A Model Predictive Control Algorithm for Path Tracking Based on Multi-Point Preview Dynamics and Safety Guaranteed Constraint

In the model predictive control (MPC) framework a controller is computed using a finite horizon optimal control cost. When linear constraints are imposed on the system with a quadratic cost function, then the MPC problem can be reformulated as a constrained quadratic programming (QP) problem. In this paper active set methods are used in order to solve the QP problem associated with MPC, and it is shown that it is possible to use information from the previous sample interval in order to provide improved initial conditions for the QP problem which is applied to the subsequent sample interval. Simulations show that when real-time considerations force the used of suboptimal intermediate control values, then improved initial conditions can allow for control values which are closer to the true optimal solution than obtained when using standard initial conditions. These ideas can allow for the implementation of MPC schemes on a greater number of real industrial applications, where standard MPC control cannot be applied due to the excessive CPU time requirements

Autonomous driving technology is constantly developing to a higher level of complex scenes, and there is a growing demand for the utilization of end-to-end data-driven control. However, the end-to-end path tracking process often encounters challenges in learning efficiency and generalization. To address this issue, this paper designs a deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG)-based reinforcement learning strategy that integrates imitation learning and feedforward exploration in the path following process. In imitation learning, the path tracking control data generated by the model predictive control (MPC) method is used to train an end-to-end steering control model of a deep neural network. Another feedforward exploration behavior is predicted by road curvature and vehicle speed, and adds it and imitation learning to the DDPG reinforcement learning to obtain decision-making experience and action prediction behavior of the path tracking process. In the reinforcement learning process, imitation learning is used to update the pre-training parameters of the actor network, and a feedforward steering technique with random noise is adopted for strategy exploration. In the reward function, a hierarchical progressive reward form and a constrained objective reward function referring to MPC are designed, and the actor-critic network architecture is determined. Finally, the path tracking performance of the designed method is verified by comparing various training results, simulations, and HIL tests. The results show that the designed method can effectively utilize pre-training and feedforward prior experience to obtain optimal path tracking performance of an autonomous vehicle, and has better generalization ability than other methods. This study provides an efficient control scheme for improving the end-to-end control performance of autonomous vehicles.

To improve the path tracking performance of intelligent hybrid articulated tractors in all working conditions in unmanned operation, a path-tracking control method based on corrected model predictive control is proposed. The kinematic model of the tractor is established by analyzing the tractor’s kinematics. Taking the lateral and longitudinal errors as the target and the speed and articulation angular acceleration as the constraints, a tracking control algorithm based on model predictive control is proposed. In addition, to improve the transient performance of the tractor in the path tracking process, the proportional-integral-derivative controller and fuzzy controller are used to correct the model-predicted output articulation angular acceleration, forming a corrected model predictive control path tracking control method. To verify the effectiveness of the control method, model predictive control is used as a comparison method, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified based on the MATLAB 2024a simulation platform. The results show that compared with the MPC algorithm, the speed standard deviation is reduced by 2%, the longitudinal tracking error is reduced by 8%, and the lateral tracking error is reduced by 50%. The proposed method can effectively improve the path-tracking accuracy of the intelligent hybrid tractor.

The model predictive control method can be effective for converter control in distributed power generation but requires a large amount of computation, leading to a considerable time delay in the actuation. If the delay is not reflected, the system performance could get worse. This paper presents a two-step (horizon) prediction algorithm of model predictive control technique for grid-tied inverters used in wind turbine systems. The control objectives such as active and reactive power flow and switching loss reduction are reflected in the objective function of the controller. The proposed model predictive control strategy is verified numerically by using MATLAB/Simulink.

In this paper, a novel path tracking method is proposed to improve the accuracy and stability of path tracking for the autonomous driving robotic vehicle (ADRV). This method is established based on an improved model predictive control (IMMPC) method with some optimization algorithms integrated. To apply this method, firstly, the steering system is simplified and a vehicle error dynamic model considering road curvature is used as the algorithm prediction model. Then, the Whale Optimization algorithm is combined with the Backpropagation (WOA-BP) neural network algorithm to predict the optimal dual time domain parameters, which can improve the algorithm’s robustness against variations in speed and road adhesion coefficients. Meanwhile, the constraints on sideslip angles and environmental road conditions are considered, and integrate them into the nonlinear cost function to avert vehicle rollovers. Furthermore, an enhanced hierarchical particle swarm optimization algorithm with warm start is employed to replace the traditional quadratic sequence method to mitigate local optimal issues, this nonlinear cost function, so that the nonlinear cost function can be optimized. In the last part, co-simulations and driving robot hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experiments are constructed to validate the stability and precision of the algorithm. The results show that the improved MPC can smoothly track the test path under environmental constraints with higher accuracy and enhanced control stability.

