In this paper, we consider distributed simultaneous state and parameter estimation for a class of nonlinear systems, for which the augmented model comprising both the states and the parameters is only partially observable. Specifically, we first illustrate how the sensitivity analysis (SA) can select variables for simultaneous state and parameter estimation. Then, a community structure detection (CSD) based process decomposition method is proposed for dividing the entire system into interconnected subsystems as the basis of distributed estimation. Next, we develop local moving horizon estimators based on the configured subsystem models, and the local estimators communicate with each other to exchange their estimates. Finally, an SA and CSD based distributed moving horizon estimation (DMHE) mechanism is proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated using a chemical process consisting of four connected reactors.
This paper takes the first steps toward enabling wireless networks to perform both imaging and communication in a distributed manner. We propose Distributed Simultaneous Imaging and Symbol Detection (DSISD), a provably convergent distributed simultaneous imaging and communication scheme based on the alternating direction method of multipliers. We show that DSISD achieves similar imaging and communication performance as centralized schemes, with order-wise reduction in computational complexity. We evaluate the performance of DSISD via 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi simulations.
Consensus of Multi-Agent Systems with General Linear and Lipschitz Nonlinear Dynamics Using Distributed Adaptive Protocols
School of Automation, Beijing Institute of Technology（北京理工大学自动化学院）；Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Utah State University（犹他州立大学电气与计算机工程系）
This paper considers a network of collaborating agents for local resource allocation subject to nonlinear model constraints. In many applications, it is required (or desirable) that the solution be anytime feasible in terms of satisfying the sum-preserving global constraint. Motivated by this, sufficient conditions on the nonlinear mapping for anytime feasibility (or non-asymptotic feasibility) are addressed in this paper. For the two proposed distributed solutions, one converges over directed weight-balanced networks and the other one over undirected networks. In particular, we elaborate on u…
In this note, a novel observer-based output feedback control approach is proposed to address the distributed optimal output consensus problem of uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems in the normal form over unbalanced directed graphs. The main challenges of the concerned problem lie in unbalanced directed graphs and nonlinearities of multi-agent systems with their agent states not available for feedback control. Based on a two-layer controller structure, a distributed optimal coordinator is first designed to convert the considered problem into a reference-tracking problem. Then a decentraliz…
Distributed Adaptive Neural Interval Observers for Unknown Nonlinear Systems
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM)（胡志明市理工大学机械工程学院，越南国立大学胡志明市分校）；Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New Mexico（新墨西哥大学数学与统计系）
We present a general emulation-based framework to address the distributed control of multi-agent systems over packet-based networks. We consider the setup where information is only transmitted at (non-uniform) sampling times and where packets are received with unknown delays. We design local dynamic periodic event-triggering mechanisms to generate the transmissions. The triggering mechanisms can run on non-synchronized digital platforms, i.e., we ensure that the conditions must only be verified at asynchronous sampling times, which may differ for each platform. Different stability and performa…
Distributed Nonlinear Equality-Constrained Optimization via Feedback Linearization and Singular Perturbation
College of Control Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University（浙江大学控制科学与工程学院）；Australia Centre for Field Robotics, The University of Sydney（悉尼大学澳大利亚野外机器人中心）
In this paper, a distributed learning leader-follower consensus protocol based on Gaussian process regression for a class of nonlinear multi-agent systems with unknown dynamics is designed. We propose a distributed learning approach to predict the residual dynamics for each agent. The stability of the consensus protocol using the data-driven model of the dynamics is shown via Lyapunov analysis. The followers ultimately synchronize to the leader with guaranteed error bounds by applying the proposed control law with a high probability. The effectiveness and the applicability of the developed pro…
Synchronization is a crucial phenomenon in many natural and artificial complex network systems. Applications include neuronal networks, formation control and coordination in robotics, and frequency synchronization in electrical power grids. In this paper, we propose the use of a distributed discontinuous coupling protocol to achieve convergence and synchronization in networks of non-identical nonlinear dynamical systems. We show that the synchronous dynamics is a solution to the average of the nodes' vector fields, and derive analytical estimates of the critical coupling gains required to achi…
The modular open-source framework GRAMPC-D for model predictive control of distributed systems is presented in this paper. The modular concept allows to solve optimal control problems (OCP) in a centralized and distributed fashion using the same problem description. It is tailored to computational efficiency with the focus on embedded hardware. The distributed solution is based on the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) and uses the concept of neighbor approximation to enhance convergence speed. The presented framework can be accessed through Cpp and Python and also supports plu…
In this paper, we investigate the noncooperative games of multi-agent systems. Different from existing noncooperative games, our formulation involves the high-order nonlinear dynamics of players, and the communication topologies among players are weight-unbalanced digraphs. Due to the high-order nonlinear dynamics and the weight-unbalanced digraphs, existing Nash equilibrium seeking algorithms cannot solve our problem. In order to seek the Nash equilibrium of the noncooperative games, we propose two distributed algorithms based on state feedback and output feedback, respectively. Moreover, we …
