Approximate Optimal Tracking Control Research Articles

Robust Approximate Optimal Trajectory Tracking Control for Quadrotors

This paper uses the adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) method to achieve optimal trajectory tracking control for quadrotors. Relying on an established mathematical model of a quadrotor, the approximate optimal trajectory tracking control, which consists of the steady-state control input and the approximate optimal feedback control input, is designed for a nominal system. Considering the compound disturbances in position and attitude dynamic models, disturbance observers are introduced. The estimated values are used to design robust compensation inputs to suppress the effect of the compound disturbances for good trajectory tracking performance. Theoretically, the Lyapunov theorem demonstrates the stability of a closed-loop system. The robustness and effectiveness of the proposed controller are confirmed by the simulation results.

Multi‐event‐triggered adaptive dynamic programming for non‐zero‐sum game of unknown nonlinear system

AbstractIn this article, a multi‐event‐triggered (MET) near‐optimal tracking control algorithm is developed for a discrete‐time (DT) nonlinear non‐zero‐sum game (NZSG). Firstly, the iterative dual heuristic dynamic programming (DHP) approach is utilized to obtain the optimal tracking control set. Subsequently, distinct independent triggering conditions are formulated for control inputs to improve the utilization efficiency of resources and ensure that the independence between them and the closed‐loop system has an excellent control performance. Meanwhile, input‐to‐state stability (ISS) is proven for the MET tracking plant. Additionally, neural networks (NNs) are designed in the iterative DHP algorithm to construct the model module, the critic module and the action modules, with aims to identify the unknown system, approximate costate function and estimate optimal tracking control strategy set, respectively. Finally, two numerical experimental simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Approximate Optimal Robust Tracking Control Based on State Error and Derivative Without Initial Admissible Input

Approximate Optimal Robust Tracking Control Based on State Error and Derivative Without Initial Admissible Input

Adaptive critic learning for approximate optimal event-triggered tracking control of nonlinear systems with prescribed performances

This paper studies the approximate optimal event-triggered tracking control problem for a class of second-order nonlinear systems with prescribed performances. By employing a prescribed performances function, restrictions on tracking errors are removed for prescribed performances including convergence rate, maximum overshoot, and steady-state error. On this basis, a complex optimal tracking control problem can be transformed into an optimal stabilising control problem by constructing an augmented system. Subsequently, an event-triggered mechanism is introduced to reduce communication resources. Then, an adaptive critic learning algorithm is used to solve the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, where the weights in the critic networks are tuned through the gradient descent approach and experience replay technology. Through the developed learning method, the persistence of excitation condition is released, and the data efficiency is improved. The Lyapunov stability theory is introduced to verify the stability of the close-loop system and the tracking errors are uniformly ultimately bounded. Finally, simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Approximate Optimal Tracking Control for Partially Unknown Nonlinear Systems via an Adaptive Fixed-Time Observer

This paper investigates a novel adaptive fixed-time disturbance observer (AFXDO)-based approximate optimal tracking control architecture for nonlinear systems with partially unknown dynamic drift and perturbation under an adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) scheme. To attenuate the impact of disturbance, a novel AFXDO was designed based on the principle of a fixed-time stable system without prior information of disturbance, making disturbance observer errors converge to zero in a fixed time independent of initial estimation error. Additionally, approximate optimal control is conducted by incorporating the real-time estimation of AFXDO into a critic-only ADP framework to stabilize the dynamics of tracking errors and strike a balance between consumption and performance. In particular, to address the heavy calculation burden and oscillation phenomenon in the traditional actor–critic structure, an improved adaptive update law with a variable learning rate was developed to update the weight for adjusting the optimal cost function and optimal control policy simultaneously, avoiding the initial chattering phenomenon and achieving a prescribed convergence without resorting to dual networks. With the efforts of AFXDO and a weight law with a variable learning rate, the track errors were achieved with fast transient performance and low control consumptions in a fixed time. By revisiting Lyapunov stability, the tracking error and weight estimation error were proven to be uniformly ultimately bounded, and the designed control tended to optimal control. The simulations were carried out on quadrotor tracking to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed control scheme, which achieves rapid convergence by lower control consumption in 4 s, where the cost function is reduced by 19.13%.