Model predictive current control has high control accuracy and good control performance, and has been widely applied in the control strategy of dual three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motors. This article proposes an improved deadbeat model predictive current control (DMPCC) method by analyzing the mathematical model of a dual three-phase open-winding permanent magnet synchronous motor. One inverter predicts and calculates the optimal voltage vector through the deadbeat model, while the other inverter calculates the optimal voltage vector through the value function rolling optimization. This method reduces the computational workload of the controller, avoids the delay problem of the traditional model predictive current control (MPCC) method, improves the system's response speed, effectively suppresses the current in the harmonic sub-plane, and reduces torque ripple. The simulation results have verified the accuracy and speed of the above control method.

This paper presents centralized control for a wind farm using model predictive control (MPC) method. In order to solve intra-day unit commitment (UC) problem, the UC problem is solved by using the MPC method with short-term wind power forecasting. We introduce a new dynamics model for the UC with some constraints to utilize the benefits of the MPC method. The objective function considering the operation and maintenance costs is formulated by adding a new variable in order to average the operating time of each wind turbine (WT) within the whole time. The proposed method could solve the UC problems on-line using the prediction time horizon that could be selected flexibly considering time horizon based on wind power forecasting errors. From the simulation study using 10 WTs, we observed that the proposed dynamics model of UC effectively provided the optimal solution to each scenario. Numerical study will validate that the proposed method can be applied to solving the UC problem of a large scale wind farm by aggregating WTs.

This paper proposes a model predictive controller for two-stage inverter with less switching losses and capacitor current. In implementation, model predictive control (MPC) method is simple and flexible without assuming the traditional PWM block. As the capacitor current has great influence on the capacitor losses and lifetime, an adjustment before the switching signals are sent to the switches is added in the proposed MPC method to reduce the capacitor current RMS value. The decrease of capacitor current RMS value enables the reduction of capacitor losses and the increase of capacitor lifetime. Besides, the proposed method can achieve less switching losses of front-end dc-dc converter, compared with the conventional MPC method. This paper presents the detailed operational principle of proposed MPC method and compares the performance of conventional and proposed MPC methods using the same system parameters. Finally, the simulation and experimental results verified the validity and advantage of the proposed method.

Sliding mode observer-based model predictive tracking control for Mecanum-wheeled mobile robot

This paper proposes a design mainly using of model predictive control for the chained non-holonomic systems. Reorganising the chained system into two subsystem, combine a exponential decaying term to deal with the uncontrollable which carry by the vanishing of u <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sub> . After state scaling transformation, a model predictive control (MPC) method is developed for the chained systems. The MPC method iteratively solve a formulated quadratic programming (QP) problem by using a recurrent neural network(RNN) called general projection network(GPN) over a finite receding horizon to get the input vector for the system control. At the end of the paper, simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

To improve the load frequency control (LFC) performance of power systems incorporating virtual power plants (VPPs) while reducing network resource consumption, a model predictive control (MPC) method based on a mixed time/event-triggered mechanism (MTETM) is proposed. This mechanism integrates an event-triggered mechanism (ETM) with a time-triggered mechanism (TTM), where ETM avoids unnecessary signal transmission and TTM ensures fundamental control performance. Subsequently, for the LFC system incorporating VPPs, a state hard constrained MPC problem is formulated and transformed into a “min-max” optimisation problem. Through linear matrix inequalities, the original optimisation problem is equivalently transformed into an auxiliary optimisation problem, with the optimal control law solved via rolling optimisation. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that the proposed auxiliary optimisation problem possesses recursive feasibility, whilst the closed-loop system satisfies input-to-state stability. Finally, validation through case studies of two regional power systems demonstrates that the MPC approach based on MTETM outperforms the ETM-based MPC approach in terms of control performance while maintaining a triggering rate of 33.3%. Compared with the TTM-based MPC algorithm, the MTETM-based MPC method reduces the triggering rate by 66.7%, while maintaining nearly equivalent control performance. Consequently, the results validate the effectiveness of the MTETM-based MPC approach in conserving network resources while maintaining control performance.

