Path Tracking Controller Design of Automated Parking Systems via NMPC with an Instructible Solution

Parking difficulties have become a social issue that people have to solve.Automated parking system is practicable for quick par operations without a driver which can also greatly reduces the probability of parking accidents.The paper proposes a Lyapunov-based nonlinear model predictive controller embedding an instructable solution which is generated by the modified rear-wheel feedback method(RF-LNMPC)in order to improve the overall path tracking accuracy in parking conditions.Firstly,A discrete-time RF-LNMPC considering the position and attitude of the parking vehicle is proposed to increase the success rate of automated parking effectively.Secondly,the RF-LNMPC problem with a multi-objective cost function is solved by the Interior-Point Optimization,of which the iterative initial values are described as the instructable solutions calculated by combining modified rear-wheel feedback to improve the performance of local optimal solution.Thirdly,the details on the computation of the terminal constraint and terminal cost for the linear time-varying case is presented.The closed-loop stability is verified via Lyapunov techniques by considering the terminal constraint and terminal cost theoretically.Finally,the proposed RF-LNMPC is implemented on a selfdriving Lincoln MKZ platform and the experiment results have shown improved performance in parallel and vertical parking conditions.The Monte Carlo analysis also demonstrates good stability and repeatability of the proposed method which can be applied in practical use in the near future.

A Back-stepping Based Trajectory Tracking Controller for a Non-chained Nonholonomic Spherical Robot

Spherical robot has good static and dynamic stability, which provides it with strong viability in hostile environment, but the lack of effective control methods has hindered its application and development. This article deals with the dynamic trajectory tracking problem of the spherical robot BHQ-2 designed for unmanned environment exploration. The dynamic model of the spherical robot is established with a simplified Boltzmann-Hamel equation, based on which a trajectory tracking controller is designed by using the back-stepping method. The convergence of the controller is proved with the Lyapunov stability theory. Numerical simulations show that with the controller the robot can globally and asymptotically track desired trajectories, both linear and circular.

Adaptive Trajectory Tracking Control for Nonholonomic Wheeled Mobile Robots:A Barrier Function Sliding Mode Approach

The trajectory tracking control performance of nonholonomic wheeled mobile robots(NWMRs)is subject to nonholonomic constraints,system uncertainties,and external disturbances.This paper proposes a barrier function-based adaptive sliding mode control(BFASMC)method to provide high-precision,fast-response performance and robustness for NWMRs.Compared with the conventional adaptive sliding mode control,the proposed control strategy can guarantee that the sliding mode variables converge to a predefined neighborhood of origin with a predefined reaching time independent of the prior knowledge of the uncertainties and disturbances bounds.Another advantage of the proposed algorithm is that the control gains can be adaptively adjusted to follow the disturbances amplitudes thanks to the barrier function.The benefit is that the overestimation of control gain can be eliminated,resulting in chattering reduction.Moreover,a modified barrier function-like control gain is employed to prevent the input saturation problem due to the physical limit of the actuator.The stability analysis and comparative experiments demonstrate that the proposed BFASMC can ensure the prespecified convergence performance of the NWMR system output variables and strong robustness against uncertainties/disturbances.

Practical prescribed-time fuzzy tracking control for uncertain nonlinear systems with time-varying actuators faults

The paper investigates the practical prescribed-time fuzzy tracking control problem for a category of nonlinear system subject to time-varying actuator faults.The presence of unknown nonlinear dynamics and actuator faults makes achieving tracking control within a prescribed-time challenging.To tackle this issue,we propose a novel practical prescribed-time fuzzy tracking control strategy,which is independent of the initial state of the system and does not rely on precise modeling of the system and actuators.We apply the approximation capabilities of fuzzy logic systems to handle the unknown nonlinear functions and unidentified actuator faults in the system.The piecewise controller and adaptive law constructed based on piecewise prescribed time-varying function and backstepping technique method establish the theoretical framework of practical prescribed-time tracking control,and extend the range of prescribed-time tracking control to infinity.Regardless of the initial conditions,the proposed control strategy can guarantee that all signals remain uniformly bounded within the practical prescribed time in the presence of unknown nonlinear item and time-varying actuator faults.Simulation example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Practical Prescribed Time Tracking Control With Bounded Time-Varying Gain Under Non-Vanishing Uncertainties

