arXiv subjects

Mohammad Khosravi

Publications and source records attributed to Mohammad Khosravi.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Optimal Scenario Reduction for One- and Two-Stage Robust Optimization

Robust optimization typically follows a worst-case perspective, where a single scenario may determine the objective value of a given solution. Accordingly, it is a challenging task to reduce the size of an uncertainty set without changing the resulting objective value too much. On the other hand, robust optimization problems with many scenarios tend to be hard to solve, in particular for two-stage problems. Hence, a reduced uncertainty set may be central to find solutions in reasonable time. We propose scenario reduction methods that give guarantees on the performance of the resulting robust solution. Scenario reduction problems for one- and two-stage robust optimization are framed as optimization problems that only depend on the uncertainty set and not on the underlying decision making problem. Experimental results indicate that objective values for the reduced uncertainty sets are closely correlated to original objective values, resulting in better solutions than when using general-purpose clustering methods such as K-means.

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arXiv2022

Representer Theorem for Learning Koopman Operators

In this work, the problem of learning Koopman operator of a discrete-time autonomous system is considered. The learning problem is formulated as a constrained regularized empirical loss minimization in the infinite-dimensional space of linear operators. We show that under certain but general conditions, a representer theorem holds for the learning problem. This allows reformulating the problem in a finite-dimensional space without any approximation and loss of precision. Following this, we consider various cases of regularization and constraints in the learning problem, including the operator norm, the Frobenius norm, rank, nuclear norm, and stability. Subsequently, we derive the corresponding finite-dimensional problem. Furthermore, we discuss the connection between the proposed formulation and the extended dynamic mode decomposition. Finally, we provide an illustrative numerical example.

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arXiv2022

The Existence and Uniqueness of Solutions for Kernel-Based System Identification

The notion of reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) has emerged in system identification during the past decade. In the resulting framework, the impulse response estimation problem is formulated as a regularized optimization defined on an infinite-dimensional RKHS consisting of stable impulse responses. The consequent estimation problem is well-defined under the central assumption that the convolution operators restricted to the RKHS are continuous linear functionals. Moreover, according to this assumption, the representer theorem hold, and therefore, the impulse response can be estimated by solving a finite-dimensional program. Thus, the continuity feature plays a significant role in kernel-based system identification. This paper shows that this central assumption is guaranteed to be satisfied in considerably general situations, namely when the kernel is an integrable function and the input signal is bounded. Furthermore, the strong convexity of the optimization problem and the continuity property of the convolution operators imply that the kernel-based system identification admits a unique solution. Consequently, it follows that kernel-based system identification is a well-defined approach.

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arXiv2022

Benchmarking Problems for Robust Discrete Optimization

Robust discrete optimization is a highly active field of research where a plenitude of combinations between decision criteria, uncertainty sets and underlying nominal problems are considered. Usually, a robust problem becomes harder to solve than its nominal counterpart, even if it remains in the same complexity class. For this reason, specialized solution algorithms have been developed. To further drive the development of stronger solution algorithms and to facilitate the comparison between methods, a set of benchmark instances is necessary but so far missing. In this paper we propose a further step towards this goal by proposing several instance generation procedures for combinations of min-max, min-max regret, two-stage and recoverable robustness with interval, discrete or budgeted uncertainty sets. Besides sampling methods that go beyond the simple uniform sampling method that is the de-facto standard to produce instances, also optimization models to construct hard instances are considered. Using a selection problem for the nominal ground problem, we are able to generate instances that are several orders of magnitudes harder to solve than uniformly sampled instances when solving them with a general mixed-integer programming solver. All instances and generator codes are made available online.

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arXiv2021

Regularized Identification with Internal Positivity Side-Information

In this paper, we present an impulse response identification scheme that incorporates the internal positivity side-information of the system. The realization theory of positive systems establishes specific criteria for the existence of a positive realization for a given transfer function. These transfer function criteria are translated to a set of suitable conditions on the shape and structure of the impulse responses of positive systems. Utilizing these conditions, the impulse response estimation problem is formulated as a constrained optimization in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space equipped with a stable kernel, and suitable constraints are imposed to encode the internal positivity side-information. The optimization problem is infinite-dimensional with an infinite number of constraints. An equivalent finite-dimensional convex optimization in the form of a convex quadratic program is derived. The resulting equivalent reformulation makes the proposed approach suitable for numerical simulation and practical implementation. A Monte Carlo numerical experiment evaluates the impact of incorporating the internal positivity side-information in the proposed identification scheme. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using data from a heating system experiment.

