Delay-robust stabilization of an n + m hyperbolic PDE-ODE system

International audienceIn this paper, we study the problem of stabilizing a linear ordinary differential equation through a system of an n + m (hetero-directional) coupled hyperbolic equations in the actuating path. The method relies on the use of a backstepping transform to construct a first feedback to tackle in-domain couplings present in the PDE system and then on a predictive tracking controller used to stabilize the ODE. The proposed control law is robust with respect to small delays in the control signal

D1-Input-to-State Stability of a Time-Varying Nonhomogeneous Diffusive Equation Subject to Boundary Disturbances

International audienceD1-Input-to-state stability (D1ISS) of a diffusive equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions is shown, in the L2-norm, with respect to boundary disturbances. In particular, the spatially distributed diffusion coefficients are allowed to be time-varying within a given set, without imposing any constraints on their rate of variation. Based on a strict Lyapunov function for the system with homogeneous boundary conditions, D1ISS inequalities are derived for the disturbed equation. A heuristic method used to numerically compute weighting functions is discussed. Numerical simulations are presented and discussed to illustrate the implementation of the theoretical results

Constrained Model Predictive Control of a Skid-Steering Mobile Robot

International audienceAbstract—In this paper, a kinematic model of a four-wheelskid-steering mobile robot is presented and a receding horizonstabilizing control law for the system is developed, based onthe optimization of a quadratic cost function on the systemstates and control inputs. Global asymptotic stability of thenominal system with actuator saturation constraints is analyticallyproven and a simple dynamical model is constructed forvalidation purposes. The robustness and performance of thecontroller were tested under simulation on both models andthe results are presented and discussed

A Strict Control Lyapunov Function for a Diffusion Equation with Time-Varying Distributed Coefficients

International audienceIn this paper, a strict Lyapunov function is developed in order to show the exponential stability and input-to-state stability (ISS) properties of a diffusion equation for nonhomogeneous media. Such media can involve rapidly time-varying distributed diffusivity coefficients. Based on this Lyapunov function, a control law is derived to preserve the ISS properties of the system and improve its performance. A robustness analysis with respect to disturbances and estimation errors in the distributed parameters is performed on the system, precisely showing the impact of the controller on the rate of convergence and ISS gains. This is important in light of a possible implementation of the control since, in most cases, diffusion coefficient estimates involve a high degree of uncertainty. An application to the safety factor profile control for the Tore Supra tokamak illustrates and motivates the theoretical results. A constrained control law (incorporating nonlinear shape constraints in the actuation profiles) is designed to behave as closely as possible to the unconstrained version, albeit with the equivalent of a variable gain. Finally, the proposed control laws are tested under simulation, first in the nominal case and then using a model of Tore Supra dynamics, where they show adequate performance and robustness with respect to disturbances

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Contrôle et stabilité Entrée-Etat en dimension infinie du profil du facteur de sécurité dans un plasma Tokamak

In this thesis, we are interested in the control of the safety factor profile or q-profile in a tokamak plasma. This physical quantity has been found to be related to several phenomena in the plasma, in particular magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities. Having an adequate safety factor profile is particularly important to achieve advanced tokamak operation, providing high confinement and MHD stability. To achieve this, we focus in controlling the gradient of the poloidal magnetic flux profile. The evolution of this variable is given by a diffusion equation with distributed time-varying coefficients. Based on Lyapunov techniques and the Input-to-State stability properties of the system we propose a robust control law that takes into account nonlinear constraints on the control action imposed by the physical actuators.Dans cette thèse, on s'intéresse au contrôle du profil de facteur de sécurité dans un plasma tokamak. Cette variable physique est liée à plusieurs phénomènes dans le plasma, en particulier des instabilités magnétohydrodynamiques (MHD). Un profil de facteur de sécurité adéquat est particulièrement important pour avoir des modes d'opération avancés dans le tokamak, avec haut confinement et stabilité MHD. Pour cela faire, on se focalise sur la commande du gradient du profil de flux magnétique poloidal dans le tokamak. L'évolution de cette variable est donnée par une équation de diffusion avec des coefficients distribuées et temps-variants. En utilisant des techniques de type Lyapunov et les propriétés de stabilité entrée-état du système on propose une loi de commande robuste qui prend en compte des contraintes non-linéaires dans l'action imposées par la physique des actionneurs

Infinite Dimensional Control and Input-to-State Stability of the Safety Factor Profile in a Tokamak Plasma

Dans cette thèse, on s'intéresse au contrôle du profil de facteur de sécurité dans un plasma tokamak. Cette variable physique est liée à plusieurs phénomènes dans le plasma, en particulier des instabilités magnétohydrodynamiques (MHD). Un profil de facteur de sécurité adéquat est particulièrement important pour avoir des modes d'opération avancés dans le tokamak, avec haut confinement et stabilité MHD. Pour cela faire, on se focalise sur la commande du gradient du profil de flux magnétique poloidal dans le tokamak. L'évolution de cette variable est donnée par une équation de diffusion avec des coefficients distribuées et temps-variants. En utilisant des techniques de type Lyapunov et les propriétés de stabilité entrée-état du système on propose une loi de commande robuste qui prend en compte des contraintes non-linéaires dans l'action imposées par la physique des actionneurs.In this thesis, we are interested in the control of the safety factor profile or q-profile in a tokamak plasma. This physical quantity has been found to be related to several phenomena in the plasma, in particular magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities. Having an adequate safety factor profile is particularly important to achieve advanced tokamak operation, providing high confinement and MHD stability. To achieve this, we focus in controlling the gradient of the poloidal magnetic flux profile. The evolution of this variable is given by a diffusion equation with distributed time-varying coefficients. Based on Lyapunov techniques and the Input-to-State stability properties of the system we propose a robust control law that takes into account nonlinear constraints on the control action imposed by the physical actuators

Delay-robust stabilization of an n + m hyperbolic PDE-ODE system

International audienceIn this paper, we study the problem of stabilizing a linear ordinary differential equation through a system of an n + m (hetero-directional) coupled hyperbolic equations in the actuating path. The method relies on the use of a backstepping transform to construct a first feedback to tackle in-domain couplings present in the PDE system and then on a predictive tracking controller used to stabilize the ODE. The proposed control law is robust with respect to small delays in the control signal

Observer design for n + m linear hyperbolic ODE-PDE-ODE systems

International audienceIn this paper, an observer design is presented for a system of n+m hetero-directional transport partial differential equations (PDEs) coupled on both boundaries of the domain to ordinary differential equations (ODEs). This class of systems can represent, for instance, actuator and load dynamics at the boundaries of a hyperbolic system. The results in this paper provide a constructive way to reconstruct the state of the ODEs and the PDEs using only available measurements on one of the two ODEs. This observer design completes existing fullstate feedback designs for this class of systems and enables, together with previous results, the construction of outputfeedback stabilizers. As a complementary result, this paper includes a simple (constructive) method to obtain a stable leftinverse of a specific transfer matrix required in the observer design, which can also be applied (after a transposition) to the computation of the analogous stable right-inverses required for the control design

Delay-robust stabilization of an n + m hyperbolic PDE-ODE system

International audienceIn this paper, we study the problem of stabilizing a linear ordinary differential equation through a system of an n + m (hetero-directional) coupled hyperbolic equations in the actuating path. The method relies on the use of a backstepping transform to construct a first feedback to tackle in-domain couplings present in the PDE system and then on a predictive tracking controller used to stabilize the ODE. The proposed control law is robust with respect to small delays in the control signal