Linear Fractional Representation Research Articles

Identification of structured nonlinear state–space models for hysteretic systems using neural network hysteresis operators

Hysteretic system behavior is ubiquitous in science and engineering fields including measurement systems and applications. In this paper, we put forth a nonlinear state–space system identification method that combines the state–space equations to capture the system dynamics with a compact and exact artificial neural network (ANN) representation of the classical Prandtl–Ishlinskii (PI) hysteresis. These ANN representations called PI hysteresis operator neurons employ recurrent ANNs with classical activation functions, and thus can be trained with classical neural network learning algorithms. The structured nonlinear state–space model class proposed in this paper, for the first time, offers a flexible interconnection of PI hysteresis operators with a linear state–space model through a linear fractional representation. This results in a comprehensive and flexible model structure. The performance is validated both on numerical simulation and on measurement data.

Finite-Horizon Robustness Analysis of an Automatic Landing System Under Probabilistic Uncertainty

This paper demonstrates the utility of novel probabilistic robustness analysis tools on an industry-sized autolanding system of a civil transport aircraft. The closed-loop aircraft model is representative of an Airbus A330 during final approach and landing. It is modeled as a linear time-varying system by linearizing with respect to a nominal reference trajectory. Disturbances due to random parametric uncertainty, atmospheric turbulence, and static wind shear are considered. Probabilistic uncertainty in the aerodynamic coefficients and mass parameters is quantified efficiently by applying a polynomial chaos series expansion. This generalized Fourier series is applied after employing a linear fractional transformation. The computational benefits of expanding uncertain interconnections in linear fractional representation build an appealing advantage of the applied analysis methods. Probabilistic and worst-case perturbations around the reference trajectory are quantified. The analysis results are compared with nonlinear Monte Carlo simulations of the complete closed-loop system.

QLPV modeling and mixed-sensitivity control for a magnetic levitation system

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a comprehensive mixed-sensitivity control design for an experimental magnetic levitation (Maglev) system. The control strategy can be seen as an extension of the loop-shaping procedure for discrete-time linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems using linear-fractional representation (LFR). By making use of an efficient quadratic approach given in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), a functional and computationally attractive gain-scheduling technique is achieved. Despite the rigorous mathematical considerations to obtain the controller, the guidelines to its practical implementation are presented as a straightforward method using LMIs. A detailed modeling of the Maglev plant manufactured by Quanser is carried out to illustrate the procedure, including a description of the nonlinear equations embedding process to obtain a discretized quasi-LPV (qLPV) model. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design.

On Robust Stabilization of Discrete-Time LPV/LFR Systems

This technical article presents novel robust stabilization conditions for discrete-time linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems with linear fractional representation (LFR). The proposed conditions rely on the use of slack variables and decision matrices associated with the LFR approach to provide new controller designs. In addition, we address parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions and full-block multipliers to obtain less conservative synthesis conditions for discrete-time LPV/LFR systems. Design conditions are cast in the form of linear matrix inequalities to generate robust state-feedback and output-feedback controllers. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Input-Output-Data-Enhanced Robust Analysis via Lifting

Starting from a linear fractional representation of a linear system affected by constant parametric uncertainties, we demonstrate how to enhance standard robust analysis tests by taking available (noisy) input-output data of the uncertain system into account. Our approach relies on lifting the system and the construction of data-dependent multipliers. It leads to a test in terms of linear matrix inequalities which guarantees stability and performance for all systems compatible with the observed data if it is in the affirmative. In contrast to many other data-based approaches, prior physical or structural knowledge about the system can be incorporated at the outset by exploiting the power of linear fractional representations.

A Deep Neural Network with Module Architecture for Model Reduction and its Application to Nonlinear System Identification

This paper proposes a deep neural network with module architecture for model reduction, and a cost function suitable for training the model. In the proposed model architecture, each layer is modularized to reduce the model by adjusting the number of layers. This feature allows the computational load of the model to be quickly adjusted. In order to maintain the accuracy of the reduced model even if it is not retrained, the cost function is defined as a weighted average of the errors of the model output over the number of modules. Finally, this architecture is incorporated into nonlinear Linear Fractional Representation (LFR) models for nonlinear system identification. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated through numerical examples.

