Ultimately Bounded Output Feedback Control for Networked Nonlinear Systems With Unreliable Communication Channel: A Buffer-Aided Strategy

This paper concerns ultimately bounded output-feedback control problems for networked systems with unknown nonlinear dynamics. Sensor-to-observer signal transmission is facilitated over networks that has communication constraints.These transmissions are carried out over an unreliable communication channel. In order to enhance the utilization rate of measurement data, a buffer-aided strategy is novelly employed to store historical measurements when communication networks are inaccessible. Using the neural network technique, a novel observer-based controller is introduced to address effects of signal transmission behaviors and unknown nonlinear dynamics.Through the application of stochastic analysis and Lyapunov stability, a joint framework is constructed for analyzing resultant system performance under the introduced controller. Subsequently, existence conditions for the desired output-feedback controller are delineated. The required parameters for the observerbased controller are then determined by resolving some specific matrix inequalities. Finally, a simulation example is showcased to confirm method efficacy.

Model-based predictive controller design for a class of nonlinear networked systems with communication delays and data loss

This paper discusses the model-based predictive controller design of networked nonlinear systems with communica- tion delay and data loss. Based on the analysis of the closed-loop networked predictive control systems, the model-based networked predictive control strategy can compensate for communication delay and data loss in an active way. The designed model-based predictive controller can also guarantee the stability of the closed-loop networked system. The simulation re- suits demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed model-based predictive controller design scheme.

DNBP-CCA:A Novel Approach to Enhancing Heterogeneous Data Traffic and Reliable Data Transmission for Body Area Network

The increased adoption of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) technologies has resulted in the widespread use ofBody Area Networks (BANs) in medical and non-medical domains. However, the performance of IEEE 802.15.4-based BANs is impacted by challenges related to heterogeneous data traffic requirements among nodes, includingcontention during finite backoff periods, association delays, and traffic channel access through clear channelassessment (CCA) algorithms. These challenges lead to increased packet collisions, queuing delays, retransmissions,and the neglect of critical traffic, thereby hindering performance indicators such as throughput, packet deliveryratio, packet drop rate, and packet delay. Therefore, we propose Dynamic Next Backoff Period and Clear ChannelAssessment (DNBP-CCA) schemes to address these issues. The DNBP-CCA schemes leverage a combination ofthe Dynamic Next Backoff Period (DNBP) scheme and the Dynamic Next Clear Channel Assessment (DNCCA)scheme. The DNBP scheme employs a fuzzy Takagi, Sugeno, and Kang (TSK) model’s inference system toquantitatively analyze backoff exponent, channel clearance, collision ratio, and data rate as input parameters. Onthe other hand, the DNCCA scheme dynamically adapts the CCA process based on requested data transmission tothe coordinator, considering input parameters such as buffer status ratio and acknowledgement ratio. As a result,simulations demonstrate that our proposed schemes are better than some existing representative approaches andenhance data transmission, reduce node collisions, improve average throughput, and packet delivery ratio, anddecrease average packet drop rate and packet delay.

Neural-Network-Based Control for Discrete-Time Nonlinear Systems with Input Saturation Under Stochastic Communication Protocol

In this paper,an adaptive dynamic programming(ADP)strategy is investigated for discrete-time nonlinear systems with unknown nonlinear dynamics subject to input saturation.To save the communication resources between the controller and the actuators,stochastic communication protocols(SCPs)are adopted to schedule the control signal,and therefore the closed-loop system is essentially a protocol-induced switching system.A neural network(NN)-based identifier with a robust term is exploited for approximating the unknown nonlinear system,and a set of switch-based updating rules with an additional tunable parameter of NN weights are developed with the help of the gradient descent.By virtue of a novel Lyapunov function,a sufficient condition is proposed to achieve the stability of both system identification errors and the update dynamics of NN weights.Then,a value iterative ADP algorithm in an offline way is proposed to solve the optimal control of protocol-induced switching systems with saturation constraints,and the convergence is profoundly discussed in light of mathematical induction.Furthermore,an actor-critic NN scheme is developed to approximate the control law and the proposed performance index function in the framework of ADP,and the stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed in view of the Lyapunov theory.Finally,the numerical simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

H-infinity performance optimization for networked control systems with limited communication channels

This paper studies the problems of H-infinity performance optimization and controller design for continuous-time NCSs with both sensor-to-controller and controller-to-actuator communication constraints （limited communication channels）. By taking the derivative character of network-induced delay into full consideration and defining new Lyapunov functions, linear matrix inequalities （LMIs）-based H-infinity performance optimization and controller design are presented for NCSs with limited communication channels. If there do not exist any constraints on the communication channels, the proposed design methods are also applicable. The merit of the proposed methods lies in their Jess conservativeness, which is achieved by avoiding the utilization of bounding inequalities for cross products of vectors. The simulation results illustrate the merit and effectiveness of the proposed H-infinity controller design for NCSs with limited communication channels.

