Absolute Stability of a Class of Nonlinear Singular Systems with Time Delay

This paper deals with the absolute stability for a class of nonlinear singular systems with time delay. By employing a new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional with the idea of partitioning delay length, improved delay-dependent stability criteria are established. The resulting condition is formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which is easy to be verified by exiting LMI optimization algorithms. A numerical example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed technique and its improvements over the existing results

Mechatronics of systems with undetermined configurations

This work is submitted for the award of a PhD by published works. It deals with some of the efforts of the author over the last ten years in the field of Mechatronics. Mechatronics is a new area invented by the Japanese in the late 1970's, it consists of a synthesis of computers and electronics to improve mechanical systems. To control any mechanical event three fundamental features must be brought together: the sensors used to observe the process, the control software, including the control algorithm used and thirdly the actuator that provides the stimulus to achieve the end result. Simulation, which plays such an important part in the Mechatronics process, is used in both in continuous and discrete forms. The author has spent some considerable time developing skills in all these areas. The author was certainly the first at Middlesex to appreciate the new developments in Mechatronics and their significance for manufacturing. The author was one of the first mechanical engineers to recognise the significance of the new transputer chip. This was applied to the LQG optimal control of a cinefilm copying process. A 300% improvement in operating speed was achieved, together with tension control. To make more efficient use of robots they have to be made both faster and cheaper. The author found extremely low natural frequencies of vibration, ranging from 3 to 25 Hz. This limits the speed of response of existing robots. The vibration data was some of the earliest available in this field, certainly in the UK. Several schemes have been devised to control the flexible robot and maintain the required precision. Actuator technology is one area where mechatronic systems have been the subject of intense development. At Middlesex we have improved on the Aexator pneumatic muscle actuator, enabling it to be used with a precision of about 2 mm. New control challenges have been undertaken now in the field of machine tool chatter and the prevention of slip. A variety of novel and traditional control algorithms have been investigated in order to find out the best approach to solve this problem

Stability and stabilization of sampled-data control for lure systems

Este trabalho apresenta um novo método para a análise de estabilidade e estabilização de sistemas do tipo Lure com controle amostrado, sujeitos a amostragem aperiódica e não linearidades que são limitadas em setor e restritas em derivada, em ambos contextos global e regional. Assume-se que os estados da planta estão disponíveis para medição e que as não linearidades são conhecidas, o que leva a uma formulação mais geral do problema. Os estados são adquiridos por um controlador digital que atualiza a entrada de controle em instantes de tempo discretos e aperiódicos, mantendo-a constante entre dois instantes sucessivos de amostragem. A abordagem apresentada neste trabalho é baseada no uso de uma nova classe de looped-functionals e em uma função do tipo Lure generalizada, que leva a condições de estabilidade e estabilização que são escritas na forma de desigualdades matriciais lineares (LMIs) e quasi-LMIs, respectivamente. Com base nestas condições, problemas de otimização são formulados com o objetivo de computar o intervalo máximo entre amostragens ou os limites máximos do setor para os quais a estabilidade assintótica da origem do sistema de dados amostrados em malha fechada é garantida. No caso em que as condições de setor são válidas apenas localmente, a solução desses problemas também fornece uma estimativa da região de atração para as trajetórias em tempo contínuo do sistema em malha fechada. Como as condições de síntese são quasi-LMIs, um algoritmo de otimização por enxame de partículas é proposto para lidar com as não linearidades envolvidas nos problemas de otimização, que surgem do produto de algumas variáveis de decisão. Exemplos numéricos são apresentados ao longo do trabalho para destacar as potencialidades do método.This work presents a new method for stability analysis and stabilization of sampleddata controlled Lure systems, subject to aperiodic sampling and nonlinearities that are sector bounded and slope restricted, in both global and regional contexts. We assume that the states of the plant are available for measurement and that the nonlinearities are known, which leads to a more general formulation of the problem. The states are acquired by a digital controller which updates the control input at aperiodic discrete-time instants, keeping it constant between successive sampling instants. The approach here presented is based on the use of a new class of looped-functionals and a generalized Luretype function, which leads to stability and stabilization conditions that are written in the form of Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs) and quasi-LMIs, respectively. On this basis, optimization problems are formulated aiming to compute the maximal intersampling interval or the maximal sector bounds for which the asymptotic stability of the origin of the sampled-data closed-loop system is guaranteed. In the case where the sector conditions hold only locally, the solution of these problems also provide an estimate of the region of attraction for the continuous-time trajectories of the closed-loop system. As the synthesis conditions are quasi-LMIs, a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is proposed to deal with the involved nonlinearities in the optimization problems, which arise from the product of some decision variables. Numerical examples are presented throughout the work to highlight the potentialities of the method

The Fifth NASA/DOD Controls-Structures Interaction Technology Conference, part 1

This publication is a compilation of the papers presented at the Fifth NASA/DoD Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI) Technology Conference held in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, March 3-5, 1992. The conference, which was jointly sponsored by the NASA Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology and the Department of Defense, was organized by the NASA Langley Research Center. The purpose of this conference was to report to industry, academia, and government agencies on the current status of controls-structures interaction technology. The agenda covered ground testing, integrated design, analysis, flight experiments and concepts

New Results on Delay-Dependent Stability Analysis and Stabilization of Time-Delay Systems

The interconnection between physical systems is accomplished by flow of information, energy and material, alternatively known as transport or propagation. As such flows may take a finite amount of time, the reaction of real world systems to exogenous or feedback control signals, from automatic control perspective, are not instantaneous. This results time-delays in systems connected by real-world physical media. Indeed, examples of time-delay systems span biology, ecology, economy, and of course, engineering. To this end, it is known that an arbitrary small delay may destabilize a stable system whereas, a delay in the controller may be used to stabilize a system that is otherwise not stabilizable by using a delay-free controller. In general, the presence of time-delay in a system makes the system dynamics infinite-dimensional, and analysis of such systems is complex.This thesis investigates stability analysis and stabilization of time-delay systems. It proposes a delay-decomposition approach for stability analysis of systems with single delay that leads to a simple LMI condition using a Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional. Moreover, a static state feedback controller is designed for systems with state and input-delay using this delay-decomposition approach. Numerical comparison of the present results vis-`a-vis the existing ones for the systems with constant delay considered shows that the present ones are superior. Next, a PI-type controller is implemented for systems with input-delay to improve the tolerable delay bound. Other problems considered is to analyze the stability of systems with two delays. As the number of delays incorporated in the system dynamics increases, it becomes further complex for analysis

Impedance matching and energy shunting control for nonpositive real structures

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (191-193).by Carl Blaurock.M.S

The Fifth NASA/DOD Controls-Structures Interaction Technology Conference, part 2

This publication is a compilation of the papers presented at the Fifth NASA/DoD Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI) Technology Conference held in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, March 3-5, 1992. The conference, which was jointly sponsored by the NASA Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology and the Department of Defense, was organized by the NASA Langley Research Center. The purpose of this conference was to report to industry, academia, and government agencies on the current status of controls-structures interaction technology. The agenda covered ground testing, integrated design, analysis, flight experiments and concepts