Networked Control System Design and Parameter Estimation

Networked control systems (NCSs) are a kind of distributed control systems in which the data between control components are exchanged via communication networks. Because of the attractive advantages of NCSs such as reduced system wiring, low weight, and ease of system diagnosis and maintenance, the research on NCSs has received much attention in recent years. The first part (Chapter 2 - Chapter 4) of the thesis is devoted to designing new controllers for NCSs by incorporating the network-induced delays. The thesis also conducts research on filtering of multirate systems and identification of Hammerstein systems in the second part (Chapter 5 - Chapter 6). Network-induced delays exist in both sensor-to-controller (S-C) and controller-to-actuator (C-A) links. A novel two-mode-dependent control scheme is proposed, in which the to-be-designed controller depends on both S-C and C-A delays. The resulting closed-loop system is a special jump linear system. Then, the conditions for stochastic stability are obtained in terms of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) with nonconvex constraints, which can be efficiently solved by a sequential LMI optimization algorithm. Further, the control synthesis problem for the NCSs is considered. The definitions of H₂ and H∞ norms for the special system are first proposed. Also, the plant uncertainties are considered in the design. Finally, the robust mixed H₂/H∞ control problem is solved under the framework of LMIs. To compensate for both S-C and C-A delays modeled by Markov chains, the generalized predictive control method is modified to choose certain predicted future control signal as the current control effort on the actuator node, whenever the control signal is delayed. Further, stability criteria in terms of LMIs are provided to check the system stability. The proposed method is also tested on an experimental hydraulic position control system. Multirate systems exist in many practical applications where different sampling rates co-exist in the same system. The l₂-l∞ filtering problem for multirate systems is considered in the thesis. By using the lifting technique, the system is first transformed to a linear time-invariant one, and then the filter design is formulated as an optimization problem which can be solved by using LMI techniques. Hammerstein model consists of a static nonlinear block followed in series by a linear dynamic system, which can find many applications in different areas. New switching sequences to handle the two-segment nonlinearities are proposed in this thesis. This leads to less parameters to be estimated and thus reduces the computational cost. Further, a stochastic gradient algorithm based on the idea of replacing the unmeasurable terms with their estimates is developed to identify the Hammerstein model with two-segment nonlinearities. Finally, several open problems are listed as the future research directions

Networked Control Systems: The Communication Basics and Control Methodologies

As an emerging research field, networked control systems have shown the increasing importance and attracted more and more attention in the recent years. The integration of control and communication in networked control systems has made the design and analysis of such systems a great theoretical challenge for conventional control theory. Such an integration also makes the implementation of networked control systems a necessary intermediate step towards the final convergence of control, communication, and computation. We here introduce the basics of networked control systems and then describe the state-of-the-art research in this field. We hope such a brief tutorial can be useful to inspire further development of networked control systems in both theory and potential applications

U-model enhanced dynamic control of a heavy oil pyrolysis/cracking furnace

This paper proposes a case study in the control of a heavy oil pyrolysis/cracking furnace with a newly extended U-Model based Pole Placement Controller (U-PPC). The major work of the paper includes: 1. establishing a control oriented nonlinear dynamic model with Naphtha cracking and thermal dynamics, 2. analysing a U-model (i.e. control oriented prototype) representation of various popular process model sets, 3. designing the new U-PPC to enhance the control performance in pole placement and stabilisation, 4) taking computational bench tests to demonstrate the control system design and performance with a user-friendly step by step procedure

Delay-independent dual-rate PID controller for a packet-based networked control system

[EN] In this paper, a novel delay-independent control structure for a networked control system (NCS) is proposed, where packet-based control strategies with predictor-based and dual-rate control techniques are integrated. The control solution is able to cope with some networked communication problems such as time-varying delays, packet dropouts and packet disorder. In addition, the proposed approach enables to reduce network load, and usage of connected devices, while maintaining a satisfactory control performance. As a delay-independent control solution, no network-induced delay measurement is needed for controller implementation. In addition, the control scheme is applicable to open-loop unstable plants. Control system stability is ensured in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Simulation results show the main benefits of the control approach, which are experimentally validated by means of a Cartesian-robot-based test-bed platform. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This work is funded by European Commission as part of Project H2020-SEC-2016-2017, Topic: SEC-20-BES-2016 Id: 740736 C2 Advanced Multi-domain Environment and Live Observation Technologies (CAMELOT). Part WP5 supported by Tekever ASDS, Thales Research & Technology, Viasat Antenna Systems, Universitat Politècnica de València, Fundação da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Ministério da Defesa Nacional Marinha Portuguesa, Ministério da Administração Interna Guarda Nacional Republicana.Alcaina-Acosta, JJ.; Cuenca, Á.; Salt Llobregat, JJ.; Casanova Calvo, V.; Pizá, R. (2019). Delay-independent dual-rate PID controller for a packet-based networked control system. Information Sciences. 484:27-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ins.2019.01.059S274348

State estimation, system identification and adaptive control for networked systems

A networked control system (NCS) is a feedback control system that has its control loop physically connected via real-time communication networks. To meet the demands of `teleautomation', modularity, integrated diagnostics, quick maintenance and decentralization of control, NCSs have received remarkable attention worldwide during the past decade. Yet despite their distinct advantages, NCSs are suffering from network-induced constraints such as time delays and packet dropouts, which may degrade system performance. Therefore, the network-induced constraints should be incorporated into the control design and related studies. For the problem of state estimation in a network environment, we present the strategy of simultaneous input and state estimation to compensate for the effects of unknown input missing. A sub-optimal algorithm is proposed, and the stability properties are proven by analyzing the solution of a Riccati-like equation. Despite its importance, system identification in a network environment has been studied poorly before. To identify the parameters of a system in a network environment, we modify the classical Kalman filter to obtain an algorithm that is capable of handling missing output data caused by the network medium. Convergence properties of the algorithm are established under the stochastic framework. We further develop an adaptive control scheme for networked systems. By employing the proposed output estimator and parameter estimator, the designed adaptive control can track the expected signal. Rigorous convergence analysis of the scheme is performed under the stochastic framework as well