This paper investigates the prescribed-time control(PTC) problem for a class of strict-feedback systems subject to non-vanishing uncertainties. The coexistence of mismatched uncertainties and non-vanishing disturbances makes PTC synthesis nontrivial. In this work, a control method that does not involve infinite time-varying gain is proposed, leading to a practical and global prescribed time tracking control solution for the strict-feedback systems, in spite of both the mismatched and nonvanishing uncertainties. Different from methods based on control switching to avoid the issue of infinite control gain that involves control discontinuity at the switching point, in our method a softening unit is exclusively included to ensure the continuity of the control action. Furthermore, in contrast to most existing prescribed-time control works where the control scheme is only valid on a finite time interval, in this work, the proposed control scheme is valid on the entire time interval. In addition, the prior information on the upper or lower bound of gi is not in need,enlarging the applicability of the proposed method. Both the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm.

Adaptive state-constrained/model-free iterative sliding mode control for aerial robot trajectory tracking

This paper develops a novel hierarchical control strategy for improving the trajectory tracking capability of aerial robots under parameter uncertainties.The hierarchical control strategy is composed of an adaptive sliding mode controller and a model-free iterative sliding mode controller(MFISMC).A position controller is designed based on adaptive sliding mode control(SMC)to safely drive the aerial robot and ensure fast state convergence under external disturbances.Additionally,the MFISMC acts as an attitude controller to estimate the unmodeled dynamics without detailed knowledge of aerial robots.Then,the adaption laws are derived with the Lyapunov theory to guarantee the asymptotic tracking of the system state.Finally,to demonstrate the performance and robustness of the proposed control strategy,numerical simulations are carried out,which are also compared with other conventional strategies,such as proportional-integralderivative(PID),backstepping(BS),and SMC.The simulation results indicate that the proposed hierarchical control strategy can fulfill zero steady-state error and achieve faster convergence compared with conventional strategies.

Reinforcement learning based adaptive control for uncertain mechanical systems with asymptotic tracking

This paper mainly focuses on the development of a learning-based controller for a class of uncertain mechanical systems modeled by the Euler-Lagrange formulation.The considered system can depict the behavior of a large class of engineering systems,such as vehicular systems,robot manipulators and satellites.All these systems are often characterized by highly nonlinear characteristics,heavy modeling uncertainties and unknown perturbations,therefore,accurate-model-based nonlinear control approaches become unavailable.Motivated by the challenge,a reinforcement learning(RL)adaptive control methodology based on the actor-critic framework is investigated to compensate the uncertain mechanical dynamics.The approximation inaccuracies caused by RL and the exogenous unknown disturbances are circumvented via a continuous robust integral of the sign of the error(RISE)control approach.Different from a classical RISE control law,a tanh(·)function is utilized instead of a sign(·)function to acquire a more smooth control signal.The developed controller requires very little prior knowledge of the dynamic model,is robust to unknown dynamics and exogenous disturbances,and can achieve asymptotic output tracking.Eventually,co-simulations through ADAMS and MATLAB/Simulink on a three degrees-of-freedom(3-DOF)manipulator and experiments on a real-time electromechanical servo system are performed to verify the performance of the proposed approach.

Guaranteed Cost Attitude Tracking Control for Uncertain Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Under Safety Constraints

In this paper,guaranteed cost attitude tracking con-trol for uncertain quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle(QUAV)under safety constraints is studied.First,an augmented system is constructed by the tracking error system and reference system.This transformation aims to convert the tracking control prob-lem into a stabilization control problem.Then,control barrier function and disturbance attenuation function are designed to characterize the violations of safety constraints and tolerance of uncertain disturbances,and they are incorporated into the reward function as penalty items.Based on the modified reward function,the problem is simplified as the optimal regulation problem of the nominal augmented system,and a new Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation is developed.Finally,critic-only rein-forcement learning algorithm with a concurrent learning tech-nique is employed to solve the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equa-tion and obtain the optimal controller.The proposed algorithm can not only ensure the reward function within an upper bound in the presence of uncertain disturbances,but also enforce safety constraints.The performance of the algorithm is evaluated by the numerical simulation.