Approximate Optimal Curve Path Tracking Control for Nonlinear Systems with Asymmetric Input Constraints

This paper proposes an approximate optimal curve-path-tracking control algorithm for partially unknown nonlinear systems subject to asymmetric control input constraints. Firstly, the problem is simplified by introducing a feedforward control law, and a dedicated design for optimal control with asymmetric input constraints is provided by redesigning the control cost function in a non-quadratic form. Then, the optimality and stability of the derived optimal control policy is demonstrated. To solve the underlying tracking Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation in consideration of partially unknown systems, an integral reinforcement learning (IRL) algorithm is utilized using the neural network (NN)-based value function approximation. Finally, the effectiveness and generalization of the proposed method is verified by experiments carried out on a high-fidelity hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation system for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in comparison with three other typical path-tracking control algorithms.

Approximate Optimal Tracking Control of Nondifferentiable Signals for a Class of Continuous-Time Nonlinear Systems.

In this article, for a class of continuous-time nonlinear nonaffine systems with unknown dynamics, a robust approximate optimal tracking controller (RAOTC) is proposed in the framework of adaptive dynamic programming (ADP). The distinguishing contribution of this article is that a new Lyapunov function is constructed, by using which the derivative information of tracking errors is not required in computing its time derivative along with the solution of the closed-loop system. Thus, the proposed method can make the system states follow nondifferentiable reference signals, which removes the common assumption that the reference signals have to be continuous for tracking control of continuous-time nonlinear systems in the literature. The theoretical analysis, simulation, and application results well illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.

Robust Adaptive Control of Maximum Power Point Tracking for Wind Power System

A novel data-driven robust approximate optimal Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) control method is proposed for the wind power generation system by using the adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm. First, a data-driven model is established by a recurrent neural network (NN) to reconstruct the wind power system dynamics using available input-output data. Then, in the design of the controller, based on the obtained data-driven model, the ADP algorithm is utilized to design the approximate optimal tracking controller, which consists of the steady-state controller and the optimal feedback controller. Ulteriorly, developing a robustifying term to compensate for the NN approximation errors introduced by implementing the ADP method. Based on the Lyapunov approach, it proves the stability of the designed model and controller to show that the proposed controller guarantees the system power asymptotically tracking the maximum power. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate that the control method stabilizes the tip speed ratio near the optimal value when the wind speed is lower than the rated wind speed. Moreover, the tracking response speed of the proposed method is fast, which enhances the stability and robustness of the system.

Data-driven finite-horizon optimal tracking control scheme for completely unknown discrete-time nonlinear systems

This paper proposes finite-horizon optimal tracking control approach based on data for completely unknown discrete-time nonlinear affine systems. First, the identifier is designed by input and output data, which is used to identify system function and system model. And based on tracking error, the system function is transformed to the augmentation system with finite-time optimal performance. In finite time, by minimizing the performance index function, the iterative approximate dynamic programming (ADP) is utilized to solve Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation. The idea is carried by the policy iterative (PI) based on the model neural network, which makes the iterative control of the augmentation system available at the each step. At the same time, the action neural network is utilized to acquire the approximate optimal tracking control law and the critic neural network is used for approximating the optimal performance index function for the augmentation system. Afterwards, the paper show the analysis process that the convergence and stability for the iterative ADP algorithm and the weight estimation errors based on the PI, respectively. The end of the paper, a simulation example is applied to show the theoretical results and proposed approach.

Approximate optimal tracking control for near-surface AUVs with wave disturbances

This paper considers the optimal trajectory tracking control problem for near-surface autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in the presence of wave disturbances. An approximate optimal tracking control (AOTC) approach is proposed. Firstly, a six-degrees-of-freedom (six-DOF) AUV model with its body-fixed coordinate system is decoupled and simplified and then a nonlinear control model of AUVs in the vertical plane is given. Also, an exosystem model of wave disturbances is constructed based on Hirom approximation formula. Secondly, the time-parameterized desired trajectory which is tracked by the AUV’s system is represented by the exosystem. Then, the coupled two-point boundary value (TPBV) problem of optimal tracking control for AUVs is derived from the theory of quadratic optimal control. By using a recently developed successive approximation approach to construct sequences, the coupled TPBV problem is transformed into a problem of solving two decoupled linear differential sequences of state vectors and adjoint vectors. By iteratively solving the two equation sequences, the AOTC law is obtained, which consists of a nonlinear optimal feedback item, an expected output tracking item, a feedforward disturbances rejection item, and a nonlinear compensatory term. Furthermore, a wave disturbances observer model is designed in order to solve the physically realizable problem. Simulation is carried out by using the Remote Environmental Unit (REMUS) AUV model to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Iterative GDHP-based approximate optimal tracking control for a class of discrete-time nonlinear systems

