremely volatile profiles having high levels of noise and complexity are linearized using Taylor series linearization process to alleviate the non-linearity and complexity of profiles. Finally, particle swarm optimization is applied for energy optimization in linearized profiles. The approach is demonstrated on Irish smart meter dataset and simulated PV data, to achieve improved load forecast accuracy using artificial neural network and improved DSM solutions using linear optimization with reduced computational burden. Investigations suggest that proposed clustering algorithm can produce clusters with high intra-cluster pattern similarity as a result of the introduction of new stopping criteria specifically tailored for load forecasting applications. A comparison between the proposed alternative profiles and raw profiles further suggests that the alternative profiles guide the underlying energy consumption with reduced complexity making them computationally efficient. Use of the alternative profiles suggests that the load forecasting accuracy can potentially be higher compared to raw profiles. The alternative profiles in combination with the novel cluster selection approach provide higher peak reduction by shifting the load from peak hours to off-peak hours and higher monetary benefits for the participating consumers. The proposed clustering algorithm and the alternative profiles represent an advancement of the conventional load profiling approach, benefiting system operators through more accurate forecasting and efficient DSM. The novel mathematical framework suggested in this thesis provides an advancement to the new knowledge in the area of smart metering and smart power grids

Computational intelligence techniques in asset risk analysis

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The problem of asset risk analysis is positioned within the computational intelligence paradigm. We suggest an algorithm for reformulating asset pricing, which involves incorporating imprecise information into the pricing factors through fuzzy variables as well as a calibration procedure for their possibility distributions. Then fuzzy mathematics is used to process the imprecise factors and obtain an asset evaluation. This evaluation is further automated using neural networks with sign restrictions on their weights. While such type of networks has been only used for up to two network inputs and hypothetical data, here we apply thirty-six inputs and empirical data. To achieve successful training, we modify the Levenberg-Marquart backpropagation algorithm. The intermediate result achieved is that the fuzzy asset evaluation inherits features of the factor imprecision and provides the basis for risk analysis. Next, we formulate a risk measure and a risk robustness measure based on the fuzzy asset evaluation under different characteristics of the pricing factors as well as different calibrations. Our database, extracted from DataStream, includes thirty-five companies traded on the London Stock Exchange. For each company, the risk and robustness measures are evaluated and an asset risk analysis is carried out through these values, indicating the implications they have on company performance. A comparative company risk analysis is also provided. Then, we employ both risk measures to formulate a two-step asset ranking method. The assets are initially rated according to the investors' risk preference. In addition, an algorithm is suggested to incorporate the asset robustness information and refine further the ranking benefiting market analysts. The rationale provided by the ranking technique serves as a point of departure in designing an asset risk classifier. We identify the fuzzy neural network structure of the classifier and develop an evolutionary training algorithm. The algorithm starts with suggesting preliminary heuristics in constructing a sufficient training set of assets with various characteristics revealed by the values of the pricing factors and the asset risk values. Then, the training algorithm works at two levels, the inner level targets weight optimization, while the outer level efficiently guides the exploration of the search space. The latter is achieved by automatically decomposing the training set into subsets of decreasing complexity and then incrementing backward the corresponding subpopulations of partially trained networks. The empirical results prove that the developed algorithm is capable of training the identified fuzzy network structure. This is a problem of such complexity that prevents single-level evolution from attaining meaningful results. The final outcome is an automatic asset classifier, based on the investors’ perceptions of acceptable risk. All the steps described above constitute our approach to reformulating asset risk analysis within the approximate reasoning framework through the fusion of various computational intelligence techniques

Research and Education in Computational Science and Engineering

Over the past two decades the field of computational science and engineering (CSE) has penetrated both basic and applied research in academia, industry, and laboratories to advance discovery, optimize systems, support decision-makers, and educate the scientific and engineering workforce. Informed by centuries of theory and experiment, CSE performs computational experiments to answer questions that neither theory nor experiment alone is equipped to answer. CSE provides scientists and engineers of all persuasions with algorithmic inventions and software systems that transcend disciplines and scales. Carried on a wave of digital technology, CSE brings the power of parallelism to bear on troves of data. Mathematics-based advanced computing has become a prevalent means of discovery and innovation in essentially all areas of science, engineering, technology, and society; and the CSE community is at the core of this transformation. However, a combination of disruptive developments---including the architectural complexity of extreme-scale computing, the data revolution that engulfs the planet, and the specialization required to follow the applications to new frontiers---is redefining the scope and reach of the CSE endeavor. This report describes the rapid expansion of CSE and the challenges to sustaining its bold advances. The report also presents strategies and directions for CSE research and education for the next decade.Comment: Major revision, to appear in SIAM Revie