This study focuses on real-time model predictive control (MPC) implementation for a point-absorber-type wave energy converter (WEC) to achieve maximum wave power extraction. To address the MPC dependence on current and future wave excitation force knowledge, the control framework includes a square-root unscented Kalman filter (SR-UKF) to estimate the wave excitation force, whereas an autoregressive (AR) model forecasts the excitation force over the prediction horizon. The MPC utilizes a linear model of the point absorber, and its cost function is formulated as a quadratic programming (QP) problem with the objective of maximizing the wave energy extraction subject to physical limitations and constraints. A set of Laguerre functions was used to reduce the MPC computational complexity by decreasing the number of decision variables in the QP problem. The MATLAB/Simulink simulation results showed that the embodiment of point absorber nonlinearities by the SR-UKF enhanced the estimation accuracy compared with that of linear Kalman filters in terms of maximum error, root mean square error, and goodness of fit. Moreover, an AR model of order 100 provided satisfactory prediction performance for a 4 s prediction. The MPC strategy was simulated to evaluate its efficiency with respect to the absorbed wave power and generated electrical power under different sea-state conditions and disturbance uncertainties. Depending on sea state, it was found that the proposed MPC strategy generated 27.8% to 80% more electrical power than resistive loading control. Finally, a hardware-in-the-loop experimental setup was used to validate the computational viability of the proposed control framework in real-time WEC applications.

This paper proposes a time-lag model predictive control (MPC) method to solve the problem of communication delay in networked automatic generation control (AGC). The method uses the optimum weighting method to predict delay and the time-lag dynamic state equation of interconnected grid as the MPC prediction model. Then the deviation of predicted output is added to the objective function of rolling optimization in MPC method. The backup suboptimal control command from MPC controller can handle the loss of data packet in networked AGC. The correctness of the proposed method is verified by dynamic simulation.

This paper proposes a highly efficient single-phase three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) converter operated by a model predictive control (MPC) method with reduced commutations of switches. The proposed method only allows switching states with none or a single commutation at the next step as candidates for future switching states for the MPC method. Because the proposed method preselects switching states with reduced commutations when selecting an optimal state at a future step, the proposed method can reduce the number of switchings and the corresponding switching losses. Although the proposed method slightly increases the peak-to-peak variations of the two dc capacitor voltages, the developed method does not deteriorate the input current quality and input power factor despite the reduced number of switching numbers and losses. Thus, the proposed method can reduce the number of switching losses and lead to high efficiency, in comparison with the conventional MPC method.

This chapter presents the results of experiments comparing different computationally efficient model predictive control (MPC) methods applied to a laboratory device, demonstrating the active vibration control (AVC) of lightly damped mechanical structures. Because of the combination of long prediction horizons, short sampling times and large actuator-disturbance asymmetry, the implementation of the predictive control strategy on lightly damped vibrating structures is highly demanding. The vibration damping effect and online timing properties of model predictive control algorithms such as infinite horizon cost dual-mode quadratic programming based MPC (QPMPC), pre-computed explicit multi-parametric programming based MPC (MPMPC), minimum-time MPMPC and the very efficient but suboptimal Newton–Raphson based MPC (NRMPC); all with guaranteed stability and constraint feasibility are analyzed in different disturbance and loading scenarios. All MPC methods along with the baseline linear quadratic (LQ) controller decrease vibration settling to equilibrium by an order of magnitude time. The damping effect of all investigated MPC strategies is comparable with a slight decrease in performance for the suboptimal minimum-time MPMPC and NRMPC controllers. Due to the excessive online computational needs of QPMPC, it is a very unlikely candidate for lightly damped vibrating systems given currently available hardware. The online timing analysis presented here demonstrates that MPMPC provides significantly shorter online execution times, however its suboptimal minimum-time version does not bring a convincing improvement. NRMPC can provide online execution times on par with linear quadratic controllers; however, its suboptimality becomes excessive with increasing prediction model orders.