Robust control for a class of nonlinear networked systems with stochastic communication delays via sliding mode conception

This paper deals with the robust control problem for a class of uncertain nonlinear networked systems with stochastic communication delays via sliding mode conception （SMC）. A sequence of variables obeying Bernoulli distribution are employed to model the randomly occurring communication delays which could be different for different state variables. A discrete switching function that is different from those in the existing literature is first proposed. Then, expressed as the feasibility of a linear matrix inequality （LMI） with an equality constraint, sufficient conditions are derived in order to ensure the globally mean-square asymptotic stability of the system dynamics on the sliding surface. A discrete-time SMC controller is then synthesized to guarantee the discrete-time sliding mode reaching condition with the specified sliding surface. Finally, a simulation example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Reliability Analysis of Controller Area Network Based Systems—A Review

This paper reviews the research work done on the Reliability Analysis of Controller Area Network (CAN) based systems. During the last couple of decades, real-time researchers have extended schedulability analysis to a mature technique which for nontrivial systems can be used to determine whether a set of tasks executing on a single CPU or in a distributed system will meet their deadlines or not [1-3]. The main focus of the real-time research community is on hard real-time systems, and the essence of analyzing such systems is to investigate if deadlines are met in a worst case scenario. Whether this worst case actually will occur during execution, or if it is likely to occur, is not normally considered. Reliability modeling, on the other hand, involves study of fault models, characterization of distribution functions of faults and development of methods and tools for composing these distributions and models in estimating an overall reliability figure for the system [4]. This paper presents the research work done on reliability analysis developed with a focus on Controller-Area-Network-based automotive systems.

Admission control based on beamforming and interference alignment for D2D communication underlaying cellular networks

An admission control algorithm based on beamforming and interference alignment for device-to-device( D2D) communication underlaying cellular networks is proposed. First, some portion of D2D pairs that are the farthest away from the base station( BS) is selected to perform joint zero-forcing beamforming together with the cellular user equipments( UEs) and is admitted to the cellular network. The interference of the BS transmitting signal to the cellular UEs and the portion of D2D pair is eliminated completely at the same time. Secondly,based on the idea of interference alignment,the definition of channel parallelism is given. The channel parallelism of the remaining D2D pairs which are not involved in joint zero-forcing beamforming is computed by using the channel state information from the BS to the D2D devices. The higher the channel parallelism,the less interference the D2D pair suffers from the BS. Finally,in a descending order of channel parallelism,the remaining D2D pairs are reviewed in succession to determine admission to the cellular network. The algorithm stops when the admission of a D2D pair decreases the system sum rate. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the interference of the BS transmitting signal for D2D pairs and significantly improve system capacity. Furthermore, D2D communication is more applicable to short-range links.

STUDY ON THE OPTIMIZATION OF TRANSPORT CONTROL POLICY IN COMMUNICATION NETWORK

In communication networks with policy-based Transport Control on-Demand (TCoD) function,the transport control policies play a great impact on the network effectiveness. To evaluate and optimize the transport policies in communication network,a policy-based TCoD network model is given and a comprehensive evaluation index system of the network effectiveness is put forward from both network application and handling mechanism perspectives. A TCoD network prototype system based on Asynchronous Transfer Mode/Multi-Protocol Label Switching (ATM/MPLS) is introduced and some experiments are performed on it. The prototype system is evaluated and analyzed with the comprehensive evaluation index system. The results show that the index system can be used to judge whether the communication network can meet the application requirements or not,and can provide references for the optimization of the transport policies so as to improve the communication network effectiveness.

M/S Controller Area Network(CAN) System Using Shared-Clock Scheduler

The Controller Area Network (CAN) is a well established control network for automotive and automation control applications. Time-Triggered Controller Area Network (TTCAN) is a recent development which introduces a session layer,for message scheduling,to the existing CAN standard,which is a two layer standard comprising of a physical layer and a data link layer. TTCAN facilitates network communication in a time-triggered fashion,by introducing a Time Division Multiple Access style communication scheme. This allows deterministic network behavior,where maximum message latency times can be quantified and guaranteed. In order to solve the problem of determinate time latency and synchronization among several districted units in one auto panel CAN systems,this paper proposed a prototype design implementation for a shared-clock scheduler based on PIC18F458 MCU. This leads to improved CAN system performance and avoid the latency jitters and guarantee a deterministic communication pattern on the bus. The real runtime performance is satisfied.