Development of advanced autonomous learning algorithms for nonlinear system identification and control

Identification of nonlinear dynamical systems, data stream analysis, etc. is usually handled by autonomous learning algorithms like evolving fuzzy and evolving neuro-fuzzy systems (ENFSs). They are characterized by the single-pass learning mode and open structure-property. Such features enable their effective handling of fast and rapidly changing natures of data streams. The underlying bottleneck of ENFSs lies in its design principle, which involves a high number of free parameters (rule premise and rule consequent) to be adapted in the training process. This figure can even double in the case of the type-2 fuzzy system. From this literature gap, a novel ENFS, namely Parsimonious Learning Machine (PALM) is proposed in this thesis. To reduce the number of network parameters significantly, PALM features utilization of a new type of fuzzy rule based on the concept of hyperplane clustering, where it has no rule premise parameters. PALM is proposed in both type-1 and type-2 fuzzy systems where all of them characterize a fully dynamic rule-based system. Thus, it is capable of automatically generating, merging, and tuning the hyperplane-based fuzzy rule in a single-pass manner. Moreover, an extension of PALM, namely recurrent PALM (rPALM), is proposed and adopts the concept of teacher-forcing mechanism in the deep learning literature. The efficacy of both PALM and rPALM have been evaluated through numerical study with data streams and to identify nonlinear unmanned aerial vehicle system. The proposed models showcase significant improvements in terms of computational complexity and the number of required parameters against several renowned ENFSs while attaining comparable and often better predictive accuracy. The ENFSs have also been utilized to develop three autonomous intelligent controllers (AICons) in this thesis. They are namely Generic (G) controller, Parsimonious controller (PAC), and Reduced Parsimonious Controller (RedPAC). All these controllers start operating from scratch with an empty set of fuzzy rules, and no offline training is required. To cope with the dynamic behavior of the plant, these controllers can add, merge or prune the rules on demand. Among three AICons, the G-controller is built by utilizing an advanced incremental learning machine, namely Generic Evolving Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System. The integration of generalized adaptive resonance theory provides a compact structure of the G-controller. Consequently, the faster evolution of structure is witnessed, which lowers its computational cost. Another AICon namely, PAC is rooted with PALM's architecture. Since PALM has a dependency on user-defined thresholds to adapt the structure, these thresholds are replaced with the concept of bias- variance trade-off in PAC. In RedPAC, the network parameters have further reduced in contrast with PALM-based PAC, where the number of consequent parameters has reduced to one parameter per rule. These AICons work with very minor expert domain knowledge and developed by incorporating the sliding mode control technique. In G-controller and RedPAC, the control law and adaptation laws for the consequent parameters are derived from the SMC algorithm to establish a stable closed-loop system, where the stability of these controllers are guaranteed by using the Lyapunov function and the uniform asymptotic convergence of tracking error to zero is witnessed through the implication of an auxiliary robustifying control term. While using PAC, the boundedness and convergence of the closed-loop control system's tracking error and the controller's consequent parameters are confirmed by utilizing the LaSalle-Yoshizawa theorem. Their efficacy is evaluated by observing various trajectory tracking performance of unmanned aerial vehicles. The accuracy of these controllers is comparable or better than the benchmark controllers where the proposed controllers incur significantly fewer parameters to attain similar or better tracking performance

Soft pneumatic actuators: a review of design, fabrication, modeling, sensing, control and applications

Soft robotics is a rapidly evolving field where robots are fabricated using highly deformable materials and usually follow a bioinspired design. Their high dexterity and safety make them ideal for applications such as gripping, locomotion, and biomedical devices, where the environment is highly dynamic and sensitive to physical interaction. Pneumatic actuation remains the dominant technology in soft robotics due to its low cost and mass, fast response time, and easy implementation. Given the significant number of publications in soft robotics over recent years, newcomers and even established researchers may have difficulty assessing the state of the art. To address this issue, this article summarizes the development of soft pneumatic actuators and robots up until the date of publication. The scope of this article includes the design, modeling, fabrication, actuation, characterization, sensing, control, and applications of soft robotic devices. In addition to a historical overview, there is a special emphasis on recent advances such as novel designs, differential simulators, analytical and numerical modeling methods, topology optimization, data-driven modeling and control methods, hardware control boards, and nonlinear estimation and control techniques. Finally, the capabilities and limitations of soft pneumatic actuators and robots are discussed and directions for future research are identified