Abstract: Abstract Tracking of reference signals is addressed in the context of a class of nonlinear controlled systems modelled by r-th-order functional differential equations, encompassing inter alia systems with unknown “control direction” and dead-zone input effects. A control structure is developed which ensures that, for every member of the underlying system class and every admissible reference signal, the tracking error evolves in a prescribed funnel chosen to reflect transient and asymptotic accuracy objectives. Two fundamental properties underpin the system class: bounded-input bounded-output stable internal dynamics, and a high-gain property (an antecedent of which is the concept of sign-definite high-frequency gain in the context of linear systems). PubDate: 2021-02-26
Abstract: Abstract This manuscript presents a notion of parallelizability of control systems. Parallelizability is a well-known concept of dynamical systems that associates with complete instability and dispersiveness. The concept of dispersiveness has been successfully interpreted in the setup of control systems. This naturally asks about the meaning of a parallelizable control system. The answer can be given in the setting of control affine systems by evoking their control flows. The main result shows that a parallelizable control flow characterizes a dispersive control affine system. The dispersiveness is then equivalent to the existence of a functional with infinite limit at infinity. The results of the paper contribute to the controllability studies, since dispersive control systems admit no control set. For invariant control systems with commutative vector fields, null trace representative matrices are a necessary condition for the existence of control set. PubDate: 2021-02-22
Abstract: Abstract We propose a class of locally Lipschitz functions with piecewise structure for use as Lyapunov functions for hybrid dynamical systems. Subject to some regularity of the dynamics, we show that Lyapunov inequalities can be checked only on a dense set and thus we avoid checking them at points of nondifferentiability of the Lyapunov function. Connections to other classes of locally Lipschitz or piecewise regular functions are also discussed, and applications to hybrid dynamical systems are included. PubDate: 2021-02-04
Abstract: Abstract In this paper, we study variational point-obstacle avoidance problems on complete Riemannian manifolds. The problem consists of minimizing an energy functional depending on the velocity, covariant acceleration and a repulsive potential function used to avoid an static obstacle given by a point in the manifold, among a set of admissible curves. We derive the dynamical equations for stationary paths of the variational problem, in particular on compact connected Lie groups and Riemannian symmetric spaces. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the proposed method. PubDate: 2021-02-02
Abstract: Abstract We consider here the problem of constructing a general recursive algorithm to interpolate a given set of data with a rational function. While many algorithms of this kind already exist, they are either providing non-minimal degree solutions (like the Schur algorithm) or exhibit jumps in the degree of the interpolants (or of the partial realization, as the problem is called when the interpolation is at infinity, see Rissanen (SIAM J Control 9(3):420–430, 1971) and Gragg and Lindquist (in: Linear systems and control (special issue), linear algebra and its applications, vol 50. pp 277–319, 1983)). By imbedding the solution into a larger set of interpolants, we show that the increase in the degree of this representation is proportional to the increase in the length of the data. We provide an algorithm to interpolate multivariable tangential sets of data with arbitrary nodes, generalizing in a fundamental manner the results of Kuijper (Syst Control Lett 31:225–233, 1997). We use this new approach to discuss a special scalar case in detail. When the interpolation data are obtained from the Taylor-series expansion of a given function, then the Euclidean-type algorithm plays an important role. PubDate: 2021-01-28
Abstract: Abstract This paper considers the problem of controlled invariance of involutive regular distribution, both for smooth and real analytic cases. After a review of some existing work, a precise formulation of the problem of local and global controlled invariance of involutive regular distributions for both affine control systems and affine distributions is introduced. A complete characterization for local controlled invariance of involutive regular distributions for affine control systems is presented. A geometric interpretation for this characterization is provided. A result on local controlled invariance for real analytic affine distribution is given. Then, we investigate conditions that allow passages from local controlled invariance to global controlled invariance, for both smooth and real analytic affine distributions. We clarify existing results in the literature. Finally, for manifolds with a symmetry Lie group action, the problem of global controlled invariance is considered. PubDate: 2021-01-05
Abstract: Boundary feedback control design for systems of linear hyperbolic conservation laws in the presence of boundary measurements affected by disturbances is studied. The design of the controller is performed to achieve input-to-state stability (ISS) with respect to measurement disturbances with a minimal gain. The closed-loop system is analyzed as an abstract dynamical system with inputs. Sufficient conditions in the form of dissipation functional inequalities are given to establish an ISS bound for the closed-loop system. The control design problem is turned into an optimization problem over matrix inequality constraints. Semidefinite programming techniques are adopted to devise systematic control design algorithms reducing the effect of measurement disturbances. The effectiveness of the approach is extensively shown in several numerical examples. PubDate: 2021-01-02