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arXiv2021

Distributed Model Predictive Control of Buildings and Energy Hubs

Model predictive control (MPC) strategies can be applied to the coordination of energy hubs to reduce their energy consumption. Despite the effectiveness of these techniques, their potential for energy savings are potentially underutilized due to the fact that energy demands are often assumed to be fixed quantities rather than controlled dynamic variables. The joint optimization of energy hubs and buildings' energy management systems can result in higher energy savings. This paper investigates how different MPC strategies perform on energy management systems in buildings and energy hubs. We first discuss two MPC approaches; centralized and decentralized. While the centralized control strategy offers optimal performance, its implementation is computationally prohibitive and raises privacy concerns. On the other hand, the decentralized control approach, which offers ease of implementation, displays significantly lower performance. We propose a third strategy, distributed control based on dual decomposition, which has the advantages of both approaches. Numerical case studies and comparisons demonstrate that the performance of distributed control is close to the performance of the centralized case, while maintaining a significantly lower computational burden, especially in large-scale scenarios with many agents. Finally, we validate and verify the reliability of the proposed method through an experiment on a full-scale energy hub system in the NEST demonstrator in Dübendorf, Switzerland.

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arXiv2021

Safety-Aware Cascade Controller Tuning Using Constrained Bayesian Optimization

This paper presents an automated, model-free, data-driven method for the safe tuning of PID cascade controller gains based on Bayesian optimization. The optimization objective is composed of data-driven performance metrics and modeled using Gaussian processes. We further introduce a data-driven constraint that captures the stability requirements from system data. Numerical evaluation shows that the proposed approach outperforms relay feedback autotuning and quickly converges to the global optimum, thanks to a tailored stopping criterion. We demonstrate the performance of the method in simulations and experiments. For experimental implementation, in addition to the introduced safety constraint, we integrate a method for automatic detection of the critical gains and extend the optimization objective with a penalty depending on the proximity of the current candidate points to the critical gains. The resulting automated tuning method optimizes system performance while ensuring stability and standardization

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arXiv2021

On Robustness of Kernel-Based Regularized System Identification

This paper presents a novel feature of the kernel-based system identification method. We prove that the regularized kernel-based approach for the estimation of a finite impulse response is equivalent to a robust least-squares problem with a particular uncertainty set defined in terms of the kernel matrix, and thus, it is called kernel-based uncertainty set. We provide a theoretical foundation for the robustness of the kernel-based approach to input disturbances. Based on robust and regularized least-squares methods, different formulations of system identification are considered, where the kernel-based uncertainty set is employed in some of them. We apply these methods to a case where the input measurements are subject to disturbances. Subsequently, we perform extensive numerical experiments and compare the results to examine the impact of utilizing kernel-based uncertainty sets in the identification procedure. The numerical experiments confirm that the robust least square identification approach with the kernel-based uncertainty set improves the robustness of the estimation to the input disturbances.

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arXiv2021

Structured exploration in the finite horizon linear quadratic dual control problem

This paper presents a novel approach to synthesize dual controllers for unknown linear time-invariant systems with the tasks of optimizing a quadratic cost while reducing the uncertainty. To this end, a synthesis problem is defined where the feedback law has to simultaneously gain knowledge of the system and robustly optimize the cost. By framing the problem in a finite horizon setting, the trade-offs arising when the tasks include both identification and control are formally captured in the optimization problem. Results show that efficient exploration strategies are achieved when the structure of the problem is exploited.

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arXiv2020

Parameter Identification for Digital Fabrication: A Gaussian Process Learning Approach

Tensioned cable nets can be used as supporting structures for the efficient construction of lightweight building elements, such as thin concrete shell structures. To guarantee important mechanical properties of the latter, the tolerances on deviations of the tensioned cable net geometry from the desired target form are very tight. Therefore, the form needs to be readjusted on the construction site. In order to employ model-based optimization techniques, the precise identification of important uncertain model parameters of the cable net system is required. This paper proposes the use of Gaussian process regression to learn the function that maps the cable net geometry to the uncertain parameters. In contrast to previously proposed methods, this approach requires only a single form measurement for the identification of the cable net model parameters. This is beneficial since measurements of the cable net form on the construction site are very expensive. For the training of the Gaussian processes, simulated data is efficiently computed via convex programming. The effectiveness of the proposed method and the impact of the precise identification of the parameters on the form of the cable net are demonstrated in numerical experiments on a quarter-scale prototype of a roof structure.

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arXiv2020

Performance-Driven Cascade Controller Tuning with Bayesian Optimization

We propose a performance-based autotuning method for cascade control systems, where the parameters of a linear axis drive motion controller from two control loops are tuned jointly. Using Bayesian optimization as all parameters are tuned simultaneously, the method is guaranteed to converge asymptotically to the global optimum of the cost. The data-efficiency and performance of the method are studied numerically for several training configurations and compared numerically to those achieved with classical tuning methods and to the exhaustive evaluation of the cost. On the real system, the tracking performance and robustness against disturbances are compared experimentally to nominal tuning. The numerical study and the experimental data both demonstrate that the proposed automated tuning method is efficient in terms of required tuning iterations, robust to disturbances, and results in improved tracking.

