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.

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.

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.

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.

Ethernet Implementation of Fault Tolerant Train Network for Entertainment and Mixed Control Traffic

This paper studies the integration of the control system and entertainment on board of train wagons. Both the control and entertainment loads are implemented on top of Gigabit Ethernet, each with a dedicated controller/server. The control load has mixed sampling periods. It is proven that this system can tolerate the failure of one controller in one wagon. In a two wagon scenario, fault tolerance at the controller level is studied, and simulation results show that the system can tolerate the failure of 3 controllers. The system is successful in meeting the packet end-to-end delay with zero packet loss in all OPNET simulated scenarios. The maximum permissible entertainment load is determined for the fault tolerant scenarios.

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.

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.

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.

FINDING THE OPTIMAL LENGTH OF DATA FRAME IN PLC COMPUTER NETWORK

The length of data frame is an important parameter in Medium Access Control(MAC) layer protocol. A method of finding the optimal length of data frame when impulsive disturbance is involved in PowerLine Communications (PLC) is proposed. Having analyzed the characteristics of impulsive disturbance in powerline and the collision mechanism between the disturbance and data frame, this letter gives the function of the network channel utilization with the length of data frame in MAC layer and the impulsive disturbance. Our stochastic process simulation shows that it is feasible to get the optimal length of data frame.

Time-stamped predictive functional control for networked control systems with random delays

The random delays in a networked control system (NCS) degrade control performance and can even destabilize the control system.To deal with this problem,the time-stamped predictive functional control (PFC) algorithm is proposed,which generalizes the standard PFC algorithm to networked control systems with random delays.The algorithm uses the time-stamp method to estimate the control delay,predicts the future outputs based on a discrete time delay state space model,and drives the control law that applies to an NCS from the idea of a PFC algorithm.A networked control system was constructed based on TrueTime simulator,with which the time-stamped PFC algorithm was compared with the standard PFC algorithm.The response curves show that the proposed algorithm has better control performance.

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.

Dynamic Event-Triggered Scheduling and Platooning Control Co-Design for Automated Vehicles Over Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks

This paper deals with the co-design problem of event-triggered communication scheduling and platooning control over vehicular ad-hoc networks(VANETs)subject to finite communication resource.First,a unified model is presented to describe the coordinated platoon behavior of leader-follower vehicles in the simultaneous presence of unknown external disturbances and an unknown leader control input.Under such a platoon model,the central aim is to achieve robust platoon formation tracking with desired inter-vehicle spacing and same velocities and accelerations guided by the leader,while attaining improved communication efficiency.Toward this aim,a novel bandwidth-aware dynamic event-triggered scheduling mechanism is developed.One salient feature of the scheduling mechanism is that the threshold parameter in the triggering law is dynamically adjusted over time based on both vehicular state variations and bandwidth status.Then,a sufficient condition for platoon control system stability and performance analysis as well as a co-design criterion of the admissible event-triggered platooning control law and the desired scheduling mechanism are derived.Finally,simulation results are provided to substantiate the effectiveness and merits of the proposed co-design approach for guaranteeing a trade-off between robust platooning control performance and communication efficiency.

Encoding-Decoding-Based Control and Filtering of Networked Systems： Insights, Developments and Opportunities

In order to make the information transmission more efficient and reliable in a digital communication channel with limited capacity, various encoding-decoding techniques have been proposed and widely applied in many branches of the signal processing including digital communications, data compression,information encryption, etc. Recently, due to its promising application potentials in the networked systems(NSs), the analysis and synthesis issues of the NSs under various encoding-decoding schemes have stirred some research attention. However, because of the network-enhanced complexity caused by the limited network resources, it poses new challenges to the design of suitable encoding-decoding procedures to meet certain control or filtering performance for the NSs. In this survey paper, our aim is to present a comprehensive review of the encoding-decodingbased control and filtering problems for different types of NSs.First, some basic introduction with respect to the coding-decoding mechanism is presented in terms of its engineering insights,specific properties and theoretical formulations. Then, the recent representative research progress in the design of the encodingdecoding protocols for various control and filtering problems is discussed. Some possible further research topics are finally outlined for the encoding-decoding-based NSs.

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.

Self-organization of Reconfigurable Protocol Stack for Networked Control Systems

In networked control systems （NCS）,the control performance depends on not only the control algorithm but also the communication protocol stack.The performance degradation introduced by the heterogeneous and dynamic communication environment has intensified the need for the reconfigurable protocol stack.In this paper,a novel architecture for the reconfigurable protocol stack is proposed,which is a unified specification of the protocol components and service interfaces supporting both static and dynamic reconfiguration for existing industrial communication standards.Within the architecture,a triple-level self-organization structure is designed to manage the dynamic reconfiguration procedure based on information exchanges inside and outside the protocol stack.Especially,the protocol stack can be self-adaptive to various environment and system requirements through the reconfiguration of working mode,routing and scheduling table.Finally,the study on the protocol of dynamic address management is conducted for the system of controller area network （CAN）.The results show the efficiency of our self-organizing architecture for the implementation of a reconfigurable protocol stack.

Research of network technology for Intelligent Circuit Breaker Controller

With the current development trend of Ethernet gradually towards the control network of plant-floor layer and devices layer, much management information on Intelligent Circuit Breaker Controller (ICBC) is becoming distributed and networked. This paper describes a mixing structure of complex industrial field control network based on Ethernet frame, then mainly discusses three network management methods of ICBC, such as the interconnection method based on PCI, embedded gateway and em- bedded Web server. At the same time, it also gives the basic hardware framework of implementing interconnection, the type of main components, and the real-time operation system supporting the embedded TCP/IP protocols and Web server.

Error Detection and Reconfigurationin Reliable Ethernet Train Networks

In this paper, a novel reconfiguration technique is developed in the context of a fault-tolerant Networked Control System (NCS) in two train wagons. All sensors, controllers and actuators in both wagons are connected on top of a single Gigabit Ethernet network. The network also carries wired and wireless entertainment loads. A Markov model is used to prove that this reconfiguration technique reduces the effect of a failure in the error detection and switching mechanisms on the reliability of the control function. All calculations are based on closed-form solutions and verified using the SHARPE software package.