Demagnetization Analysis and Velocity Tracking Control of In-wheel Motor

The error caused by irreversible demagnetization damages the accurate velocity tracking of an in-wheel motor in a mobile robot.A current feedforward vector control system based on ESO is proposed to compensate it for the demagnetization motor.A demagnetization mathematical model is established to describe a permanent magnet synchronous motor,which took the change of permanent magnet flux linkage parameters as a factor to count the demagnetization error in velocity tracking.The uncertain disturbance estimation model of the control system is built based on ESO,which eliminates the system error by the feedforward current compensation.It is compared with the vector control method in terms of control accuracy.The simulation results show that the current feedforward vector control method based on ESO reduces the velocity tracking error greatly in conditions of motor demagnetization less than 30%.It is effective to improve the operation accuracy of the mobile robot.

Adaptive Robust Control with Leakage-Type Control Law for Trajectory Tracking of Exoskeleton Robots

This paper investigates the trajectory following problem of exoskeleton robots with numerous constraints. However, as a typical nonlinear system with variability and parameter uncertainty, it is difficult to accurately achieve the trajectory tracking control for exoskeletons. In this paper, we present a robust control of trajectory tracking control based on servo constraints. Firstly, we consider the uncertainties (e.g., modelling errors, initial condition deviations, structural vibrations, and other unknown external disturbances) in the exoskeleton system, which are time-varying and bounded. Secondly, we establish the dynamic model and formulate a close-loop connection between the dynamic model and the real world. Then, the trajectory tracking issue is regarded as a servo constraint problem, and an adaptive robust control with leakage-type adaptive law is proposed with the guaranteed Lyapunov stability. Finally, we conduct numerical simulations to verify the performance of the proposed controller.

Optimal Tracking Controller Design for a Small Scale Helicopter

A model helicopter is more difficult to control than its full scale counterpart. This is due to its greater sensitivity to control inputs and disturbances as well as higher bandwidth of dynamics. This work is focused on designing practical tracking controller for a small scale helicopter following predefined trajectories. A tracking controller based on optimal control theory is synthesized as a part of the development of an autonomous helicopter. Some issues with regards to control constraints are addressed. The weighting between state tracking performance and control power expenditure is analyzed. Overall performance of the control design is evaluated based on its time domain histories of trajectories as well as control inputs.

Robust Controller Design for Satellite Attitude Tracking System

The attitude tracking control problem for a satellite with parameter uncertainties and external disturbances is considered in this paper. For this class of multi-input multi-output uncertain nonlinear systems, a design method of robust output tracking controllers is proposed based on the upper-bounds of the uncertainties. Using the input/output feedback linearization approach and Lyapunov method, a control law is designed, which guarantees that the system output exponentially tracks the given desired output. The proposed controller is easy to compute and complement. Simulation results show that, in the closed-loop system, precise attitude control is accomplished in spite of the uncertainties in the system.

Neural Network Based Robust Controller for Trajectory Tracking of Underwater Vehicles

A robust neural network controller （NNC） is presented for tracking control of underwater vehicles with uncertainties. The controller is obtained by using backstepping technique and Lyapunov function design in combination with neural network identification. Modeling errors and environmental disturbances are considered in the mathematical model. A twolayer neural network is introduced to compensate the modeling errors, while H∞ control strategy is used to achieve the L2-gain performance. The uniformly ultimately bounded （UUB） stabilities of tracking errors and NN weights are guaran- teed through the proposed controller. An on-line NN weights tuning algorithm is also propesed. Good performances of the tracking control system are illustrated bv the results of numerical simulations.

Self-adaptive PID controller of microwave drying rotary device tuning on-line by genetic algorithms

The control design, based on self-adaptive PID with genetic algorithms(GA) tuning on-line was investigated, for the temperature control of industrial microwave drying rotary device with the multi-layer(IMDRDWM) and with multivariable nonlinear interaction of microwave and materials. The conventional PID control strategy incorporated with optimization GA was put forward to maintain the optimum drying temperature in order to keep the moisture content below 1%, whose adaptation ability included the cost function of optimization GA according to the output change. Simulations on five different industrial process models and practical temperature process control system for selenium-enriched slag drying intensively by using IMDRDWM were carried out systematically, indicating the reliability and effectiveness of control design. The parameters of proposed control design are all on-line implemented without iterative predictive calculations, and the closed-loop system stability is guaranteed, which makes the developed scheme simpler in its synthesis and application, providing the practical guidelines for the control implementation and the parameter design.

