Numerical Methods for Solution of the Extended Linear Quadratic Control Problem

A novel distributed model predictive control scheme based on dynamic integrated system optimization and parameter estimation (DISOPE) was proposed for nonlinear cascade systems under network environment. Under the distributed control structure, online optimization of the cascade system was composed of several cascaded agents that can cooperate and exchange information via network communication. By iterating on modified distributed linear optimal control problems on the basis of estimating parameters at every iteration the correct optimal control action of the nonlinear model predictive control problem of the cascade system could be obtained, assuming that the algorithm was convergent. This approach avoids solving the complex nonlinear optimization problem and significantly reduces the computational burden. The simulation results of the fossil fuel power unit are illustrated to verify the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed algorithm.

In this paper we investigate the use of optimal control techniques to improve Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) for drop foot correction on hemiplegic patients. A model of the foot and the tibialis anterior muscle, the contraction of which is controlled by electrical stimulation has been established and is used in the optimal control problem. The novelty in this work is the use of the ankle accelerations and shank orientations (so-called external states) in the model, which have been measured on hemiplegic patients in a previous experiment using Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). The optimal control problem minimizes the square of muscle excitations which serves the overall goal of reducing energy consumption in the muscle. In a first step, an offline optimal control problem is solved for test purposes and shows the efficiency of the FES optimal control for drop foot correction. In a second step, a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) problem - or online optimal control problem, is solved in a simulated environment. While the ulitmate goal is to use NMPC on the real system, i.e. directly on the patient, this test in simulation was meant to show the feasibility of NMPC for online drop foot correction. In the optimization problem, a set of fixed constraints of foot orientation was applied. Then, an original adaptive constraint taking into account the current ankle height, was introduced and tested. Comparisons between results under fixed and adaptive constraints highlight the advantage of the adaptive constraints in terms of energy consumption, where its quadratic sum of controls, obtained by NMPC, was three times lower than with the fixed constraint. This feasibility study was a first step in application of NMPC on real hemiplegic patients for online FES-based drop foot correction. The adaptive constraints method presents a new and efficient approach in terms of muscular energy consumption minimization.

This paper deals with the application of interval arithmetic to non linear model predictive control (NMPC) problem. The NMPC problem is expressed as a constraints satisfaction problem (CSP) which can be solved by interval analysis techniques. We present the classical interval techniques to build a nonlinear model predictive control law and propose some improvements in order to adapt interval tools to the context of control. Moreover, in order to reduce the pessimism introduced by interval state estimation, we propose a spatial discretisation of the input. These methods are illustrated on a inverted pendulum model.

This paper presents an adaptation of the Ant System method to find the optimal control input for blood glucose regulation using Model Predictive Control (MPC). The Ant System optimization method was implemented to solve a linear MPC problem and performance was compared with the interior point method for optimization. The Ant System was found to perform well for the linear MPC problem and has the advantage over the interior point method as it can extended for use with non-linear MPC problems.

NONLINEAR MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL BASED ON SEQUENTIAL MONTE CARLO STATE ESTIMATION

This paper presents a novel function of energy-optimal adaptive cruise control (EACC) for electric vehicles based on model predictive control (MPC), which optimally plans the host car's speed trajectory for higher energy efficiency through taking the surrounding traffic information and the road conditions ahead into account. To cope with the nonlinearity of the system dynamics, nonlinear MPC (NMPC) is designed in this paper. Afterwards, the nonlinear equality constraints are relaxed so that the optimization problem has a convex feasible set. Moreover, it is proven that the nonlinear problem can be recast as a second-order cone programming (SOCP) problem. The performance of NMPC is evaluated in the real driving condition and compared to both linear MPC and receding horizon dynamic programming (RH-DP). In order to enable real-time control, the interior point method is used to solve both linear and nonlinear MPC problems and the computation time is investigated in this paper.

In this study, a collision avoidance method with model predictive control is proposed for a nonlinear model of a four-wheeled vehicle. The C/GMRES algorithm is used for solving the nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) problem within a short sampling period. A nonlinear tire model is employed to represent the realistic behavior of a vehicle. Here, to consider whether it is possible to avoid an obstacle physically, an unavoidable region (UR) is constructed as the region in which the vehicle cannot avoid the obstacle owing to physical limitations. Even if the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is short, the vehicle is controlled by NMPC not only to avoid the UR but also to stay on the road. A performance index for satisfying the above constraints is proposed, and control responses are investigated through numerical simulations.

Frenet-Cartesian model representations for automotive obstacle avoidance within nonlinear MPC

Learning affine predictors for MPC of nonlinear systems via artificial neural networks

Dual-mode Explicit Output-feedback Predictive Control Based on Neural Network Models

In this paper, we propose a real-time nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) strategy for stabilization of a vehicle near the limit of lateral acceleration using the rear axle electric torque vectoring configuration of an electric vehicle. A nonlinear four-wheel vehicle model that neglects the wheel dynamics is coupled with a nonlinear tire model to design three MPC strategies of different levels of complexity that are implementable online: one that uses a linearized version of the vehicle model and then solves the resulting quadratic program problem to compute the necessary longitudinal slips on the rear wheels, a second one that employs the real-time iteration scheme on the NMPC problem, and a third one that applies the primal dual interior point method on the NMPC problem instead until convergence. Then, a sliding mode slip controller is used to compute the necessary torques on the rear wheels based on the requested longitudinal slips. After analyzing the relative tradeoffs in performance and computational cost between the three MPC strategies by comparing them against the optimal solution in a series of simulation studies, we test the most promising solution in a high-fidelity environment.

In this paper, we provide a method for a quadrotor to track a ground moving target (GMT). The least squares method is used to obtain a series of reference trajectories generated by the GMT. The tracking is accomplished by applying a novel nonlinear model predictive control (MPC) scheme. The nonlinear MPC scheme applied can deal with the dynamic trajectory tracking problem of nonlinear systems by using reference generic terminal ingredients. After obtaining the reachable reference trajectories and calculating the terminal ingredients of the nonlinear MPC problem, the nonlinear MPC problem can be solved online to obtain the control inputs that enable the quadrotor to accurately track the GMT. A simulation experiment is conducted to verify the efficacy of this method.

In this work, we obtain a closed form solution to a nonlinear model predictive control problem when the controller is developed using a class of black-box Wiener type model. The linear dynamic component of the Wiener model parameterized using orthonormal basis filters. The nonlinear state to output map is constructed using quadratic polynomials. The resulting nonlinear state space model is then used to formulate an unconstrained NMPC problem. A closed form solution to this problem is constructed analytically using the theory of solutions of quadratic operator polynomials. The efficacy of the proposed quadratic control law is demonstrated by conducting servo control studies at a singular operating point on a benchmark experimental setup.

Trajectory planning and control for drone replacement for multidrone cinematography

This paper combines the interval analysis tools with the nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC). The NMPC strategy is formulated based on an uncertain dynamic model expressed as nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). All the dynamic parameters are identified in a guaranteed way considering the various uncertainties on the embedded sensors and the system’s design. The NMPC problem is solved at each time step using validated simulation and interval analysis methods to compute the optimal and safe control inputs over a finite prediction horizon. This approach considers several constraints which are crucial for the system’s safety and stability, namely the state and the control limits. The proposed controller consists of two steps: filtering and branching procedures enabling to find the input intervals that fulfill the state constraints and ensure the convergence to the reference set. Then, the optimization procedure allows for computing the optimal and punctual control input that must be sent to the system’s actuators for the pendulum stabilization. The validated NMPC capabilities are illustrated through several simulations under the DynIbex library and experiments using an inverted pendulum.