Robust data-driven control for nonlinear systems using the Koopman operator*

Data-driven analysis and control of dynamical systems have gained a lot of interest in recent years. While the class of linear systems is well studied, theoretical results for nonlinear systems are still rare. In this paper, we present a data-driven controller design method for discrete-time control-affine nonlinear systems. Our approach relies on the Koopman operator, which is a linear but infinite-dimensional operator lifting the nonlinear system to a higher-dimensional space. Particularly, we derive a linear fractional representation of a lifted bilinear system representation based on measured data. Further, we restrict the lifting to finite dimensions, but account for the truncation error using a finite-gain argument. We derive a linear matrix inequality based design procedure to guarantee robust local stability for the resulting bilinear system for all error terms satisfying the finite-gain bound and, thus, also for the underlying nonlinear system. Finally, we apply the developed design method to the nonlinear Van der Pol oscillator.

Improved ℋ2 and ℒ2 control designs for discrete-time LPV/LFR systems

This paper addresses novel and norm-based controller designs for discrete-time linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems with linear fractional representation (LFR). Despite the importance of LPV/LFR systems to the control literature, there is a lack of works on this topic. The distinctive formulation of the proposed controller designs is given by using parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions in combination with slack variables and general full-block multipliers. Such proposed formulation leads to less conservative synthesis conditions characterised in terms of a finite number of linear matrix inequalities for both state-feedback and static output-feedback controllers subject to and performances for discrete-time LPV/LFR systems. Improvements obtained by the proposed controller design conditions over existing methods in the area are assessed by numerical examples.

Robust decoupling of uncertain subsystems

AbstractThe article presents a robust subsystem decoupling framework for uncertain linear systems with linear fractional representation, where the uncertainties are described by Integral Quadratic Constraints. The proposed method relies on the synthesis of input‐ and output transformations, which maximize the robust excitation of a selected subsystem, while minimize this effect on the other parts of the dynamics. More precisely, the notion of minimum gain is defined (and discussed) for uncertain systems, which is then maximized for the targeted subsystem. In order to achieve decoupling, the maximum sensitivity of the undesired dynamical part is minimized simultaneously. These criteria lead to an optimization problem subject to linear matrix inequality constraints, hence can be effectively solved. Numerical examples are used for demonstrating the developed method and its possible applications.

Robust induced [formula omitted] optimal control of discrete-time systems having magnitude and rate-bounded actuators

The design of robust state- and output-feedback control for uncertain discrete-time systems with physical magnitude and rate constraints on their actuator dynamics was addressed. Unlike the traditional methods such as anti-windup (AW) methods, nested ellipsoids, model predictive controllers (MPCs) and integral quadratic constraints(IQCs) formulated by sector bounded inequalities, this paper uses a transformation of the system dynamics to a form which considers control signal and its rate as controlled outputs and using discrete-time ℓ∞ induced (peak-to-peak) norm from disturbance inputs to these outputs. To cope with the magnitude and rate bound non-linearities together, the induced ℓ∞ norm from disturbance input to the outputs involving control signal and its rate is utilised. On the other hand, discrete-time(DT) induced ℓ2 norm from disturbance input to the main controlled output is used to mitigate the effects of disturbances. We can tackle this ambitious non-linear control problem in the domain of linear convex multi-objective optimal control problem, which can be solved by effective semi-definite optimisation methods by using the proposed transformation and handling the control constraints in terms of worst case peak-to-peak gain of the system. Extended Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs) and full block S-procedure based design conditions developed over Linear Fractional Representation(LFR) framework allow the user to obtain robust state- and output-feedback control solutions with reduced conservatism. For the first time, this paper introduces an extended LMI based robust output-feedback control design for magnitude and rate bounded (MRB) systems, using full block S-procedure. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed controller through several simulations over benchmark examples covering systems having multi-variable structures and uncertainties. Our study also involves comparison results with a recently introduced technique based on multi-stage AW technique. The simulation results show that the proposed method of this paper is much effective and less conservative compared to the recent AW method provided in the literature.

