Convex Chance Constrained Model Predictive Control

We consider the Chance Constrained Model Predictive Control problem for polynomial systems subject to disturbances. In this problem, we aim at finding optimal control input for given disturbed dynamical system to minimize a given cost function subject to probabilistic constraints, over a finite horizon. The control laws provided have a predefined (low) risk of not reaching the desired target set. Building on the theory of measures and moments, a sequence of finite semidefinite programmings are provided, whose solution is shown to converge to the optimal solution of the original problem. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the computational performance of the proposed approach.Comment: This work has been submitted to the 55th IEEE Conference on Decision and Contro

Reconstruction of Support of a Measure From Its Moments

In this paper, we address the problem of reconstruction of support of a measure from its moments. More precisely, given a finite subset of the moments of a measure, we develop a semidefinite program for approximating the support of measure using level sets of polynomials. To solve this problem, a sequence of convex relaxations is provided, whose optimal solution is shown to converge to the support of measure of interest. Moreover, the provided approach is modified to improve the results for uniform measures. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed approach.Comment: This has been submitted to the 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Contro

Construction of power flow feasibility sets

We develop a new approach for construction of convex analytically simple regions where the AC power flow equations are guaranteed to have a feasible solutions. Construction of these regions is based on efficient semidefinite programming techniques accelerated via sparsity exploiting algorithms. Resulting regions have a simple geometric shape in the space of power injections (polytope or ellipsoid) and can be efficiently used for assessment of system security in the presence of uncertainty. Efficiency and tightness of the approach is validated on a number of test networks

Certifying Convergence of Lasserre's Hierarchy via Flat Truncation

This paper studies how to certify the convergence of Lasserre's hierarchy of semidefinite programming relaxations for solving multivariate polynomial optimization. We propose flat truncation as a general certificate for this purpose. Assume the set of global minimizers is nonempty and finite. Our main results are: i) Putinar type Lasserre's hierarchy has finite convergence if and only if flat truncation holds, under some general assumptions, and this is also true for the Schmudgen type one; ii) under the archimedean condition, flat truncation is asymptotically satisfied for Putinar type Lasserre's hierarchy, and similar is true for the Schmudgen type one; iii) for the hierarchy of Jacobian SDP relaxations, flat truncation is always satisfied. The case of unconstrained polynomial optimization is also discussed.Comment: 18 page

Convex Relaxation of Optimal Power Flow, Part I: Formulations and Equivalence

This tutorial summarizes recent advances in the convex relaxation of the optimal power flow (OPF) problem, focusing on structural properties rather than algorithms. Part I presents two power flow models, formulates OPF and their relaxations in each model, and proves equivalence relations among them. Part II presents sufficient conditions under which the convex relaxations are exact.Comment: Citation: IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, 15(1):15-27, March 2014. This is an extended version with Appendices VIII and IX that provide some mathematical preliminaries and proofs of the main result

Moment-Sum-Of-Squares Approach For Fast Risk Estimation In Uncertain Environments

In this paper, we address the risk estimation problem where one aims at estimating the probability of violation of safety constraints for a robot in the presence of bounded uncertainties with arbitrary probability distributions. In this problem, an unsafe set is described by level sets of polynomials that is, in general, a non-convex set. Uncertainty arises due to the probabilistic parameters of the unsafe set and probabilistic states of the robot. To solve this problem, we use a moment-based representation of probability distributions. We describe upper and lower bounds of the risk in terms of a linear weighted sum of the moments. Weights are coefficients of a univariate Chebyshev polynomial obtained by solving a sum-of-squares optimization problem in the offline step. Hence, given a finite number of moments of probability distributions, risk can be estimated in real-time. We demonstrate the performance of the provided approach by solving probabilistic collision checking problems where we aim to find the probability of collision of a robot with a non-convex obstacle in the presence of probabilistic uncertainties in the location of the robot and size, location, and geometry of the obstacle.Comment: 57th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control 201