Time-Delayed Feedback Channel Design: Discrete Time H_infty Approach

Marcella M. Gomez, Seungil You and Richard M. Murray
Submitted, 2014 American Control Conference (ACC)

This paper proposes a method of improving per- formance of scalar discrete-time systems with substantial delay by adding additional delayed feedback channels (i.e. imposing a distributed delay feedback). The optimal weights for the added feedback channels are found using optimization techniques. In particular, we reduce the H1 norm of the closed loop transfer function with multiple delayed feedback using techniques from static output feedback design. We impose constraints on the feedback gain in order to highlight the effectiveness of the distribution. In this manner, improvement on performance is a result of the distribution and not a change in the overall effective gain. The concept of applying a multiple delayed feedback channel is inspired by biological systems, where substantial delays can be present in feedback control. To show the effectiveness of this idea we apply our method to an example of a scalar genetic autoregulatory network. The constraint on the gain allows one to implement the feedback in a genetic regulatory network without having to change the reaction rates. A possible method of synthesizing such a system in a wet lab is explained in more detail. Finally, stability results indicate the possibility of stabilizing an unstable system with added delayed feedbacks (by adding larger delays). This approach may also be applicable to systems with large delays in which simple controllers are needed due to limitations in computational power. This paper motivates and provides preliminary results towards direct design of purely delay based controllers for network systems with large delays.

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