A new nonlinear output tracking controller via output-feedback

In this paper, the output tracking control is investigated for a class of nonlinear systems when only output is available for feedback. Based on the multivariable analog of circle criterion, an observer is first introduced. Then, the observer-based output tracking controller is constructively designed by using the integral backstepping approach together with completing square. It is shown that, under relatively mild conditions, all the closed-loop signals are uniformly bounded. Meanwhile the system output asymptotically tracks the desired output. A simulation example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.

Tracking controller for robot manipulators viac omposite nonlinear feedback law

A composite nonlinear feedback tracking controller for motion control of robot manipulators is described. The structure of the controller is composed of a composite nonlinear feedback law plus full robot nonlinear dynamics compensation. The stability is carried out in the presence of friction. The controller takes advantage of varying damping ratios induced by the composite nonlinear feedback control, so the transient performance of the closed-loop is remarkably improved. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.

Self-adaptive fuzzy controller with formulary rule for servo control of discharge gap in Micro EDM

In micro electrical discharge machining （micro EDM）, it is difficult for servo controlling the narrow discharge gap with the characters of non-linear and quick change. In this paper, aiming at solving the problems above, a self-adaptive fuzzy controller with formulary rule （SAFCFR） is presented based on the dual feedbacks composed by gap electric signal and discharge-ratio statistics. To ensure the properties of self-optimizing and fast stabilization, the formulary rule was designed with a tuning factor. In addition, the fast-convergence algorithms were introduced to adjust control target center and output scale factor. In this way, the normal discharge ratio can tend to the highest value during micro-EDM process. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms are effective in improving the servo-control performance. According to the drilling-micro-EDM experiments, the machining efficiency is improved by 20% through applying SAFCFR. Moreover, SAFCFR is a prompt way to optimize parameters of discharge-gap servo control.

Observer-Based Path Tracking Controller Design for Autonomous Ground Vehicles With Input Saturation

This paper investigates the problem of path tracking control for autonomous ground vehicles(AGVs),where the input saturation,system nonlinearities and uncertainties are considered.Firstly,the nonlinear path tracking system is formulated as a linear parameter varying(LPV)model where the variation of vehicle velocity is taken into account.Secondly,considering the noise effects on the measurement of lateral offset and heading angle,an observer-based control strategy is proposed,and by analyzing the frequency domain characteristics of the derivative of desired heading angle,a finite frequency H_∞index is proposed to attenuate the effects of the derivative of desired heading angle on path tracking error.Thirdly,sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee robust H_∞performance of the path tracking system,and the calculation of observer and controller gains is converted into solving a convex optimization problem.Finally,simulation examples verify the advantages of the control method proposed in this paper.

A fuzzy control and neural network based rotor speed controller for maximum power point tracking in permanent magnet synchronous wind power generation system

When the wind speed changes significantly in a permanent magnet synchronous wind power generation system,the maximum power point cannot be easily determined in a timely manner.This study proposes a maximum power reference signal search method based on fuzzy control,which is an improvement to the climbing search method.A neural network-based parameter regulator is proposed to address external wind speed fluctuations,where the parameters of a proportional-integral controller is adjusted to accurately monitor the maximum power point under different wind speed conditions.Finally,the effectiveness of this method is verified via Simulink simulation.

Book Announcement of L. Celentano, Robust Tracking Controllers Design with Generic References for Continuous and Discrete Uncertain Linear SISO Systems, LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2012

In this book new results on controller design techniques for the tracking of generic reference inputs are presented. They allow the design of a controller for an uncertain process, either continuous or discrete-time, without zeros, and with measurable state. The controller guarantees that the control system is Type 1 and has the desired constant gain and poles or that the control system tracks, with a specified maximum error and with a specified maximum time constant, a generic reference with bounded derivative (variation in the discrete-time case), also in the presence of a generic disturbance with bounded derivative (variation). In addition, it is considered the case in which the reference is known a priori. The utility and the efficiency of the proposed methods are illustrated with attractive and significant examples of motion control and temperature control. This book is useful for the design of control systems, especially for manufacturing systems, that are versatile, fast, precise and robust.