ECE8823a - Fall 2009
Networked Control Systems

Magnus Egerstedt

Phone
Email
Office
(404) 894-3484   
magnus@ece.gatech.edu  
TSRB 432     

Office hours: Wednesdays 1-3 or by appointment


A networked control system consists of a set of dynamical units that interact over a signal exchange network for its coordinated operation and behavior. Such systems have found many applications in diverse areas of science and engineering, including multiple space, air, land, and underwater vehicles, energy and power systems, physiology, and medicine.

             



COURSE DESCRIPTION
Currently, significant research efforts are underway in the controls, systems, and communications communities to lay down a foundation for the analysis and control of networked systems. This course will provide an overview of the tools and techniques that have proven instrumental for studying networked control systems as well as outline potential research directions.

The course will be divided into five parts, corresponding to the following topics:

     (1) Network Models (graphs, random graphs, random geometric graphs, state-dependent graphs, switching networks)
     (2) Decentralized Control (limited computational, communications, and controls resources in networked control systems)
     (3) Multi-Agent Robotics (formation control, sensor and actuation models)
     (4) Mobile Sensor Networks (coverage control, voronoi-based cooperation strategies)
     (5) LANdroids (mobile communications networks, connectivity maintenance)

COURSE WEBSITE
This page: http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~magnus/ece8823.html

WORKLOAD
Your responsibilities in this class will fall into two main categories:
1. The homework sets (one problem set roughly every third week) = 40%. The credit will be divided between programming assignments and theoretical exercises.
2. The midterm and final exams = 20% + 40% = 60% They will cover all the material presented in the class. They will be closed-book, closed-note, closed-calculator exams.

PROGRAMMING
The objective with the programming assignments is to see how to bridge the gap between what's done in class and how to actually apply it. (The actual programming involved will be very minor.) The assignments will be Matlab-based.

READING
The official textbook is Mesbahi and Egerstedt, Graph-Based Control of Multi-Agent Networks, Princeton University Press, 2009, but since this book will appear in print sometime during the fall semester, it will be provided as a pdf to all participants in the class. The textbook will also be supplemented with some suggested reading material, e.g.,
Graph Theory, by R. Diestel, Springer, 2000.
Algebraic Graph Theory, by C. Godsil and G. Royle, Springer, 2001.
Networked Embedded Sensing and Control, edited by P. J. Antsaklis and P. Tabuada, Springer 2006.

TIME AND PLACE
The lectures will be held at 12-1:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays in Van Leer C240.

PREREQUISITS (There aren't any formal prerequsits but some knowledge of linear algebra, linear control systems, and differential equations will certainly make your life a little easier. For example, ECE6550 would be the perfect background for this course.)

HONOR CODE
Altough you are encouraged to work together to learn the course material, the exams and homeworks are expected to be completed individually. All conduct in this course will be governed by the Georgia Tech honor code.




SCHEDULE

 
Date Lecture subject Homework

Aug. 18 What are networked control systems?
Aug. 20 Rendezvous: A canonical problem

GRAPH-BASED NETWORK MODELS
Aug. 25 Proximity graphs
Aug. 27 Algebraic and spectral graph theory
Sept. 1 Connectivity: Cheeger's inequality

THE AGREEMENT PROTOCOL: STATIC CASE
Sept. 3 Reaching decentralized agreements
Sept. 8 Consensus equation: Static case HW1 due (graph theory)
Sept. 10 Distributed estimation

THE AGREEMENT PROTOCOL: DYNAMIC CASE
Sept. 15 Switched networks
Sept. 17 Lyapunov-based stability
Sept. 22 Consensus equation: Dynamic case HW2 due (static consensus)
Sept. 24 Biological models: Flocking and swarming
Sept. 29 Review
Oct. 1 MIDTERM
Oct. 6 Fall recess - NO CLASS
Oct. 8 Alignments and Kuramoto's coupled oscillators

MULTI-AGENT ROBOTICS
Oct. 13 Mobile robots: Disk graphs HW3 due (dynamic consensus)
Oct. 15 Connectivity preserving control
Oct. 20 Linear formation control
Oct. 22 Distance-based formations
Oct. 27 Graph-rigidity and persistence
Oct. 29 Leader-follower networks
Nov. 3 Network controllability

MOBILE SENSOR AND COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
Nov. 5 Sensor networks: Coverage control HW4 due (formation control)
Nov. 10 Gabriel and Voronoi graphs
Nov. 12 Graph grammars
Nov. 17 LANdroids: Communication networks
Nov. 19 Communication models
Nov. 24 Random graphs
Nov. 26 Thanksgiving - NO CLASS
Dec. 1 At the research frontier HW5 due (sensor networks and LANdroids)
Dec. 3 Review
T.B.D. FINAL EXAM