Showing papers in "International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control in 2021"

Data-enabled predictive control for quadcopters

Abstract: We study the application of a data-enabled predictive control (DeePC) algorithm for position control of real-world nano-quadcopters. The DeePC algorithm is a finite-horizon, optimal control method that uses input/output measurements from the system to predict future trajectories without the need for system identification or state estimation. The algorithm predicts future trajectories of the quadcopter by linearly combining previously measured trajectories (motion primitives). We illustrate the necessity of a regularized variant of the DeePC algorithm to handle the nonlinear nature of the real-world quadcopter dynamics with noisy measurements. Simulation-based analysis is used to gain insights into the effects of regularization, and experimental results validate that these insights carry over to the real-world quadcopter. Moreover, we demonstrate the reliability of the DeePC algorithm by collecting a new set of input/output measurements for every real-world experiment performed. The performance of the DeePC algorithm is compared to Model Predictive Control based on a first-principles model of the quadcopter. The results are demonstrated with a video of successful trajectory tracking of the real-world quadcopter.

Online learning‐based model predictive control with Gaussian process models and stability guarantees

Abstract: Model predictive control allows to provide high performance and safety guarantees in the form of constraint satisfaction. These properties, however, can be satisfied only if the underlying model, used for prediction, of the controlled process is sufficiently accurate. One way to address this challenge is by data-driven and machine learning approaches, such as Gaussian processes, that allow to refine the model online during operation. We present a combination of an output feedback model predictive control scheme and a Gaussian process-based prediction model that is capable of efficient online learning. To this end, the concept of evolving Gaussian processes is combined with recursive posterior prediction updates. The presented approach guarantees recursive constraint satisfaction and input-to-state stability with respect to the model-plant mismatch. Simulation studies underline that the Gaussian process prediction model can be successfully and efficiently learned online. The resulting computational load is significantly reduced via the combination of the recursive update procedure and by limiting the number of training data points while maintaining good performance.

Digital implementation of sliding-mode control via the implicit method: A tutorial

Abstract: The objective of this article, is to provide a clear presentation of the discretization of continuous-time sliding-mode controllers, also known in the Automatic Control literature as the emulation method, when the implicit (backward) Euler scheme is used. First-order, second-order and homogeneous controllers are considered. The main theoretical results are recalled in each case, and the focus is put on the discrete-time implementation structure and on the algorithms which allow the designer to solve, at each time-step, the one-step generalized equations which are needed to compute the controllers. The article ends with some open issues.

A robust adaptive model predictive control framework for nonlinear uncertain systems

Abstract: In this paper, we present a tube-based framework for robust adaptive model predictive control (RAMPC) for nonlinear systems subject to parametric uncertainty and additive disturbances. Set-membership estimation is used to provide accurate bounds on the parametric uncertainty, which are employed for the construction of the tube in a robust MPC scheme. The resulting RAMPC framework ensures robust recursive feasibility and robust constraint satisfaction, while allowing for less conservative operation compared to robust MPC schemes without model/parameter adaptation. Furthermore, by using an additional mean-squared point estimate in the objective function the framework ensures finite-gain $\mathcal{L}_2$ stability w.r.t. additive disturbances. As a first contribution we derive suitable monotonicity and non-increasing properties on general parameter estimation algorithms and tube/set based RAMPC schemes that ensure robust recursive feasibility and robust constraint satisfaction under recursive model updates. Then, as the main contribution of this paper, we provide similar conditions for a tube based formulation that is parametrized using an incremental Lyapunov function, a scalar contraction rate and a function bounding the uncertainty. With this result, we can provide simple constructive designs for different RAMPC schemes with varying computational complexity and conservatism. As a corollary, we can demonstrate that state of the art formulations for nonlinear RAMPC are a special case of the proposed framework. We provide a numerical example that demonstrates the flexibility of the proposed framework and showcase improvements compared to state of the art approaches.

Time-discretizations of differentiators: Design of implicit algorithms and comparative analysis

Abstract: This work deals with the problem of online differentiation of noisy signals. In this context, several types of differentiators including linear, sliding-mode based, adaptive, Kalman, and ALIEN differentiators are studied through mathematical analysis and numerical experiments. To resolve the drawbacks of the exact differentiators, new implicit and semi-implicit discretization schemes are proposed in this work to suppress the digital chattering caused by the wrong time-discretization of set-valued functions as well as providing some useful properties, e.g., finite-time convergence, invariant sliding-surface, exactness. A complete comparative analysis is presented in the manuscript to investigate the behavior of the discrete-time differentiators in the presence of several types of noises, including white noise, sinusoidal noise, and bell-shaped noise. Many details such as quantization effect and realistic sampling times are taken into account to provide useful information based on practical conditions. Many comments are provided to help the engineers to tune the parameters of the differentiators.