A robust distributed model predictive control algorithm

In this study, an approach to design robust distributed model predictive control (MPC) is proposed for polytopic uncertain networked control systems with time delays. To reduce the computational complexity and improve the flexibility, the entire system is decomposed into multiple smaller dimensional subsystems. For each subsystem, the proposed robust distributed MPC algorithm requires solving multiple linear matrix inequality optimisation problems to minimise an upper bound on a robust performance objective. An augmented polytopic uncertainty description is invoked to handle the input delays. The conservativeness of distributed MPC algorithm is reduced by utilising a sequence of feedback control laws. An iterative on‐line algorithm for robust distributed MPC is developed to coordinate the distributed MPC controllers. Convergence and robust stability of the proposed distributed MPC are investigated. A numerical example is carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

On distributed model predictive control for vehicle platooning with a recursive feasibility guarantee

ABSTRACTIn this work, synthesis of robust distributed model predictive control (MPC) is presented for a class of linear systems subject to structured time-varying uncertainties. By decomposing a global system into smaller dimensional subsystems, a set of distributed MPC controllers, instead of a centralised controller, are designed. To ensure the robust stability of the closed-loop system with respect to model uncertainties, distributed state feedback laws are obtained by solving a min–max optimisation problem. The design of robust distributed MPC is then transformed into solving a minimisation optimisation problem with linear matrix inequality constraints. An iterative online algorithm with adjustable maximum iteration is proposed to coordinate the distributed controllers to achieve a global performance. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed robust distributed MPC algorithm.

In this study, a distributed model predictive control algorithm is presented for the polytopic uncertain system subject to randomly occurring actuator saturation and packet loss. The global system is decomposed into several subsystems, and a novel distributed controller model is established to account for both the actuator saturation and packet loss in a unified representation by using two sets of Bernoulli distributed white sequences with known conditional probabilities. By transforming the non‐linear feedback law into a convex hull of linear feedback laws, the distributed controllers for subsystems are obtained by solving a linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimisation problem. Finally, two simulation examples are employed to show the effectiveness of the techniques proposed in this study.

Reference Tracking using a Non-Cooperative Distributed Model Predictive Control Algorithm

This paper investigates the robust distributed model predictive control (DMPC) based consensus problem of general linear discrete-time multi-agent systems subject to external disturbances. We first propose a robust DMPC based consensus algorithm, mainly relying on the DMPC based consensus of a nominal system whose state deviation from the actual state is bounded by an invariant set. We then prove the feasibility and robust consensus of the proposed algorithm. Finally, we present a numerical example to verify the theoretical results.

Designing a stabilized distributed model predictive control (DMPC) with constraints is an open and important problem for a class of large-scale distributed systems, which are composed by both weakly and strongly coupled subsystems. This paper proposes a design of DMPC network to stabilize this class of large-scale systems. A coupling degree-based clustering method is first designed to classify subsystems into some middle-scale subsystems (M-subsystem) off-line according to the adjacent matrix, so that these M-subsystems are weakly coupled with each other. Then, each M-subsystem is controlled by a virtual model predictive control (MPC), which is realized by several individual controllers with running iterative cooperative DMPC algorithm, since the solution of cooperative DMPC is able to converge to a fixed point without coupling constraints. Each MPC communicates with the corresponding interacted M-subsystems’ MPCs once in a control period for exchanging future state evolution estimation. All the subsystem-based MPCs are composed of the proposed peer-to-peer DMPC network. In addition, an additional consistency and stabilization constraints are added to guarantee the recursive feasibility and stability of the overall system. The convergence of the iterative DMPC algorithm for each M-subsystem and the stabilization analysis of the overall system are provided. The simulation results show the efficiency of the proposed method. Note to Practitioners —The proposed method is designed for the systems, which are composed of both strong and weak coupling subsystems and are controlled in a distributed structure. The aim of this method is to design a distributed model predictive control (MPC) network for the operational optimization of entire system. The designed control structure and the distributed MPC algorithm with the proposed method could guarantee the recursive feasibility and asymptotic stability of the entire system. To apply this method, the first step is to obtain the models of each subsystem. Then, design the distributed MPC network structure according to the proposed cluster algorithm, which determines the set of subsystems that each virtue MPC controls. Next step is to configure the network information exchanging among these subsystems and construct the optimization problem of each subsystem. Finally, use the existing quadratically constrained quadratic program solvers to calculate the optimal control laws and apply these optimal control laws to the corresponding subsystems. This method can be used in large-scale chemical processes, air conditioner systems for multizone buildings, distributed energy generation systems, and so on.

