There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Networked control systems (NCSs) are spatially distributed systems for which the communication between sensors, actuators, and controllers is supported by a shared communication network. We review several recent results on estimation, analysis, and controller synthesis for NCSs. The results surveyed address channel limitations in terms of packet-rates, sampling, network delay, and packet dropouts. The results are presented in a tutorial fashion, comparing alternative methodologies

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A Survey of Recent Results in Networked Control Systems

Motivated by navigation and tracking applications within sensor networks, we consider the problem of performing Kalman filtering with intermittent observations. When data travel along unreliable communication channels in a large, wireless, multihop sensor network, the effect of communication delays and loss of information in the control loop cannot be neglected. We address this problem starting from the discrete Kalman filtering formulation, and modeling the arrival of the observation as a random process. We study the statistical convergence properties of the estimation error covariance, showing the existence of a critical value for the arrival rate of the observations, beyond which a transition to an unbounded state error covariance occurs. We also give upper and lower bounds on this expected state error covariance.

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Kalman filtering with intermittent observations

1. Ordered Fields, Real Closed Fields.- 2. Semi-algebraic Sets.- 3. Real Algebraic Varieties.- 4. Real Algebra.- 5. The Tarski-Seidenberg Principle as a Transfer Tool.- 6. Hilbert's 17th Problem. Quadratic Forms.- 7. Real Spectrum.- 8. Nash Functions.- 9. Stratifications.- 10. Real Places.- 11. Topology of Real Algebraic Varieties.- 12. Algebraic Vector Bundles.- 13. Polynomial or Regular Mappings with Values in Spheres.- 14. Algebraic Models of C? Manifolds.- 15. Witt Rings in Real Algebraic Geometry.- Index of Notation.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00609687/document

Real Algebraic Geometry

System Identification I

In this paper, we study the effect of a network in the feedback loop of a control system. We use a stochastic packet-loss model for the network and note that results for discrete-time linear systems with Markovian jumping parameters can be applied. We measure performance using an H/sub /spl infin// norm and compute this norm via a necessary and sufficient matrix inequality condition. We also derive necessary and sufficient linear matrix inequality (LMI) conditions for the synthesis of the H/sub /spl infin// optimal controller for a discrete-time jump system. Finally, we apply these results to study the effect of communication losses on vehicle control.

An H/sub /spl infin// approach to networked control

This note focuses on disturbance propagation in vehicle strings. It is known that using only relative spacing information to follow a constant distance behind the preceding vehicle leads to string instability. Specifically, small disturbances acting on one vehicle can propagate and have a large effect on another vehicle. We show that this limitation is due to a complementary sensitivity integral constraint. We also examine how the disturbance to error gain for an entire platoon scales with the number of vehicles. This analysis is done for the predecessor following strategy as well as a control structure where each vehicle looks at both neighbors.

Disturbance propagation in vehicle strings

In this paper we study the effect of communication packet losses in the feedback loop of a control system. Our motivation is derived from vehicle control problems where information is communicated via a wireless local area network. For such problems, we consider a simple packet-loss model for the communicated information and note that results for discrete-time linear systems with Markovian jumping parameters can be applied. The goal is to find a controller (if one exists) such that the closed loop is mean square stable for a given packet loss rate. A linear matrix inequality (LMI) condition is developed for the existence of a stabilizing dynamic output feedback controller. This LMI condition is used to study the effect of communication losses on a vehicle following problem. In summary, these results can be used not only to design controllers but also give a 'worst-case' performance specification (in terms of packet-loss rate) for an acceptable communications system.

Analysis of communication losses in vehicle control problems

In this paper, we consider estimation with lossy measurements. This problem can arise when measurements are communicated over wireless channels. We model the plant/measurement loss process as a Markovian jump linear system. While the time-varying Kalman estimator (TVKE) is known to be optimal, we introduce a simpler design, termed a jump linear estimator (JLE), to cope with losses. A JLE has predictor/corrector form, but at each time selects a corrector gain from a finite set of precalculated gains. The motivation for the JLE is twofold. The computational burden of the JLE is less than that of the TVKE and the estimation errors expected when using JLE provide an upper bound for those expected when using TVKE. We then introduce a special class of JLE, termed finite loss history estimators (FLHE), which uses a canonical gain selection logic. A notion of optimality for the FLHE is defined and an optimal synthesis method is given. The proposed design method is compared to TVKE in a simulation study.

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Estimation with lossy measurements: jump estimators for jump systems

The analysis of a rear-end collision warning/ avoidance (CW/CA) system algorithm will be presented. The system is designed to meet several criteria: 1. System warnings should result in a minimum load on driver attention. 2. Automatic control of the brakes should not interfere with normal driving operation.

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Peter Seiler

Papers

An H/sub /spl infin// approach to networked control

Disturbance propagation in vehicle strings

Analysis of communication losses in vehicle control problems

Estimation with lossy measurements: jump estimators for jump systems

Development of a collision avoidance system