Optimal Mobile Sensing and Actuation Policies in Cyber-Physical Systems

A successful cyber-physical system, a complex interweaving of hardware and software with some part of the physical environment, depends on proper identification of the, often pre-existing, physical element. A bespoke “cyber” part of the system may then be designed from scratch. Optimal Mobile Sensing and Actuation Strategies in Cyber-physical Systems focuses on distributed-parameter systems the dynamics of which can be modelled with partial differential equations. These are very challenging to observe, their states and inputs being distributed throughout a spatial domain. Consequently, systematic approaches to the optimization of sensor location have to be devised for parameter estimation. The text begins by reviewing the field of cyber-physical systems and introducing background notions of distributed parameter systems and optimal observation theory. New research problems are then defined within this framework. Two important problems considered are optimal mobile sensor trajectory planning and the accuracy effects and allocation of remote sensors. These are followed up with a solution to the problem of optimal robust estimation. Actuation policies are then introduced into the framework with the purpose of improving estimation and optimizing the trajectories of both sensors and actuators simultaneously. The large number of illustrations within the text will assist the reader to visualize the application of the methods proposed. A group of similar examples are used throughout the book to help the reader assimilate the material more easily. The monograph concentrates on the use of methods for which a cyber-physical-systems infrastructure is required. The methods are computationally heavy and require mobile sensors and actuators with communications abilities. Application examples cover fields from environmental science to national security so that readers are encouraged to link the ideas of cyber-physical systems with their own research.

Dr. YangQuan Chen has authored over 200 academic papers plus numerous technical reports. He co-authored two textbooks:"System Simulation Techniques with MATLABR/Simulink" (with Dingyu Xue. Tsinghua University Press, April’02, ISBN 7-302-05341-3/TP3137, in Chinese) and "Solving Advanced Applied Mathematical Problems Using Matlab" (with Dingyu Xue. Tsinghua University Press. August’04. 419 pages in Chinese, ISBN 7-302-09311-3/O.392); and five research monographs: "Plastic Belt for Projectiles" (with Y. Shi. Shaanxi Science and Technology Press, Jan. 1995, ISBN 7-5369-2277-9/TJ.1, in Chinese), "Iterative Learning Control" (with C. Wen. LNCIS, Springer-Verlag, Nov. 1999, ISBN: 1-85233-190-9), “Iterative Learning Control” (with Hyo-Sung Ahn and Kevin L. Moore. Springer, July’07, ISBN: 978-1-84628-846-3), “Optimal Observation for Cyber-physical Systems”(with Zhen Song, Chellury Sastry and Nazif Tas. Springer, July’09, ISBN: 978-1-84882-655-7), and “Fractional-order Systems and Controls” (with Concepcion A. Monje, Blas M. Vinagre, Dingyu Xue and Vicente Feliu, ISBN:978-1-84996-334-3). His current research interests include autonomous navigation and intelligent control of a team of unmanned ground vehicles, machine vision for control and automation, distributed control systems (MAS-net: mobile actuator-sensor networks), fractional-order control, interval computation, and iterative/repetitive/adaptive learning control. Currently, he serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE CSSCEB. He was also an Associate Editor of ISA Review Board for AACC's American Control Conference (ACC’05). He has been the Co-Organizer and Instructor of the Tutorial Workshops on “Fractional-order Calculus in Control and Robotics” at IEEE 2002 Conference on Decision and Control (CDC’02), and “Applied Fractional Calculus in Controls and Signal Processing” at CDC’10 and a founding member of the ASME subcommittee on “Fractional Dynamics”.