In this paper, an iterative globalized dual heuristic programming (GDHP) method is developed to deal with the approximate optimal tracking control for a class of discrete-time nonlinear systems. The optimal tracking control problem is formulated by solving the discrete-time Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (DTHJB) equation. Then, it is approximately solved by the developed iterative GDHP-based algorithm with convergence analysis. The iterative GDHP algorithm is implemented by constructing three neural networks to approximate the error system dynamics, the cost function with its derivative, and the control policy in each iteration, respectively. The information of the cost function and its derivative is provided during iteration calculation. Two simulation examples are investigated to verify the performance of the proposed approximate optimal tracking control approach.

Observer-based approximate optimal tracking control for time-delay systems with external disturbances

This paper proposes a successive approximation design approach of observer-based optimal tracking controllers for time-delay systems with external disturbances. To solve a two-point boundary value problem with time-delay and time-advance terms and obtain the optimal tracking control law, two sequences of vector differential equations are constructed first. Second, the convergence of the sequences of the vector differential equations is proved to guarantee the existence and uniqueness of the control law. Third, a design algorithm of the optimal tracking control law is presented and the physically realisable problem is addressed by designing a disturbance state observer and a reference input state observer. An example of an industrial electric heater is given to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.

Online adaptive approximate optimal tracking control with simplified dual approximation structure for continuous-time unknown nonlinear systems

This paper proposes an online adaptive approximate solution for the infinite-horizon optimal tracking control problem of continuous-time nonlinear systems with unknown dynamics. The requirement of the complete knowledge of system dynamics is avoided by employing an adaptive identifier in conjunction with a novel adaptive law, such that the estimated identifier weights converge to a small neighborhood of their ideal values. An adaptive steady-state controller is developed to maintain the desired tracking performance at the steady-state, and an adaptive optimal controller is designed to stabilize the tracking error dynamics in an optimal manner. For this purpose, a critic neural network (NN) is utilized to approximate the optimal value function of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation, which is used in the construction of the optimal controller. The learning of two NNs, i.e., the identifier NN and the critic NN, is continuous and simultaneous by means of a novel adaptive law design methodology based on the parameter estimation error. Stability of the whole system consisting of the identifier NN, the critic NN and the optimal tracking control is guaranteed using Lyapunov theory; convergence to a near-optimal control law is proved. Simulation results exemplify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Data-Driven Robust Approximate Optimal Tracking Control for Unknown General Nonlinear Systems Using Adaptive Dynamic Programming Method

In this paper, a novel data-driven robust approximate optimal tracking control scheme is proposed for unknown general nonlinear systems by using the adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) method. In the design of the controller, only available input-output data is required instead of known system dynamics. A data-driven model is established by a recurrent neural network (NN) to reconstruct the unknown system dynamics using available input-output data. By adding a novel adjustable term related to the modeling error, the resultant modeling error is first guaranteed to converge to zero. Then, based on the obtained data-driven model, the ADP method is utilized to design the approximate optimal tracking controller, which consists of the steady-state controller and the optimal feedback controller. Further, a robustifying term is developed to compensate for the NN approximation errors introduced by implementing the ADP method. Based on Lyapunov approach, stability analysis of the closed-loop system is performed to show that the proposed controller guarantees the system state asymptotically tracking the desired trajectory. Additionally, the obtained control input is proven to be close to the optimal control input within a small bound. Finally, two numerical examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

Series-based approximate approach of optimal tracking control for nonlinear systems with time-delay

The optimal output tracking control (OTC) problem for nonlinear systems with time-delay is considered. Using a series-based approximate approach, the original OTC problem is transformed into iteration solving linear two-point boundary value problems without time-delay. The OTC law obtained consists of analytical linear feedback and feedforward terms and a nonlinear compensation term with an infinite series of the adjoint vectors. By truncating a finite sum of the adjoint vector series, an approximate optimal tracking control law is obtained. A reduced-order reference input observer is constructed to make the feedforward term physically realizable. Simulation examples are used to test the validity of the series-based approximate approach.