Electrical and Electronic Engineering - Research Publications

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    Active Learning for Linear Parameter-Varying System Identification
    Chin, R ; Maass, AI ; Ulapane, N ; Manzie, C ; Shames, I ; Nešić, D ; Rowe, JE ; Nakada, H ( 2020-05-02)
    Active learning is proposed for selection of the next operating points in the design of experiments, for identifying linear parameter-varying systems. We extend existing approaches found in literature to multiple-input multiple-output systems with a multivariate scheduling parameter. Our approach is based on exploiting the probabilistic features of Gaussian process regression to quantify the overall model uncertainty across locally identified models. This results in a flexible framework which accommodates for various techniques to be applied for estimation of local linear models and their corresponding uncertainty. We perform active learning in application to the identification of a diesel engine air-path model, and demonstrate that measures of model uncertainty can be successfully reduced using the proposed framework.
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    Tracking and regret bounds for online zeroth-order Euclidean and Riemannian optimisation
    Maass, AI ; Manzie, C ; Nesic, D ; Manton, JH ; Shames, I ( 2020-10-01)
    We study numerical optimisation algorithms that use zeroth-order information to minimise time-varying geodesically-convex cost functions on Riemannian manifolds. In the Euclidean setting, zeroth-order algorithms have received a lot of attention in both the time-varying and time-invariant cases. However, the extension to Riemannian manifolds is much less developed. We focus on Hadamard manifolds, which are a special class of Riemannian manifolds with global nonpositive curvature that offer convenient grounds for the generalisation of convexity notions. Specifically, we derive bounds on the expected instantaneous tracking error, and we provide algorithm parameter values that minimise the algorithm’s performance. Our results illustrate how the manifold geometry in terms of the sectional curvature affects these bounds. Additionally, we provide dynamic regret bounds for this online optimisation setting. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first regret bounds even for the Euclidean version of the problem. Lastly, via numerical simulations, we demonstrate the applicability of our algorithm on an online Karcher mean problem.
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    A hybrid model of networked control systems implemented on WirelessHART networks under source routing configuration
    Maass, AI ; Nesic, D ; Dower, PM (IEEE, 2016)
    A Network control system (NCS) is a control system in which communication between subsystems takes place over a digital network. Numerous results exist in the literature on modelling, analysis and design of NCSs in the presence of specific communication constraints such as packet dropouts, delays, data rates, quantization, etc. However, when analysing NCSs implemented on real physical networks, the existing results are based on restrictive assumptions. We consider NCSs over WirelessHART, the first international standard for industrial process control. With the goal of closing the gap between theory and practice, we propose for the first time a hybrid control-oriented model of WirelessHART NCSs under source routing configuration. Moreover, asymptotic and exponential stability results are presented under reasonable conditions.
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    Stochastic stabilisation and power control for nonlinear feedback loops communicating over lossy wireless networks
    Maass, A ; Nesic, D ; Varma, VS ; Postoyan, R ; Lasaulce, S (IEEE, 2020)
    We study emulation-based stabilisation of nonlinear networked control systems communicating over multiple wireless channels subject to packet loss. Specifically, we establish sufficient conditions on the rate of transmission that guarantee Lp stability-in-expectation of the overall closed-loop system. These conditions depend on the cumulative dropout probability of the network nodes for static protocols. We use the obtained stability results to study power control, where we show there are interesting trade-offs between the transmission rate, transmit power, and stability. Lastly, numerical examples are presented to illustrate our results.
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    Active Learning for Linear Parameter-Varying System Identification
    Chin, R ; Maass, A ; Ulapane, N ; Manzie, C ; Shames, I ; Nesic, D ; Rowe, JE ; Nakada, H (ELSEVIER, 2020-01-01)
    Active learning is proposed for selection of the next operating points in the design of experiments, for identifying linear parameter-varying systems. We extend existing approaches found in literature to multiple-input multiple-output systems with a multivariate scheduling parameter. Our approach is based on exploiting the probabilistic features of Gaussian process regression to quantify the overall model uncertainty across locally identified models. This results in a flexible framework which accommodates for various techniques to be applied for estimation of local linear models and their corresponding uncertainty. We perform active learning in application to the identification of a diesel engine air-path model, and demonstrate that measures of model uncertainty can be successfully reduced using the proposed framework.
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    Observer design for networked control systems implemented over WirelessHART
    Maass, AI ; Nesic, D ; Postoyan, R ; Dower, PM (IEEE, 2018)
    We study the design of state observers for nonlinear networked control systems (NCSs) that are implemented over WirelessHART (WH). WH is a wireless communication protocol for process automation applications. It is characterised by its multi-hop structure, slotted communication cycles, and simultaneous transmission over different frequencies. We present a solution based on the emulation approach. That is, given an observer designed with a specific stability property in the absence of communication constraints, we implement it over a WH network and we provide sufficient conditions on the latter, to preserve the stability property of the observer. In particular, we provide explicit bounds on the maximum allowable transmission interval. We assume that the plant dynamics and measurements are affected by noise and we guarantee an inputto- state stability property for the corresponding estimation error system.