Probabilistic Robustness Analysis of Uncertain LTV Systems in Linear Fractional Representation

This letter quantifies the effect of random model uncertainty on finite horizon linear time-varying (LTV) systems. Mean and standard deviation field are approximated with high accuracy and efficiency by a Hilbert space technique called polynomial chaos expansion (PCE). The deterministic expansion coefficients of the generalized Fourier series are determined via orthogonal projection, also known as Galerkin projection. We propose the projection of uncertain systems in linear fractional representation (LFR), which can have computational benefits. The technique is benchmarked on a two-link robotic manipulator.

A Dynamic S-Procedure for Dynamic Uncertainties

We show how to compose robust stability tests for uncertain systems modeled as linear fractional representations and affected by various types of dynamic uncertainties. Our results are formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities and rest on the recently established notion of finite-horizon integral quadratic constraints with a terminal cost. The construction of such constraints is motivated by an unconventional application of the S-procedure in the frequency domain with dynamic Lagrange multipliers. Our technical contribution reveals how this construction can be performed by dissipativity arguments in the time-domain and in a lossless fashion. This opens the way for generalizations to time-varying or hybrid systems.

Robust Localization With Bounded Noise: Creating a Superset of the Possible Target Positions via Linear-Fractional Representations

Locating a target is key in many applications, namely in high-stakes real-world scenarios, like detecting humans or obstacles in vehicular networks. In scenarios where precise statistics of the measurement noise are unavailable, applications require localization methods that assume minimal knowledge on the noise distribution. We present a scalable algorithm delimiting a tight superset of all possible target locations, assuming range measurements to known landmarks, contaminated with bounded noise and unknown distributions. This superset is of primary interest in robust statistics since it is a tight majorizer of the set of Maximum-Likelihood (ML) estimates parametrized by noise densities respecting two main assumptions: (1) the noise distribution is supported on a ellipsoidal uncertainty region and (2) the measurements are non-negative with probability one. We create the superset through convex relaxations that use Linear Fractional Representations (LFRs), a well-known technique in robust control. For low noise regimes the supersets created by our method double the accuracy of a standard semidefinite relaxation. For moderate to high noise regimes our method still improves the benchmark but the benefit tends to be less significant, as both supersets tend to have the same size (area).

Mixed-sensitivity [formula omitted] controller synthesis for discrete-time LPV/LFR systems

This paper presents novel control procedure to obtain a mixed-sensitivity L2 controller for discrete-time linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems using a linear fractional representation (LFR). The proposed method makes use of parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions in combination with static full-block multipliers and slack variables to provide less conservative results than other existing control strategies. The distinctive controller is established from an observer-based control structure, where observer and state-feedback synthesis are derived. Moreover, both H2 and L2 performances indexes are addressed and some insights about factorization contractiveness are explored. The output feedback controller is given through a two-step synthesis and its design conditions are addressed in terms of a finite number of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, two numerical examples are carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed control method.

Revisiting and generalizing the dual iteration for static and robust output‐feedback synthesis

AbstractThe dual iteration was introduced in a conference paper in 1997 by Iwasaki as an iterative and heuristic procedure for the challenging and non‐convex design of static output‐feedback controllers. We recall in detail its essential ingredients and go beyond the work of Iwasaki by demonstrating that the framework of linear fractional representations allows for a seamless extension of the dual iteration to output‐feedback designs of practical relevance, such as the design of robust or robust gain‐scheduled controllers. In the paper of Iwasaki, the dual iteration is solely based on, and motivated by algebraic manipulations resulting from the elimination lemma. We provide a novel control theoretic interpretation of the individual steps, which paves the way for further generalizations of the powerful scheme to situations where the elimination lemma is not applicable. As an illustration, we extend the dual iteration to a design of static output‐feedback controllers with multiple objectives. We demonstrate the approach with numerous numerical examples inspired from the literature.

