Robust stabilization by linear output delay feedback

The main result establishes that if a controller $C$ (comprising of a linear feedback of the output and its \emph{derivatives}) globally stabilizes a (nonlinear) plant $P$, then global stabilization of $P$ can also be achieved by an output feedback controller $C[h]$ where the output derivatives in $C$ are replaced by an Euler approximation with sufficiently small delay h>0. This is proved within the conceptual framework of the nonlinear gap metric approach to robust stability. The main result is then applied to finite dimensional linear minimum phase systems with unknown coefficients but known relative degree and known sign of the high frequency gain. Results are also given for systems with non-zero initial conditions

Robustness of funnel control in the gap metric

Copyright © 2010 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.49th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Atlanta, USA, 15-17 December 2010For m-input, m-output, finite-dimensional, linear systems satisfying the assumptions (i) minimum phase, (ii) relative degree one and (iii) positive high-frequency gain), the funnel controller achieves output regulation in the following sense: all states of the closed-loop system are bounded and, most importantly, transient behaviour of the tracking error is ensured such that its evolution remains in a performance funnel with prespecified boundary. As opposed to classical adaptive high-gain output feedback, system identification or internal model is not invoked and the gain is not monotone. Invoking the conceptual framework of the nonlinear gap metric we show that the funnel controller is robust in the following sense: the funnel controller copes with bounded input and output disturbances and, more importantly, it may even be applied to a system not satisfying any of the classical conditions (i)–(iii) as long as the initial conditions and the disturbances are “small” and the system is “close” (in terms of a “small” gap) to a system satisfying (i)–(iii)

Robustness of λ-tracking and funnel control in the gap metric

PublishedCopyright © 2009 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Decision and Control, 2009 held jointly with the 2009 28th Chinese Control Conference. CDC/CCC 2009. Proceedings of the 48th IEEE Conference on 15-18 December 2009For m-input, m-output, finite-dimensional, linear systems satisfying the classical assumptions of adaptive control (i.e., (i) minimum phase, (ii) relative degree one and (iii) positive definite high-frequency gain matrix), two control strategies are considered: the well-known λ-tracking and funnel control. An application of the λ-tracker to systems satisfying (i)–(iii) yields that all states of the closed-loop system are bounded and |e| is ultimately bounded by some prespecified λ > 0. An application of the funnel controller achieves tracking of the error e within a prescribed performance funnel if applied to linear systems satisfying (i)–(iii). Moreover, all states of the closed-loop system are bounded. The funnel boundary can be chosen from a large set of functions. Invoking the conceptual framework of the nonlinear gap metric, we show that the λ-tracker and the funnel controller are robust. In the present setup this means in particular that λ-tracking and funnel control copes with bounded input and output disturbances and, more importantly, may be applied to any system which is “close” (in terms of a “small” gap) to a system satisfying (i)–(iii), and which may not satisfy any of the classical conditions (i)–(iii), as long as the initial conditions and the disturbances are “small”

Fusion of aerial images and sensor data from a ground vehicle for improved semantic mapping

This work investigates the use of semantic information to link ground level occupancy maps and aerial images. A ground level semantic map, which shows open ground and indicates the probability of cells being occupied by walls of buildings, is obtained by a mobile robot equipped with an omnidirectional camera, GPS and a laser range finder. This semantic information is used for local and global segmentation of an aerial image. The result is a map where the semantic information has been extended beyond the range of the robot sensors and predicts where the mobile robot can find buildings and potentially driveable ground

Multiplicity distributions for jet parton showers in a medium

The "jet-quenching" interpretation of suppressed high-pT hadron production at RHIC implies that jet multiplicity distributions and jet-like particle correlations in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC differ strongly from those seen at e+e- or pp colliders. Here, we present an approach for describing the changes induced by the medium, which implements jet quenching as a probabilistic medium-modified parton shower, treating leading and subleading parton splittings on an equal footing. We show that the strong suppression of single inclusive hadron spectra measured in Au-Au collisions at RHIC implies a characteristic distortion of the single inclusive distribution of soft partons inside the jet. We determine, as a function of jet energy, to what extent the soft jet fragments can be measured above some momentum cut.Comment: 4 pages, 2 eps-figures. Talk given at Quark Matter 2005, Budapest, 4-9 Aug 200

Funnel control for systems with relative degree two

PublishedJournal ArticleTracking of reference signals yref (·) by the output y(·) of linear (as well as a considerably large class of nonlinear) single-input, single-output systems is considered. The system is assumed to have strict relative degree two with (weakly) stable zero dynamics. The control objective is tracking of the error e = y - yref and its derivative e within two prespecified performance funnels, respectively. This is achieved by the so-called funnel controller u(t) = -k0(t)2e(t)-k 1(t)e(t), where the simple proportional error feedback has gain functions k0 and k1 designed in such a way to preclude contact of e and e with the funnel boundaries, respectively. The funnel controller also ensures boundedness of all signals. We also show that the same funnel controller (i) is applicable to relative degree one systems, (ii) allows for input constraints provided a feasibility condition (formulated in terms of the system data, the saturation bounds, the funnel data, bounds on the reference signal, and the initial state) holds, (iii) is robust in terms of the gap metric: if a system is sufficiently close to a system with relative degree two, stable zero dynamics, and positive high-frequency gain, but does not necessarily have these properties, then for small initial values the funnel controller also achieves the control objective. Finally, we illustrate the theoretical results by experimental results: the funnel controller is applied to a rotatory mechanical system for position control. © 2013 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics