Distributed Linear Quadratic Regulator Robust to Communication Dropouts

TL;DR

This paper introduces two novel distributed control schemes for large-scale networks that maintain stability and performance despite communication dropouts, using System Level Synthesis for robust controller design.

Contribution

It proposes two new controller synthesis methods that are robust to communication dropouts, one offline robust controller and a switching scheme based on real-time dropout detection.

Findings

The offline robust controller maintains stability under dropouts.

The switching controller adapts to dropout patterns in real-time.

Simulation demonstrates effectiveness of both approaches.

Abstract

We present a solution to deal with information package dropouts in distributed controllers for large-scale networks. We do this by leveraging the System Level Synthesis approach, a control framework particularly suitable for large-scale networks that addresses information exchange in a very transparent manner. To this end, we propose two different schemes for controller synthesis and implementation. The first one synthesizes a controller inherently robust to dropouts, which is later implemented in an offline fashion. For the second approach, we synthesize a collection of controllers offline and then switch between different controllers online depending on the current dropouts detected in the system. The two approaches are illustrated and compared by means of a simulation example.