Networked control through quantized fading channels is addressed in the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) approach. In particular, a new modeling framework is proposed for the quantized fading channel (QFC) which allows a virtual function decomposition of the QFC into a direct transmission path and a disturbance path. The disturbance path is featured by the quantization error and the random noise and characterized in SNRs. Then the networked control design is presented by incorporating such a model. It is shown that, with two different definitions of SNR, the control problem can be tackled in either robust stability or robust performance set-up. Under the new approach, the profound relation among various existing results can be well illustrated and a systematic design framework can be established for such kind of networked control problems. While most of existing results can be derived as special cases from this new approach, it can also be applied to address multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) system with QFC in both sensing and actuating channels which has not seen any published results so far. Therefore, it is concluded that the new approach is comprehensive and generic.

 

 

 

Xiang Chen received his Ph. D. degree in system and control from Louisiana State University in 1998.  Since 2000, he has held cross-appointed positions in Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering at the University of Windsor and is currently a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has made fundamental contribution to  Gaussian filtering and control and to the control theory of nonlinear systems with bifurcation. He has also made significant contribution to industrial applications of control and optimization in automotive systems and in vision based sensing systems through extensive collaborative research and development activities with robotic and automotive industries. Some of the deliverables have been patented by relevant companies or became transferred technologies to relevant companies. He is currently an Associate Editor for SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization and was an Associate Editor for the Journal of Circuits, Systems and Computers from 2004 to 2008. He received Research Awards (twice) from the University of Windsor.  His research has been well supported by research funds from government agencies at both federal and provincial levels in Canada and from industrial companies in both Canada and USA. He has published more than 100 papers in journals and conference proceedings. His current research interests include optimization and control (robust and optimal) of systems with complexities, graph-/game-theoretic approaches for complex networked systems, as well as applications to automotive control systems and robotic vision sensor networks.  He is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada.