Robust de-centralized control and estimation for inter-connected systems

The thesis is concerned with the theoretical development of the control of inter-connected systems to achieve the whole overall stability and specific performance. A special included feature is the Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC) problem for the inter-connected system in terms of local subsystem actuator fault estimation. Hence, the thesis describes the main FTC challenges of distributed control of uncertain non-linear inter-connected systems. The basic principle adopted throughout the work is that the controller has two components, one involving the nominal control with unmatched components including uncertainties and disturbances. The second controller dealing with matched components including uncertainties and actuator faults.The main contributions of the thesis are summarised as follows:- The non-linear inter-connected systems are controlled by two controllers. The linear part via a linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique and the discontinuous part by using Integral Sliding Mode Control (ISMC) based on state feedback control.- The development of a new observer-based state estimate control strategy for non-linear inter-connected systems. The technique is applied either to every individual subsystem or to the whole as one shot system.- A new proposal of Adaptive Output Integral Sliding Mode Control (AOISMC) based only on output information plus static output feedback control is designed via an LMI formulation to control non-linear inter-connected systems. The new method is verified by application to a mathematical example representing an electrical power generator.- The development of a new method to design a dynamic control based on an LMI framework with Output Integral Sliding Mode Control (OISMC) to improve the stability and performance.- Using the above framework, making use of LMI tools and ISMC, a method of on-line actuator fault estimation has been proposed using the Proportional Multiple Integral Observer (PMIO) for fault estimation applicable to non-linear inter-connected systems

Robust de-centralized control and estimation for inter-connected systems

The thesis is concerned with the theoretical development of the control of inter-connected systems to achieve the whole overall stability and specific performance. A special included feature is the Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC) problem for the inter-connected system in terms of local subsystem actuator fault estimation. Hence, the thesis describes the main FTC challenges of distributed control of uncertain non-linear inter-connected systems. The basic principle adopted throughout the work is that the controller has two components, one involving the nominal control with unmatched components including uncertainties and disturbances. The second controller dealing with matched components including uncertainties and actuator faults. The main contributions of the thesis are summarised as follows: - The non-linear inter-connected systems are controlled by two controllers. The linear part via a linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique and the discontinuous part by using Integral Sliding Mode Control (ISMC) based on state feedback control. - The development of a new observer-based state estimate control strategy for non-linear inter-connected systems. The technique is applied either to every individual subsystem or to the whole as one shot system. - A new proposal of Adaptive Output Integral Sliding Mode Control (AOISMC) based only on output information plus static output feedback control is designed via an LMI formulation to control non-linear inter-connected systems. The new method is verified by application to a mathematical example representing an electrical power generator. - The development of a new method to design a dynamic control based on an LMI framework with Output Integral Sliding Mode Control (OISMC) to improve the stability and performance. - Using the above framework, making use of LMI tools and ISMC, a method of on-line actuator fault estimation has been proposed using the Proportional Multiple Integral Observer (PMIO) for fault estimation applicable to non-linear inter-connected systems

Optimal speed trajectory and energy management control for connected and automated vehicles

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) emerge as a promising solution to improve urban mobility, safety, energy efficiency, and passenger comfort with the development of communication technologies, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I). This thesis proposes several control approaches for CAVs with electric powertrains, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with the main objective to improve energy efficiency by optimising vehicle speed trajectory and energy management system. By types of vehicle control, these methods can be categorised into three main scenarios, optimal energy management for a single CAV (single-vehicle), energy-optimal strategy for the vehicle following scenario (two-vehicle), and optimal autonomous intersection management for CAVs (multiple-vehicle). The first part of this thesis is devoted to the optimal energy management for a single automated series HEV with consideration of engine start-stop system (SSS) under battery charge sustaining operation. A heuristic hysteresis power threshold strategy (HPTS) is proposed to optimise the fuel economy of an HEV with SSS and extra penalty fuel for engine restarts. By a systematic tuning process, the overall control performance of HPTS can be fully optimised for different vehicle parameters and driving cycles. In the second part, two energy-optimal control strategies via a model predictive control (MPC) framework are proposed for the vehicle following problem. To forecast the behaviour of the preceding vehicle, a neural network predictor is utilised and incorporated into a nonlinear MPC method, of which the fuel and computational efficiencies are verified to be effective through comparisons of numerical examples between a practical adaptive cruise control strategy and an impractical optimal control method. A robust MPC (RMPC) via linear matrix inequality (LMI) is also utilised to deal with the uncertainties existing in V2V communication and modelling errors. By conservative relaxation and approximation, the RMPC problem is formulated as a convex semi-definite program, and the simulation results prove the robustness of the RMPC and the rapid computational efficiency resorting to the convex optimisation. The final part focuses on the centralised and decentralised control frameworks at signal-free intersections, where the energy consumption and the crossing time of a group of CAVs are minimised. Their crossing order and velocity trajectories are optimised by convex second-order cone programs in a hierarchical scheme subject to safety constraints. It is shown that the centralised strategy with consideration of turning manoeuvres is effective and outperforms a benchmark solution invoking the widely used first-in-first-out policy. On the other hand, the decentralised method is proposed to further improve computational efficiency and enhance the system robustness via a tube-based RMPC. The numerical examples of both frameworks highlight the importance of examining the trade-off between energy consumption and travel time, as small compromises in travel time could produce significant energy savings.Open Acces

Facilitating the transition to an inverter dominated power system : experimental evaluation of a non-intrusive add-on predictive controller

The transition to an inverter-dominated power system is expected with the large-scale integration of distributed energy resources (DER). To improve the dynamic response of DERs already installed within such a system, a non-intrusive add-on controller referred to as SPAACE (set point automatic adjustment with correction enabled), has been proposed in the literature. Extensive simulation-based analysis and supporting mathematical foundations have helped establish its theoretical prevalence. This paper establishes the practical real-world relevance of SPAACE via a rigorous performance evaluation utilizing a high fidelity hardware-in-the-loop systems test bed. A comprehensive methodological approach to the evaluation with several practical measures has been undertaken and the performance of SPAACE subject to representative scenarios assessed. With the evaluation undertaken, the fundamental hypothesis of SPAACE for real-world applications has been proven, i.e., improvements in dynamic performance can be achieved without access to the internal controller. Furthermore, based on the quantitative analysis, observations, and recommendations are reported. These provide guidance for future potential users of the approach in their efforts to accelerate the transition to an inverter-dominated power system