Abstract: Abstract The probability hypothesis density (PHD) filter, which is used for multi-target tracking based on sensor measurements, relies on the propagation of the first-order moment, or intensity function, of a point process. This algorithm assumes that targets behave independently, an hypothesis which may not hold in practice due to potential target interactions. In this paper, we construct a second-order PHD filter based on determinantal point processes which are able to model repulsion between targets. Such processes are characterized by their first- and second-order moments, which allows the algorithm to propagate variance and covariance information in addition to first-order target count estimates. Our approach relies on posterior moment formulas for the estimation of a general hidden point process after a thinning operation and a superposition with a Poisson point process, and on suitable approximation formulas in the determinantal point process setting. The repulsive properties of determinantal point processes apply to the modeling of negative correlation between distinct measurement domains. Monte Carlo simulations with correlation estimates are provided. PubDate: 2020-12-09
Abstract: Abstract This paper aims to develop a system-theoretic approach to ordinary differential equations which deterministically describe dynamics of prevalence of epidemics. The equations are treated as interconnections in which component systems are connected by signals. The notions of integral input-to-state stability (iISS) and input-to-state stability (ISS) have been effective in addressing nonlinearities globally without domain restrictions in analysis and design of control systems. They provide useful tools of module-based methods integrating characteristics of component systems. This paper expresses fundamental properties of models of infectious diseases and vaccination through the language of iISS and ISS of components and whole systems. The systematic treatment is expected to facilitate development of effective schemes of controlling the disease spread via non-conventional Lyapunov functions. PubDate: 2020-12-09
Abstract: Abstract A distributional solution framework is developed for systems consisting of linear hyperbolic partial differential equations and switched differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) which are coupled via boundary conditions. The unique solvability is then characterize in terms of a switched delay DAE. The theory is illustrated with an example of electric power lines modelled by the telegraph equations which are coupled via a switching transformer where simulations confirm the predicted impulsive solutions. PubDate: 2020-11-18
Abstract: Abstract Achieving a simplified model is a major issue in the field of fractional-order nonlinear systems, especially large-scale systems. So that in addition to simplifying the model, the outstanding features of the fractional-order modeling, such as memory feature, are preserved. This paper presented the homotopy singular perturbation method (HSPM) to reduce the complexity of the model and use the advantages of both models of the fractional order and the integer order. This method is a combination of the fractional-order singular perturbation method (FOSPM) and the homotopy perturbation method (HPM). Firstly, the FOSPM is developed for fractional-order nonlinear systems; then, a modification of the HPM is proposed. Finally, the HSPM is presented using a combination of these two methods. fractional-order nonlinear systems can be divided into two lower-order subsystems such as nonlinear or linear integer-order subsystem and linear fractional-order subsystem using this hybrid method. Convergence analysis of tracking error to zero is theoretically presented, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is also evaluated with two examples. Next, the number and location of equilibrium points are compared between the original system and the subsystems obtained from the proposed method. In the end, we show that the stability of fractional-order nonlinear system can be determined by investigating the stability of the subsystems using Theorem 3 and Lemma 2. PubDate: 2020-11-13
Abstract: Abstract This paper addresses the mean stability analysis and \(L_1\) performance of continuous-time Markov jump linear systems (MJLSs) driven by a two time-scale Markov chain, in the scenario in which the temporal scale parameter \(\epsilon \) tends to zero. The jump process considered here is bivariate, with slow and fast components. Our approach relies on a convergence analysis involving the semigroup that generates the first-moment dynamics of the MJLS when the switching frequency of the fast part of the Markov chain tends to infinity. In this setup, we introduce a new definition of stability in a limit case, and connect it with the mean stability of an averaged MJLS. In the particular case where the averaged MJLS is positive, we also derive suitable criteria for assessing mean stability and \(L_1\) performance. These criteria are expressed in terms of the Hurwitz stability of a matrix (whose dimension is independent of the cardinality of the state space of the fast switching component), of linear programming, and of the 1-norm of a certain transfer matrix, which makes them suitable for computational purposes. We also establish comparisons between our (two-time-scale) approach and existing one-time-scale approaches from the literature, and show that our criteria are based on matrices of relatively smaller dimensions, which do not depend on the scale parameter \(\epsilon \) . The effectiveness of the main results is discussed through numerical examples of epidemiological and compartmental models. PubDate: 2020-11-11
Abstract: Abstract In this paper, we consider the input-to-state stabilization of an ODE-wave feedback-connection system with Neumann boundary control, where the left end displacement of the wave equation enters the ODE, while the output of the ODE is fluxed into boundary of the wave equation. The disturbance is appeared as a nonhomogeneous term in the ODE. Based on the backstepping approach, a state feedback control law is designed to guarantee the exponential input-to-state stability of the closed-loop system. The resulting closed-loop system has been shown to be well-posed by the semigroup approach. Moreover, we construct an exponentially convergent state observer based on which an output feedback control law is obtained, and the closed-loop system is proved to be input-to-state stable. PubDate: 2020-09-22
