732,020 research outputs found
On the Sample Size of Random Convex Programs with Structured Dependence on the Uncertainty (Extended Version)
The "scenario approach" provides an intuitive method to address chance
constrained problems arising in control design for uncertain systems. It
addresses these problems by replacing the chance constraint with a finite
number of sampled constraints (scenarios). The sample size critically depends
on Helly's dimension, a quantity always upper bounded by the number of decision
variables. However, this standard bound can lead to computationally expensive
programs whose solutions are conservative in terms of cost and violation
probability. We derive improved bounds of Helly's dimension for problems where
the chance constraint has certain structural properties. The improved bounds
lower the number of scenarios required for these problems, leading both to
improved objective value and reduced computational complexity. Our results are
generally applicable to Randomized Model Predictive Control of chance
constrained linear systems with additive uncertainty and affine disturbance
feedback. The efficacy of the proposed bound is demonstrated on an inventory
management example.Comment: Accepted for publication at Automatic
Robust Model Predictive Control via Scenario Optimization
This paper discusses a novel probabilistic approach for the design of robust
model predictive control (MPC) laws for discrete-time linear systems affected
by parametric uncertainty and additive disturbances. The proposed technique is
based on the iterated solution, at each step, of a finite-horizon optimal
control problem (FHOCP) that takes into account a suitable number of randomly
extracted scenarios of uncertainty and disturbances, followed by a specific
command selection rule implemented in a receding horizon fashion. The scenario
FHOCP is always convex, also when the uncertain parameters and disturbance
belong to non-convex sets, and irrespective of how the model uncertainty
influences the system's matrices. Moreover, the computational complexity of the
proposed approach does not depend on the uncertainty/disturbance dimensions,
and scales quadratically with the control horizon. The main result in this
paper is related to the analysis of the closed loop system under
receding-horizon implementation of the scenario FHOCP, and essentially states
that the devised control law guarantees constraint satisfaction at each step
with some a-priori assigned probability p, while the system's state reaches the
target set either asymptotically, or in finite time with probability at least
p. The proposed method may be a valid alternative when other existing
techniques, either deterministic or stochastic, are not directly usable due to
excessive conservatism or to numerical intractability caused by lack of
convexity of the robust or chance-constrained optimization problem.Comment: This manuscript is a preprint of a paper accepted for publication in
the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, with DOI:
10.1109/TAC.2012.2203054, and is subject to IEEE copyright. The copy of
record will be available at http://ieeexplore.ieee.or
The Effect of Active and Passive Control on Air Traffic Controller Dynamic Memory
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of automated and passive control on air traffic controller dynamic memory. The study consisted of two experiments, each involving a realistic ATC scenario for radar approach control with a mix of arriving and departing traffic. In Experiment I, the subjects performed manual control of the traffic while, in Experiment II, the scenario was highly automated and the subjects were tasked with only monitoring the situation. The dynamic memory performance was measured by interrupting the scenario and having the subjects recall the traffic situation at the moment of simulation interruption. The accuracy of recall was compared between the manual and automated scenarios. It was anticipated that subjects exercising manual control would have superior recall ability and a picture. This would have significant implications on the design of automated systems for ATC and the role of the human controller within the ATC system
An accessibility planning tool for network transit oriented development: SNAP
In the academic debate regarding the influences between urban form, built environment and travel patterns, a specific idea that has taken hold is that more compact urban development around railway stations, often referred to as Transit Oriented Development (TOD), contributes to the control of vehicle travel and to more sustainable metropolitan systems. According to this general principle this work proposes a GIS accessibility tool for the design of polycentric transit oriented scenario: SNAP - Station Network Accessibility Planning tool. In the first part the state of the art on Transit Oriented Development policies in Europe is presented with a focus on three study cases. In the second part the SNAP tool is described, with remarks to the approach, the methodology and the used indicators. Furthermore the paper discusses an application to the metropolitan area of Naples
Experience Transfer for Robust Direct Data-Driven Control
Learning-based control uses data to design efficient controllers for specific
systems. When multiple systems are involved, experience transfer usually
focuses on data availability and controller performance yet neglects robustness
to variations between systems. In contrast, this letter explores experience
transfer from a robustness perspective. We leverage the transfer to design
controllers that are robust not only to the uncertainty regarding an individual
agent's model but also to the choice of agent in a fleet. Experience transfer
enables the design of safe and robust controllers that work out of the box for
all systems in a heterogeneous fleet. Our approach combines scenario
optimization and recent formulations for direct data-driven control without the
need to estimate a model of the system or determine uncertainty bounds for its
parameters. We demonstrate the benefits of our data-driven robustification
method through a numerical case study and obtain learned controllers that
generalize well from a small number of open-loop trajectories in a quadcopter
simulation
Stabilisation of state-and-input constrained nonlinear systems via diffeomorphisms: A Sontag's formula approach with an actual application
In this work, we provide a new and constructive outlook for the control of state-and-input constrained nonlinear systems. Previously, explicit solutions have been mainly focused on the finding of a barrier-like Lyapunov function, whereas we propose the construction of a diffeomorphism to map all the trajectories of the constrained dynamics into an unconstrained one. Careful analysis has revealed that only some foundations of differential geometry and a technical assumption are necessary to construct the proposed methodology based on the well-established theories of control Lyapunov functions and Sontag's universal formulae. Altogether, it allows us to obtain an explicit solution that even includes bounded constraints in the control action, giving the designer a way to decide (to some extent) the trade-off between control saturations and robustness. Moreover, this approach does not rely on the own structure of the system dynamics, therefore covering a broad class of nonlinear systems. The main advantage of this approach is that the use of a diffeomorphism allows the splitting of the mathematical treatment of the constraint and the Lyapunov controller design. The result has been successfully applied to solve the dynamic positioning of an actual ship, where the nonlinear state constraints describe a strait. This approach enabled us to design a control Lyapunov function and thereby use Sontag's formula to solve the stabilisation problem. Realistic simulations have been executed in a real scenario on the simulator owned by an international shipbuilding company.Postprint (author's final draft
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