Robust distributed model predictive control of linear systems: Analysis and synthesis

This paper presents a distributed model predictive control(DMPC) strategy to achieve cooperative tasks like consensus and synchronization of linear systems with coupled constraints. Based on the error of state between each subsystem and the center of its cooperative set, a novel DMPC algorithm is designed with its robust feasibility guaranteed by permitting only one subsystem to optimize at each time instant, while renew other subsystems' plans. Illustrative examples are finally conducted to verify the effectiveness of the DMPC strategy.

Stability and Convergence Analysis of a Distributed MPC Scheme Based on Communication and Iterative Calculation of Control Action

We consider the problem of steering a multi-agent system to consensus in their outputs. The agents' dynamics are assumed to be heterogeneous, linear, discrete-time and subject to local convex state and input constraints. We present a sequential distributed model predictive control algorithm that asymptotically steers the agents to consensus in their outputs. In their respective model predictive control problems, the agents minimise the distance of a local target output to those of their neighbours while simultaneously tracking the corresponding target steady-state and input pair. We only require the exchange of these target outputs in the scheme whereas the current state and entire predicted trajectories are not shared.

In this paper, a novel cooperative constrained distributed model predictive control algorithm is proposed to control the nonlinear interconnected constrained large-scale systems. In this algorithm, a novel reduced-order cooperative optimisation approach is proposed which is its main contribution that reconstructs and improves the global cost function of any local controller. In proposed algorithm, each local controller computes its optimal control by minimising the corresponding global cost function which is a combination of its own and its neighbouring subsystems’ cost functions. The sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the recursive feasibility and closed-loop stability specifications to ensure the convergence of the overall states into the positive region which is the neighbourhood of origin. The performance of the proposed algorithm is illustrated via simulation results of a nonlinear large-scale cart-spring-damper system.

A tube-based distributed model predictive control (DMPC) scheme is proposed for dynamically coupled linear systems. The control scheme is designed to guarantee local performance even when neighboring controllers are not complying with the requirements of the algorithm (e.g., they are malicious or faulty). The resulting conservativeness is minimized, for controllers aim to minimize their state and input constraint sets to reduce mutual disturbances. Also, sufficient conditions for feasibility and exponential stability are given. Finally, these ideas are illustrated and assessed with respect to other robust DMPC via a simulated example.

SummaryIn this paper, a distributed output feedback model predictive control (OFMPC) algorithm is presented for the polytopic uncertain system subject to randomly occurring actuator saturation and packet loss. Compared with the intensively applied state feedback control in MPC, the OFMPC is more feasible to the real world because the system states are often unmeasurable. With taking both actuator saturation and packet loss into account, the presented OFMPC algorithm is more practical. Moreover, by splitting the controller inputs into two independent parts, the presented dynamic output feedback control (DOFC) strategy provides more freedom to the controller design. With the global system decomposed into some subsystems, the computation complexity is reduced, thus the online designing time can be saved. By defining the estimation error function and forming an augmented system to handle the DOFC and by transforming the nonlinear feedback law into a convex hull of linear feedback laws, the distributed controllers are obtained by solving a linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimization problem. Finally, some simulation examples are employed to show the effectiveness of the techniques proposed in this paper. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper presents a distributed model predictive control (DMPC) algorithm for heterogeneous vehicle platoons with unidirectional topologies and a priori unknown desired set point. The vehicles (or nodes) in a platoon are dynamically decoupled but constrained by spatial geometry. Each node is assigned a local open-loop optimal control problem only relying on the information of neighboring nodes, in which the cost function is designed by penalizing on the errors between predicted and assumed trajectories. Together with this penalization, an equality based terminal constraint is proposed to ensure stability, which enforces the terminal states of each node in the predictive horizon equal to the average of its neighboring states. By using the sum of local cost functions as a Lyapunov candidate, it is proved that asymptotic stability of such a DMPC can be achieved through an explicit sufficient condition on the weights of the cost functions. Simulations with passenger cars demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed DMPC.