Multi-Objective Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm Based on Effective Area in Cognitive Emergency Communication Networks

Cognitive emergency communication net-works can meet the requirements of large capac-ity,high density and low delay in emergency com-munications.This paper analyzes the properties of emergency users in cognitive emergency communi-cation networks,designs a multi-objective optimiza-tion and proposes a novel multi-objective bacterial foraging optimization algorithm based on effective area(MOBFO-EA)to maximize the transmission rate while maximizing the lifecycle of the network.In the algorithm,the effective area is proposed to prevent the algorithm from falling into a local optimum,and the diversity and uniformity of the Pareto-optimal solu-tions distributed in the effective area are used to eval-uate the optimization algorithm.Then,the dynamic preservation is used to enhance the competitiveness of excellent individuals and the uniformity and diversity of the Pareto-optimal solutions in the effective area.Finally,the adaptive step size,adaptive moving direc-tion and inertial weight are used to shorten the search time of bacteria and accelerate the optimization con-vergence.The simulation results show that the pro-posed MOBFO-EA algorithm improves the efficiency of the Pareto-optimal solutions by approximately 55%compared with the MOPSO algorithm and by approx-imately 60%compared with the MOBFO algorithm and has the fastest and smoothest convergence.

Neural-network-based fully distributed formation control for nonlinear multi-agent systems with event-triggered communication

This paper investigates the consensus-based formation control problem for multi-agent systems with unknown nonlinear dynamics.To achieve the desired formation,we propose two formation controllers to achieve the desired formation,one based on system states and the other on system outputs.The proposed controllers utilize adaptive gains to avoid global information and neural networks to estimate and compensate for nonlinearities.The proposed event-triggered schemes avoid continuous communication among agents and exclude the Zeno behavior.Stability analysis reveals that formation errors are bounded,and numerical simulations are used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

Distributed robust power control in two-tier vehicle networks under uncertain channel environments

This paper proposes a novel optimization scheme to support stable and reliable vehicle-to-everything connections in two-tier networks,where the uplink channel of the cellular user is reused by underlay vehicle-to-vehicle communications.However,considering complex channel fading and high-speed vehicle movement,the cer-tainty assumption is impractical and fails to maintain power control strategy in reality in the traditional statical vehicular networks.Rather than the perfect channel state information assumption,the first-order Gauss-Markov process which is a probabilistic model affected by vehicle speed and fading is introduced to describe imperfect channel gains.Moreover,interference management is a major challenge in reusing communications,especially in uncertain channel environments.Power control is an effective way to realize interference management,and optimal power allocation can ensure that interference of the user meets the communication requirements.In this study,the sum-rate-oriented power control scheme and minimum-rate-oriented power control scheme were implemented to manage interference and satisfy different design objectives.Since both of these schemes are non-convex and intractable,the Bernstein approximation and successive convex approximation methods were adopted to transform the original problems into convex ones.Furthermore,a novel distributed robust power control al-gorithm was developed to determine the optimal solutions.The performance of the algorithm was evaluated through numerical simulations,and the results indicate that the proposed algorithm is effective in vehicular communication networks with uncertain channel environments.

Predictive Decision and Reliable Accessing for UAV Communication in Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks

The cooperation of multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs) has become a promising scenario in Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks(SAGINs) recently due to their widespread applications,where wireless communication is a basic necessity and is normally categorized into control and nonpayload communication(CNPC) as well as payload communication. In this paper, we attempt to tackle two challenges of UAV communication respectively on establishing reliable CNPC links against the high mobility of UAVs as well as changeable communication conditions, and on offering dynamic resource optimization for Quality-of-Service(QoS) guaranteed payload communication with variable link connectivity. Firstly, we propose the concept of air controlling center(ACC), a virtual application equipped on the infrastructure in SAGINs, which can collect global information for estimating UAV trajectory and communication channels. We then introduce the knapsack problem for modelling resource optimization of UAV communication in order to provide optimal access points for both CNPC and payload communication. Meanwhile, using the air controlling information, predictive decision algorithm and handover strategy are introduced for the reliable connection with multiple access points. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposal ensures an approximate always-on reliable accessing of communication links and outperforms the existing methods against high mobility,sparse distribution, and physical obstacles.

Successive lag synchronization on dynamical networks with communication delay

In this paper, successive lag synchronization （SLS） on a dynamical network with communication delay is investigated. In order to achieve SLS on the dynamical network with communication delay, we design linear feedback control and adaptive control, respectively. By using the Lyapunov function method, we obtain some sufficient conditions for global stability of SLS. To verify these results, some numerical examples are further presented. This work may find potential applications in consensus of multi-agent systems.