Controller Design via Experimental Exploration With Robustness Guarantees

For a partially unknown linear systems, we present a systematic control design approach based on generated data from measurements of closed-loop experiments with suitable test controllers. These experiments are used to improve the achieved performance and to reduce the uncertainty about the unknown parts of the system. This is achieved through a parametrization of auspicious controllers with convex relaxation techniques from robust control, which guarantees that their implementation on the unknown plant is safe. This approach permits to systematically incorporate available prior knowledge about the system by employing the framework of linear fractional representations.

LPVcore: MATLAB Toolbox for LPV Modelling, Identification and Control

This paper describes the LPVcore software package for MATLAB developed to model, simulate, estimate and control systems via linear parameter-varying (LPV) input-output (IO), state-space (SS) and linear fractional (LFR) representations. In the LPVcore toolbox, basis affine parameter-varying matrix functions are implemented to enable users to represent LPV systems in a global setting, i.e., for time-varying scheduling trajectories. This is a key difference compared to other software suites that use a grid or only LFR-based representations. The paper contains an overview of functions in the toolbox to simulate and identify IO, SS and LFR representations. Based on various prediction-error minimization methods, a comprehensive example is given on the identification of a DC motor with an unbalanced disc, demonstrating the capabilities of the toolbox. The software and examples are available on www.lpvcore.net.

Advanced aeroelastic robust stability analysis with structural uncertainties

Robust flutter analysis described in this paper is based on the robust control theory framework. Therefore, a time-domain linear fractional transformation representation of the perturbed aeroelastic system is modeled. Then, the robust stability is analyzed by means of the structured singular value mu, which is defined as an alternative measure of robustness. Robust flutter analysis deals with aeroelastic (or aeroservoelastic) stability analysis taking structural dynamics, aerodynamics and/or unmodeled system dynamics uncertainties into account. Flutter is a well-known dynamic aeroelastic instability phenomenon caused by an interaction between structural vibrations and unsteady aerodynamic forces, whereby the level of vibration may trigger large amplitudes, eventually leading to catastrophic failure of the structure. The primary motivation of the robust flutter analysis is that this method allows the computation of the worst-case flutter velocity which can support, for example, the flight test program by a valuable robust flutter boundary. This paper addresses the issue of an approach for aeroelastic robust stability analysis with structural uncertainties with respect to physical symmetric and asymmetric stiffness perturbations on the wing structure by means of tuning beams.

Linear Fractional Representations and L₂-Stability Analysis of Continuous Piecewise Affine Systems

This letter addresses L 2 -stability analysis of discrete-time continuous piecewise affine systems described in input-output form by linear combinations of basis piecewise affine functions. The proposed approach exploits an equivalent representation of these systems as the feedback interconnection of a linear system and a diagonal static block with repeated scalar nonlinearity. This representation enables the use of analysis results for systems with repeated nonlinearities based on integral quadratic constraints. This leads to a sufficient condition for L 2 -stability that can be checked via the solution of a single linear matrix inequality, whose dimension grows linearly with the number of basis piecewise affine functions defining the system. Numerical examples corroborate the proposed approach by providing a comparison with an alternative approach based on the computation of piecewise polynomial storage functions.

On the Initialization of Nonlinear LFR Model Identification with the Best Linear Approximation

Balancing the model complexity and the representation capability towards the process to be captured remains one of the main challenges in nonlinear system identification. One possibility to reduce model complexity is to impose structure on the model representation. To this end, this work considers the linear fractional representation framework. In a linear fractional representation the linear dynamics and the system nonlinearities are modeled by two separate blocks that are interconnected with one another. This results in a structured, yet flexible model structure. Estimating such a model directly from input-output data is not a trivial task as the involved optimization is nonlinear in nature. This paper proposes an initialization scheme for the model parameters based on the best linear approximation of the system and shows that this approach results in high quality models on a set of benchmark data sets.