Iterative identification and control design using finite-signal-to-noise models

Abstract

In this paper, a model is said to be validated for control design if using the model-based controller, the closed loop performance of the real plant satisfies a specified performance bound. To improve the model for control design, only closed loop response data is available to deduce a new model of the plant. Hence the procedure described herein involves three steps in each iteration: (i) closed loop identification; (ii) plant model extraction from the closed loop model; (iii) controller design. Thus our criteria for model validation involve both the control design procedure by which the closed loop system performance is evaluated, and the identification procedure by which a new model of the plant is deduced from the closed loop response data. This paper proposes new methods for both parts, and also proposes an iterative algorithm to connect the two parts. To facilitate both the identification and control tasks, the new finite-signal-to-noise (FSN) model of linear systems is utilized. The FSN model allows errors in variables whose noise covariances are proportional to signal covariances. Allowing the signal to noise ratios to be bounded but uncertain, a control theory to guarantee a variance upper bound is developed for the discrete version of this new FSN model. The identification of the closed loop system is accomplished by a new type of q-Markov Cover, adjusted to accommodate the assumed FSN structure of the model. The model of the plant is extracted from the closed loop identification model. This model is then used for control design and the process is repeated until the closed loop performance validates the model. If the iterations produce no such a controller, we say that this specific procedure cannot produce a model valid for control design and the level of the required performance must be reduced.

Keywords:

• Robust control
• System identification