Robot-Oriented 6G Satellite-UAV Networks: Requirements, Paradigm Shifts, and Case Studies

Networked robots can perceive their surroundings, interact with each other or humans,and make decisions to accomplish specified tasks in remote/hazardous/complex environments. Satelliteunmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) networks can support such robots by providing on-demand communication services. However, under traditional open-loop communication paradigm, the network resources are usually divided into user-wise mostly-independent links,via ignoring the task-level dependency of robot collaboration. Thus, it is imperative to develop a new communication paradigm, taking into account the highlevel content and values behind, to facilitate multirobot operation. Inspired by Wiener’s Cybernetics theory, this article explores a closed-loop communication paradigm for the robot-oriented satellite-UAV network. This paradigm turns to handle group-wise structured links, so as to allocate resources in a taskoriented manner. It could also exploit the mobility of robots to liberate the network from full coverage,enabling new orchestration between network serving and positive mobility control of robots. Moreover,the integration of sensing, communications, computing and control would enlarge the benefit of this new paradigm. We present a case study for joint mobile edge computing(MEC) offloading and mobility control of robots, and finally outline potential challenges and open issues.

Availability evaluation of controller area networks under the influence of intermittent connection faults

Controller area networks(CANs),as one of the widely used fieldbuses in the industry,have been extended to the automation field with strict standards for safety and reliability.In practice,factors such as fatigue and insulation wear of the cables can cause intermittent connection(IC)faults to occur frequently in the CAN,which will affect the dynamic behavior and the safety of the system.Hence,quantitatively evaluating the performance of the CAN under the influence of IC faults is crucial to real-time health monitoring of the system.In this paper,a novel methodology is proposed for real-time quantitative evaluation of CAN availability when considering IC faults,with the system availability parameter being calculated based on the network state transition model.First,the causal relationship between IC fault and network error response is constructed,based on which the IC fault arrival rate is estimated.Second,the states of the network considering IC faults are analyzed,and the deterministic and stochastic Petri net(DSPN)model is applied to describe the transition relationship of the states.Then,the parameters of the DSPN model are determined and the availability of the system is calculated based on the probability distribution and physical meaning of markings in the DSPN model.A testbed is constructed and case studies are conducted to verify the proposed methodology under various experimental setups.Experimental results show that the estimation results obtained using the proposed method agree well with the actual values.

Error Control Strategy in Ultrasonic Body Area Networks

Recently,ultrasonic waves had been introduced as the transmission medium in Body Area Networks(BANs) to reduce the incalculable damage caused by radio waves. However,the communications based on ultrasonic waves suffer from poor propagation of signals in air and consume too much energy. To address these limitations,firstly,we make the theoretical analysis to ensure ultrasonic waves could be used in BANs(UBANs). Then,we propose an error control strategy in UBANs to dynamically adjust the error control scheme and the Max-Retries based on the current channel state,which is called UECS. The UECS is based on IEEE 802.15.6 standards and considering the characteristics of ultrasonic waves in BANs. Simulation results show that UECS achieves better performance in terms of packet delivery ratio and energy consumption compared with the traditional strategies.

Traffic Scheduling Mechanism Based on Interference Avoidance for Meter Data Collection in Wireless Smart Grid Communication Networks

Meter Data Collection Building Area Network(MDCBAN) deployed in high rises is playing an increasingly important role in wireless multi-hop smart grid meter data collection. Recently, increasingly numerous application layer data traffic makes MDCBAN be facing serious communication pressure. In addition, large density of meter data collection devices scattered in the limited geographical space of high rises results in obvious communication interference. To solve these problems, a traffic scheduling mechanism based on interference avoidance for meter data collection in MDCBAN is proposed. Firstly, the characteristics of network topology are analyzed and the corresponding traffic distribution model is proposed. Next, a wireless multi-channel selection scheme for different Floor Gateways and a single-channel time unit assignment scheme for data collection devices in the same Floor Network are proposed to avoid interference. At last, a data balanced traffic scheduling algorithm is proposed. Simulation results show that balanced traffic distribution and highly efficient and reliable data transmission can be achieved on the basis of effective interference avoidance between data collection devices.

Collision Classification MAC Protocol for Underwater Acoustic Communication Networks Using Directional Antennas

Traditional underwater acoustic communication networks(UACNs)generally use omnidirectional transmission technology that causes a large number of data-packet collisions,thus resulting in low network throughput and high end-to-end delays.Compared with omnidirectional transmission technology,directional technology only sends and receives data packets in a specified direction.This can significantly reduce the probability of collisions and improve network performance.However,it also causes a deafness problem,which occurs when the sending node sends a data packet to the receiving node but the receiving node is unable to reply to the sender,because its antenna beam is closed.To resolve this issue,this study proposes a collision classification media access control(CC-MAC)protocol for UACNs.With this protocol,the underwater acoustic channel is divided into two subchannels,and the nodes transmit corresponding data types on them.The sending node can estimate the current status of the receiving node(i.e.,no collision,normal collision,deafness)according to the type of the data packet received and the sub-channel it arrived on,and it can choose correct options to improve network efficiency.Finally,we verify the performance of CC-MAC via simulations,showing that the protocol achieved higher network throughput and lower end-toend delays.