Adaptive Quality of Service Control in Distributed Real-Time Embedded Systems

An increasing number of distributed real-time embedded systems face the critical challenge of providing Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees in open and unpredictable environments. For example, such systems often need to enforce CPU utilization bounds on multiple processors in order to avoid overload and meet end-to-end dead-lines, even when task execution times deviate significantly from their estimated values or change dynamically at run-time. This dissertation presents an adaptive QoS control framework which includes a set of control design methodologies to provide robust QoS assurance for systems at different scales. To demonstrate its effectiveness, we have applied the framework to the end-to-end CPU utilization control problem for a common class of distributed real-time embedded systems with end-to-end tasks. We formulate the utilization control problem as a constrained multi-input-multi-output control model. We then present a centralized control algorithm for small or medium size systems, and a decentralized control algorithm for large-scale systems. Both algorithms are designed systematically based on model predictive control theory to dynamically enforce desired utilizations. We also introduce novel task allocation algorithms to ensure that the system is controllable and feasible for utilization control. Furthermore, we integrate our control algorithms with fault-tolerance mechanisms as an effective way to develop robust middleware systems, which maintain both system reliability and real-time performance even when the system is in face of malicious external resource contentions and permanent processor failures. Both control analysis and extensive experiments demonstrate that our control algorithms and middleware systems can achieve robust utilization guarantees. The control framework has also been successfully applied to other distributed real-time applications such as end-to-end delay control in real-time image transmission. Our results show that adaptive QoS control middleware is a step towards self-managing, self-healing and self-tuning distributed computing platform

Robust controller design for input-delayed systems using predictive feedback and an uncertainty estimator

[EN] This paper deals with the problem of stabilizing a class of input-delayed systems with (possibly) nonlinear uncertainties by using explicit delay compensation. It is well known that plain predictive schemes lack robustness with respect to uncertain model parameters. In this work, an uncertainty estimator is derived for input-delay systems and combined with a modified state predictor, which uses current available information of the estimated uncertainties. Furthermore, based on Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals, a computable criterion to check robust stability of the closed-loop is developed and cast into a minimization problem constrained to an LMI. Additionally, for a given input delay, an iterative-LMI algorithm is proposed to design stabilizing tuning parameters. The main results are illustrated and validated using a numerical example with a second-order dynamic system.This work was partially supported by projects PROMETEOII/2013/004, Conselleria d Educació, Generalitat Valenciana, and TIN2014-56158-C4-4-P-AR, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain.Sanz Diaz, R.; García Gil, PJ.; Albertos Pérez, P.; Zhong, Q. (2017). Robust controller design for input-delayed systems using predictive feedback and an uncertainty estimator. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control. 27(10):1826-1840. https://doi.org/10.1002/rnc.3639S182618402710Stability and Stabilization of Systems with Time Delay. (2011). IEEE Control Systems, 31(1), 38-65. doi:10.1109/mcs.2010.939135Normey-Rico, J. E., Bordons, C., & Camacho, E. F. (1997). Improving the robustness of dead-time compensating PI controllers. Control Engineering Practice, 5(6), 801-810. doi:10.1016/s0967-0661(97)00064-6Michiels, W., & Niculescu, S.-I. (2003). 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Mathematical control of complex systems 2013

Mathematical control of complex systems have already become an ideal research area for control engineers, mathematicians, computer scientists, and biologists to understand, manage, analyze, and interpret functional information/dynamical behaviours from real-world complex dynamical systems, such as communication systems, process control, environmental systems, intelligent manufacturing systems, transportation systems, and structural systems. This special issue aims to bring together the latest/innovative knowledge and advances in mathematics for handling complex systems. Topics include, but are not limited to the following: control systems theory (behavioural systems, networked control systems, delay systems, distributed systems, infinite-dimensional systems, and positive systems); networked control (channel capacity constraints, control over communication networks, distributed filtering and control, information theory and control, and sensor networks); and stochastic systems (nonlinear filtering, nonparametric methods, particle filtering, partial identification, stochastic control, stochastic realization, system identification)

Robust moving horizon H∞ control of discrete time-delayed systems with interval time-varying delays

In this study, design of a delay-dependent type moving horizon state-feedback control (MHHC) is considered for a class of linear discrete-time system subject to time-varying state delays, norm-bounded uncertainties, and disturbances with bounded energies. The closed-loop robust stability and robust performance problems are considered to overcome the instability and poor disturbance rejection performance due to the existence of parametric uncertainties and time-delay appeared in the system dynamics. Utilizing a discrete-time Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, some delay-dependent linear matrix inequality (LMI) based conditions are provided. It is shown that if one can find a feasible solution set for these LMI conditions iteratively at each step of run-time, then we can construct a control law which guarantees the closed-loop asymptotic stability, maximum disturbance rejection performance, and closed-loop dissipativity in view of the actuator limitations. Two numerical examples with simulations on a nominal and uncertain discrete-time, time-delayed systems, are presented at the end, in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method

Robust predictive feedback control for constrained systems

A new method for the design of predictive controllers for SISO systems is presented. The proposed technique allows uncertainties and constraints to be concluded in the design of the control law. The goal is to design, at each sample instant, a predictive feedback control law that minimizes a performance measure and guarantees of constraints are satisfied for a set of models that describes the system to be controlled. The predictive controller consists of a finite horizon parametric-optimization problem with an additional constraint over the manipulated variable behavior. This is an end-constraint based approach that ensures the exponential stability of the closed-loop system. The inclusion of this additional constraint, in the on-line optimization algorithm, enables robust stability properties to be demonstrated for the closed-loop system. This is the case even though constraints and disturbances are present. Finally, simulation results are presented using a nonlinear continuous stirred tank reactor model

On general systems with network-enhanced complexities

In recent years, the study of networked control systems (NCSs) has gradually become an active research area due to the advantages of using networked media in many aspects such as the ease of maintenance and installation, the large flexibility and the low cost. It is well known that the devices in networks are mutually connected via communication cables that are of limited capacity. Therefore, some network-induced phenomena have inevitably emerged in the areas of signal processing and control engineering. These phenomena include, but are not limited to, network-induced communication delays, missing data, signal quantization, saturations, and channel fading. It is of great importance to understand how these phenomena influence the closed-loop stability and performance properties