This brief addresses the distributed consensus problem of nonlinear multi-agent systems under a general directed communication topology. Each agent is governed by higher-order dynamics with mismatched uncertainties, multiple completely unknown high-frequency gains, and external disturbances. The main contribution of this brief is to present a new distributed consensus algorithm, enabling the control input of each agent to require minimal information from its neighboring agents, that is, only their output information. To this end, a dynamic system is explicitly constructed for each agent to gen…
Vehicle platooning has been shown to be quite fruitful in the transportation industry to enhance fuel economy, road throughput, and driving comfort. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is widely used in literature for platoon control to achieve certain objectives, such as safely reducing the distance among consecutive vehicles while following the leader vehicle. In this paper, we propose a Distributed Nonlinear MPC (DNMPC), based upon an existing approach, to control a heterogeneous dynamic platoon with unidirectional topologies, handling possible cut-in/cut-out maneuvers. The introduced method add…
Distributed state estimation is examined for a sensor network tasked with reconstructing a system's state through the use of a distributed and event-triggered observer. Each agent in the sensor network employs a deep neural network (DNN) to approximate the uncertain nonlinear dynamics of the system, which is trained using a multiple timescale approach. Specifically, the outer weights of each DNN are updated online using a Lyapunov-based gradient descent update law, while the inner weights and biases are trained offline using a supervised learning method and collected input-output data. The obs…
This paper presents the distributed pinning consensus solution for nonlinear positive multi-agent systems with nonlinear control input by applying observer-based control protocols. The network topology is considered as a directed and fully connected structure. By considering sector input nonlinearities and various forms of topologies, two kinds of state observers involving standard observer and distributed pinning observer are presented for each regarded nonlinear agent by applying a novel analysis directly dealing with the nonlinear input and nonlinear system dynamics. The measured local outp…
In this work, we present a distributed framework based on the graph algorithm for computing control invariant set for nonlinear cascade systems. The proposed algorithm exploits the structure of the interconnections within a process network. First, the overall system is decomposed into several subsystems with overlapping states. Second, the control invariant set for the subsystems are computed in a distributed manner. Finally, an approximation of the control invariant set for the overall system is reconstructed from the subsystem solutions and validated. We demonstrate the efficacy and converge…
University of Leuven (KU Leuven)（鲁汶大学）；Nanyang Technological University（南洋理工大学）
This paper addresses the trajectory tracking problem of an autonomous tractor-trailer system by using a fast distributed nonlinear model predictive control algorithm in combination with nonlinear moving horizon estimation for the state and parameter estimation in which constraints on the inputs and the states can be incorporated. The proposed control algorithm is capable of driving the tractor-trailer system to any desired trajectory ensuring high control accuracy and robustness against environmental disturbances.
This paper derives distributed conditions that guarantee the system-wide stability for power systems with nonlinear and heterogeneous bus dynamics interconnected via power network. Our conditions require each bus dynamics should satisfy certain passivity-like conditions with a large enough passivity index, a sufficient requirement of which is dictated by the steady-state power flow. The passivity indices uniformly quantify the impacts on the system-wide stability of individual bus dynamics and the coupling strength from the power network. Furthermore, taking three typical bus dynamics as examp…
Distributed Kalman Filter for A Class of Nonlinear Uncertain Systems: An Extended State Method
LSC, NCMIS, Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院数学与系统科学研究院）；School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学数学科学学院）
A geometric nonlinear observer algorithm for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) developed on the Lie group of \mathbb{SLAM}_{n}\left(3\right) is proposed. The presented novel solution estimates the vehicle's pose (i.e. attitude and position) with respect to landmarks simultaneously positioning the reference features in the global frame. The proposed estimator on manifold is characterized by predefined measures of transient and steady-state performance. Dynamically reducing boundaries guide the error function of the system to reduce asymptotically to the origin from its starting posit…
This paper investigates the state estimation problem for a class of complex networks, in which the dynamics of each node is subject to Gaussian noise, system uncertainties and nonlinearities. Based on a regularized least-squares approach, the estimation problem is reformulated as an optimization problem, solving for a solution in a distributed way by utilizing a decoupling technique. Then, based on this solution, a class of estimators is designed to handle the system dynamics and constraints. A novel feature of this design lies in the unified modeling of uncertainties and nonlinearities, the d…
We address the problem of designing simultaneous input and state interval observers for Lipschitz continuous nonlinear systems with rank-deficient feedthrough, unknown inputs and bounded noise signals. Benefiting from the existence of nonlinear decomposition functions and affine abstractions, our proposed observer recursively computes the maximal and minimal elements of the estimate intervals that are proven to contain the true states and unknown inputs. Moreover, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence and sufficient conditions for the stability (i.e., uniform bounded…
We study the platoon control of vehicles with third-order nonlinear dynamics under the constant spacing policy. We consider a vehicle model with parameter uncertainties and external disturbances and propose a distributed control law based on an event-triggered extended state observer (ESO). First, an event-triggered ESO is designed to estimate the unmodeled dynamics in the vehicle model. Then based on the estimate of the unmodeled dynamics, a distributed control law is designed by using a modified dynamic surface control method. The control law of each follower vehicle only uses the informatio…