Abstract: Abstract This paper studies a notion of topological entropy for switched systems, formulated in terms of the minimal number of trajectories needed to approximate all trajectories with a finite precision. For general switched linear systems, we prove that the topological entropy is independent of the set of initial states. We construct an upper bound for the topological entropy in terms of an average of the measures of system matrices of individual modes, weighted by their corresponding active times, and a lower bound in terms of an active-time-weighted average of their traces. For switched linear systems with scalar-valued state and those with pairwise commuting matrices, we establish formulae for the topological entropy in terms of active-time-weighted averages of the eigenvalues of system matrices of individual modes. For the more general case with simultaneously triangularizable matrices, we construct upper bounds for the topological entropy that only depend on the eigenvalues, their order in a simultaneous triangularization, and the active times. In each case above, we also establish upper bounds that are more conservative but require less information on the system matrices or on the switching, with their relations illustrated by numerical examples. Stability conditions inspired by the upper bounds for the topological entropy are presented as well. PubDate: 2020-09-09
Abstract: Abstract We investigate input-to-state stability (ISS) of infinite-dimensional collocated control systems subject to saturated feedback. Here, the unsaturated closed loop is dissipative and uniformly globally asymptotically stable. Under an additional assumption on the linear system, we show ISS for the saturated one. We discuss the sharpness of the conditions in light of existing results in the literature. PubDate: 2020-09-07
Abstract: Abstract We consider forced Lur’e systems in which the linear dynamic component is an infinite-dimensional well-posed system. Numerous physically motivated delay and partial differential equations are known to belong to this class of infinite-dimensional systems. We present refinements of recent incremental input-to-state stability results (Guiver in SIAM J Control Optim 57:334–365, 2019) and use them to derive convergence results for trajectories generated by Stepanov almost periodic inputs. In particular, we show that the incremental stability conditions guarantee that for every Stepanov almost periodic input there exists a unique pair of state and output signals which are almost periodic and Stepanov almost periodic, respectively. The almost periods of the state and output signals are shown to be closely related to the almost periods of the input, and a natural module containment result is established. All state and output signals generated by the same Stepanov almost periodic input approach the almost periodic state and the Stepanov almost periodic output in a suitable sense, respectively, as time goes to infinity. The sufficient conditions guaranteeing incremental input-to-state stability and the existence of almost periodic state and Stepanov almost periodic output signals are reminiscent of the conditions featuring in well-known absolute stability criteria such as the complex Aizerman conjecture and the circle criterion. PubDate: 2020-08-10
Abstract: Abstract This paper deals with the minimization of \(H_\infty \) output feedback control. This minimization can be formulated as a linear matrix inequality (LMI) problem via a result of Iwasaki and Skelton 1994. The strict feasibility of the dual problem of such an LMI problem is a valuable property to guarantee the existence of an optimal solution of the LMI problem. If this property fails, then the LMI problem may not have any optimal solutions. Even if one can compute parameters of controllers from a computed solution of the LMI problem, then the computed \(H_\infty \) norm may be very sensitive to a small change of parameters in the controller. In other words, the non-strict feasibility of the dual tells us that the considered design problem may be poorly formulated. We reveal that the strict feasibility of the dual is closely related to invariant zeros of the given generalized plant. The facial reduction is useful in analyzing the relationship. The facial reduction is an iterative algorithm to convert a non-strictly feasible problem into a strictly feasible one. We also show that facial reduction spends only one iteration for so-called regular \(H_\infty \) output feedback control. In particular, we can obtain a strictly feasible problem by using null vectors associated with some invariant zeros. This reduction is more straightforward than the direct application of facial reduction. PubDate: 2020-07-12
Abstract: Abstract We establish the local input-to-state stability of a large class of disturbed nonlinear reaction–diffusion equations w.r.t. the global attractor of the respective undisturbed system. PubDate: 2020-05-06
Abstract: Abstract Classical discrete-time adaptive controllers provide asymptotic stabilization and tracking; neither exponential stabilization nor a bounded noise gain is typically proven. In our recent work, it is shown, in both the pole placement stability setting and the first-order one-step-ahead tracking setting, that if the original, ideal, projection algorithm is used (subject to the common assumption that the plant parameters lie in a convex, compact set and that the parameter estimates are restricted to that set) as part of the adaptive controller, then a linear-like convolution bound on the closed-loop behaviour can be proven; this immediately confers exponential stability and a bounded noise gain, and it can be leveraged to provide tolerance to unmodelled dynamics and plant parameter variation. In this paper, we solve the much harder problem of adaptive tracking; under classical assumptions on the set of unmodelled parameters, including the requirement that the plant be minimum phase, we are able to prove not only the linear-like properties discussed above, but also very desirable bounds on the tracking performance. We achieve this by using a modified version of the ideal projection algorithm, termed as vigilant estimator: it is equally alert when the plant state is large or small and is turned off when it is clear that the disturbance is overwhelming the estimation process. PubDate: 2020-04-06