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    Emulation-based stabilisation of networked control systems over WirelessHART
    Maass, AI ; Nesic, D ; Postoyan, R ; Dower, PM ; S Varma, V (IEEE Press, 2017)
    We study the emulation-based stabilisation of nonlinear networked control systems (NCSs) implemented over WirelessHART (WH). WH is a communication protocol widely used in process instrumentation. It is characterised by its multi-hop structure, slotted communication cycles, and simultaneous transmission over different frequencies. To capture most functionalities of WH, faithful models are needed. We propose a hybrid control-oriented model of WH-NCSs that includes the key features of the network. We then follow an emulation approach to stabilise the NCS. We show that, under reasonable assumptions on the scheduling protocol, stability is preserved when the controller is implemented over the network with sufficiently frequent data transmission. We then explain how to schedule transmissions over the hops to satisfy those assumptions.
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    Observer design for non-linear networked control systems with persistently exciting protocols
    Maass, AI ; Nesic, D ; Postoyan, R ; Dower, PM (IEEE, 2020-07)
    We study the design of state observers for nonlinear networked control systems (NCSs) affected by disturbances and measurement noise, via an emulation-like approach. That is, given an observer designed with a specific stability property in the absence of communication constraints, we implement it over a network and we provide sufficient conditions on the latter to preserve the stability property of the observer. In particular, we provide a bound on the maximum allowable transmission interval (MATI) that guarantees an input-to-state stability (ISS) property for the corresponding estimation error system. The stability analysis is trajectory-based, utilises small-gain arguments, and exploits a persistently exciting (PE) property of the scheduling protocols. This property is key in our analysis and allows us to obtain significantly larger MATI bounds in comparison to the ones found in the literature. Our results hold for a general class of NCSs, however, we show that these results are also applicable to NCSs implemented over a specific physical network called WirelessHART (WH). The latter is mainly characterised by its multi-hop structure, slotted communication cycles, and the possibility to simultaneously transmit over different frequencies. We show that our results can be further improved by taking into account the intrinsic structure of the WH-NCS model. That is, we explicitly exploit the model structure in our analysis to obtain an even tighter MATI bound that guarantees the same ISS property for the estimation error system. Finally, to illustrate our results, we present analysis and numerical simulations for a class of Lipschitz non-linear systems and high-gain observers.
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    L-p stability of networked control systems implemented on WirelessHART
    Maass, AI ; Nesic, D ; Postoyan, R ; Dower, PM (Elsevier, 2019-11-01)
    This paper provides results on input–output Lp stability of networked control systems (NCSs) implemented over WirelessHART (WH). WH is a communication protocol widely used in process instrumentation. It is mainly characterised by its multi-hop structure, slotted communication cycles, and the possibility to simultaneously transmit over different frequencies. We propose a non-linear hybrid model of WH–NCSs that is able to capture these network functionalities, and that it is more general than existing models in the literature. Particularly, the multi-hop nature of the network is translated into an interesting mathematical structure in our model. We then follow the emulation approach to stabilise the NCS. We first assume that we know a stabilising controller for the plant without the network. We subsequently show that, under reasonable assumptions on the scheduling protocol, stability is preserved when the controller is implemented over the network with sufficiently frequent data transmission. Specifically, we provide bounds on the maximum allowable transmission interval (MATI) under which all protocols that satisfy the property of being persistently exciting (PE) lead to Lp stable WH–NCSs. These bounds exploit the mathematical structure of our WH–NCS model, improving the existing bounds in the literature. Additionally, we explain how to schedule transmissions over the hops to satisfy the PE property. In particular, we show how simultaneous transmissions over different frequency channels can be exploited to further enlarge the MATI bound.
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    Stabilization of Non-Linear Networked Control Systems Closed Over a Lossy WirelessHART Network
    Maass, AI ; Nesic, D (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2019-10-01)
    This letter studies the stabilization of non-linear networked control systems (NCSs) where the information between plant and controller is sent over a lossy wireless multi-hop network under a carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA-CA) scheme. We present a hybrid model for the overall NCS that captures time-varying transmission instants, both inter-and at-transmission behavior, packet dropouts, field device dynamics, and CSMA-CA scheduling. We then use this model to provide sufficient conditions in terms of the intensity of transmission that ensure closed-loop Lp stability-in-expectation. In doing so, we exploit the mathematical structure of our NCS model to improve previous results in the literature.