CAREER: Distributed control of dynamic systems using a wireless communcation medium: two new paradigms

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

ECCS-0644764 PI: Martins ABSTRACT The interplay between control and communications is pervasive in most of today's large scale engineering enterprises, including the industrial and transportation sectors. This proposal puts forward a program, with tightly coupled research and educational components, centered on the design of distributed control systems with wireless communication capabilities. In contrast to wire-line networks, wireless communications allows mobility, streamlines re-configuration and reduces deployment costs. However, most mobile wireless communication technologies feature interference, fading and power constraints. These attributes make the analysis and the design of such networked control systems significantly more difficult. This proposal's research plan introduces two new paradigms. The first paradigm, denoted as networked preview control, specifies a framework consisting of a wireless network of spatially-distributed sensors and one controller. Given a disturbance field, networked preview control aims at using the remote sensors to provide the controller with disturbance preview information. The second paradigm concerns the design of cooperative control strategies for a mix of mobile and static agents, with the objective of attaining pre-specified communication objectives. Intellectual merit: The overarching technical contribution is that of designing control systems with a communication component that features interference, fading and power constraints, requiring a deeper fusion of techniques from control theory, network information theory and networking. Broader impacts: The PI intends to use this proposal's results in the design of more efficient transportation systems. This proposal includes a five year undergraduate internship program, aimed at increasing the number of domestic students who pursue careers in engineering at the industrial and academic levels, especially females and minorities.