Control Theory Commons^™

Navigating Around Convex Sets, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We review some basic results of convex analysis and geometry in Rn in the context of formulating a differential equation to track the distance between an observer flying outside a convex set K and K itself.

Traffic Signal Consensus Control, Gerardo Lafferriere

TREC Final Reports

We introduce a model for traffic signal management based on network consensus control principles. The underlying principle in a consensus approach is that traffic signal cycles are adjusted in a distributed way so as to achieve desirable ratios of queue lengths throughout the street network. This approach tends to reduce traffic congestion due to queue saturation at any particular city block and it appears less susceptible to congestion due to unexpected traffic loads on the street grid. We developed simulation tools based on the MATLAB computing environment to analyze the use of the mathematical consensus approach to manage the signal …

A Decentralized Network Consensus Control Approach For Urban Traffic Signal Optimization, Gerardo Lafferriere

TREC Project Briefs

Automobile traffic congestion in urban areas is a worsening problem that comes with significant economic and social costs. This report offers a new approach to urban congestion management through traffic signal control.

Stability Conditions For Coupled Oscillators In Linear Arrays, Pablo Enrique Baldivieso Blanco, J.J.P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we give necessary conditions for stability of flocks in R. We focus on linear arrays with decentralized agents, where each agent interacts with only a few its neighbors. We obtain explicit expressions for necessary conditions for asymptotic stability in the case that the systems consists of a periodic arrangement of two or three different types of agents, i.e. configurations as follows: ...2-1-2-1 or ...3-2-1-3-2-1. Previous literature indicated that the (necessary) condition for stability in the case of a single agent (...1-1-1) held that the first moment of certain coefficients governing the interactions between agents has to be …

Equators Have At Most Countable Many Singularities With Bounded Total Angle, Pilar Herreros, Mario Ponce, J.J.P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

For distinct points p and q in a two-dimensional Riemannian manifold, one defines their mediatrix Lpq as the set of equidistant points to p and q. It is known that mediatrices have a cell decomposition consisting of a finite number of branch points connected by Lipschitz curves. In the case of a topological sphere, mediatrices are called equators and it can benoticed that there are no branching points, thus an equator is a topological circle with possibly many Lipschitz singularities. This paper establishes that mediatrices have the radial …

Effect Of Network Structure On The Stability Margin Of Large Vehicle With Distributed Control, He Hao, Prabir Barooah, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We study the problem of distributed control of a large network of double-integrator agents to maintain a rigid formation. A few lead vehicles are given information on the desired trajectory of the formation; while every other vehicle uses linear controller which only depends on relative position and velocity from a few other vehicles, which are called its neighbors. A predetermined information graph defines the neighbor relationships. We limit our attention to information graphs that are D-dimensional lattices, and examine the stability margin of the closed loop, which is measured by the real part of the least stable eigenvalue of …

Symmetry And Stability Of Homogeneous Flocks, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The study of the movement of flocks, whether biological or technological, is motivated by the desire to understand the capability of coherent motion of a large number of agents that only receive very limited information. In a biological flock a large group of animals seek their course while moving in a more or less fixed formation. It seems reasonable that the immediate course is determined by leaders at the boundary of the flock. The others follow: what is their algorithm? The most popular technological application consists of cars on a one-lane road. The light turns green and the lead car …

Automated Traffic And The Finite Size Resonance, J. J. P. Veerman, Borko D. Stošić, F. M. Tangerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate in detail what one might call the canonical (automated) traffic problem: A long string of N+1 cars (numbered from 0 to N) moves along a one-lane road “in formation” at a constant velocity and with a unit distance between successive cars. Each car monitors the relative velocity and position of only its neighboring cars. This information is then fed back to its own engine which decelerates (brakes) or accelerates according to the information it receives. The question is: What happens when due to an external influence—a traffic light turning green—the ‘zero’th’ car (the “leader”) accelerates?

As …

Stable Motions Of Vehicle Formations, Anca Williams, Gerardo Lafferriere, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate stable maneuvers for a group of autonomous vehicles while moving in formation. The allowed decentralized feeback laws are factored through the Laplacian matrix of the communication graph. We show that such laws allow for stable circular or elliptical motions for certain vehicle dynamics. We find necessary and sufficient conditions on the feedback gains and the dynamic parameters for convergence to formation. In particular, we prove that for undirected graphs there exist feedback gains that stabilize rotational (or elliptical) motions of arbitrary radius (or eceentricity). In the directed graph case we provide necessary and sufficient conditions on the curvature …

A Note On Lattice Chains And Delannoy Numbers, John S. Caughman Iv, Clifford R. Haithcock, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fix nonnegative integers n₁,…,n_d and let L denote the lattice of integer points (a₁,…,a_d)∈Z^d satisfying 0⩽a_i⩽n_i for 1⩽i⩽d. Let L be partially ordered by the usual dominance ordering. In this paper we offer combinatorial derivations of a number of results concerning chains in L. In particular, the results obtained are established without recourse to generating functions or recurrence relations. We begin with an elementary derivation of the number of chains in L of a given size, from which one can deduce the classical expression for the total number …

Flocks And Formations, J. J. P. Veerman, Gerardo Lafferriere, John S. Caughman Iv, A. Williams

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Given a large number (the “flock”) of moving physical objects, we investigate physically reasonable mechanisms of influencing their orbits in such a way that they move along a prescribed course and in a prescribed and fixed configuration (or “in formation”). Each agent is programmed to see the position and velocity of a certain number of others. This flow of information from one agent to another defines a fixed directed (loopless) graph in which the agents are represented by the vertices. This graph is called the communication graph. To be able to fly in formation, an agent tries to match the …

Dynamics Of A Granular Particle On A Rough Surface With A Staircase Profile, J. J. P. Veerman, F. V. Cunha Jr., G. L. Vasconcelos

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

A simple model is presented for the motion of a grain down a rough inclined surface with a staircase profile. The model is an extension of an earlier model of ours where we now allow for bouncing, i.e., we consider a non-vanishing normal coefficient of restitution. It is shown that in parameter space there are three regions of interest: (i) a region of smaller inclinations where the orbits are always bounded (and we argue that the particle always stops); (ii) a transition region where halting, periodic and unbounded orbits co-exist; and (iii) a region of large inclinations where no halting …

On A Conjecture Of Furstenberg, Grzegorz Świçatek, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Hausdorff dimension of the set of numbers which can be written using digits 0, 1,t in base 3 is estimated. For everyt irrational a lower bound 0.767 … is found.

Intersecting Self-Similar Cantor Sets, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We define a self-similar set as the (unique) invariant set of an iterated function system of certain contracting affine functions. A topology on them is obtained (essentially) by inducing the C ¹- topology of the function space. We prove that the measure function is upper semi-continuous and give examples of discontinuities. We also show that the dimension is not upper semicontinuous. We exhibit a class of examples of self-similar sets of positive measure containing an open set. If C ₁ and C ₂ are two self-similar sets C ₁ and C ₂ such that the sum of their dimensions …