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arXiv2020

Cascade Control: Data-Driven Tuning Approach Based on Bayesian Optimization

Cascaded controller tuning is a multi-step iterative procedure that needs to be performed routinely upon maintenance and modification of mechanical systems. An automated data-driven method for cascaded controller tuning based on Bayesian optimization is proposed. The method is tested on a linear axis drive, modeled using a combination of first principles model and system identification. A custom cost function based on performance indicators derived from system data at different candidate configurations of controller parameters is modeled by a Gaussian process. It is further optimized by minimization of an acquisition function which serves as a sampling criterion to determine the subsequent candidate configuration for experimental trial and improvement of the cost model iteratively, until a minimum according to a termination criterion is found. This results in a data-efficient procedure that can be easily adapted to varying loads or mechanical modifications of the system. The method is further compared to several classical methods for auto-tuning, and demonstrates higher performance according to the defined data-driven performance indicators. The influence of the training data on a cost prior on the number of iterations required to reach optimum is studied, demonstrating the efficiency of the Bayesian optimization tuning method.

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arXiv2020

Nonlinear System Identification with Prior Knowledge of the Region of Attraction

We consider the problem of nonlinear system identification when prior knowledge is available on the region of attraction (ROA) of an equilibrium point. We propose an identification method in the form of an optimization problem, minimizing the fitting error and guaranteeing the desired stability property. The problem is approached by joint identification the dynamics and a Lyapunov function verifying the stability property. In this setting, the hypothesis set is a reproducing kernel Hilbert space, and with respect to each point of the given subset of the ROA, the Lie derivative inequality of the Lyapunov function imposes a constraint. The problem is a non-convex infinite-dimensional optimization with infinite number of constraints. To obtain a tractable formulation, only a suitably designed finite subset of the constraints are considered. The resulting problem admits a solution in form of a linear combination of the sections of the kernel and its derivatives. An equivalent optimization problem with a quadratic cost function subject to linear and bilinear constraints is derived. A suitable change of variable gives a convex reformulation of the problem. To reduce the number of hyperparameters, the optimization problem is adapted to the case of diagonal kernels. The method is demonstrate by means of an example.

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arXiv2020

Convex Nonparametric Formulation for Identification of Gradient Flows

In this paper, we develop a nonparametric system identification method for the nonlinear gradient-flow dynamics. In these systems, the vector field is the gradient field of a potential energy function. This fundamental fact about the dynamics of system plays the role of a structural prior knowledge as well as a constraint in the proposed identification method. While the nature of the identification problem is an estimation in the space of functions, we derive an equivalent finite dimensional formulation, which is a convex optimization in form of a quadratic program. This gives scalability of the problem and provides the opportunity for utilizing recently developed large-scale optimization solvers. The central idea in the proposed method is representing the energy function as a difference of two convex functions and estimating these convex functions jointly. Based on necessary and sufficient conditions for function convexity, the identification problem is formulated, and then, the existence, uniqueness and smoothness of the solution is addressed. We also illustrate the method numerically for a demonstrative example.

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arXiv2020

Linear Time-Periodic System Identification with Grouped Atomic Norm Regularization

This paper proposes a new methodology in linear time-periodic (LTP) system identification. In contrast to previous methods that totally separate dynamics at different tag times for identification, the method focuses on imposing appropriate structural constraints on the linear time-invariant (LTI) reformulation of LTP systems. This method adopts a periodically-switched truncated infinite impulse response model for LTP systems, where the structural constraints are interpreted as the requirement to place the poles of the non-truncated models at the same locations for all sub-models. This constraint is imposed by combining the atomic norm regularization framework for LTI systems with the group lasso technique in regression. As a result, the estimated system is both uniform and low-order, which is hard to achieve with other existing estimators. Monte Carlo simulation shows that the grouped atomic norm method does not only show better results compared to other regularized methods, but also outperforms the subspace identification method under high noise levels in terms of model fitting.

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arXiv2019

Robust Adaptive Model Predictive Control with Worst-Case Cost

A robust adaptive model predictive control (MPC) algorithm is presented for linear, time invariant systems with unknown dynamics and subject to bounded measurement noise. The system is characterized by an impulse response model, which is assumed to lie within a bounded set called the feasible system set. Online set-membership identification is used to reduce uncertainty in the impulse response. In the MPC scheme, robust constraints are enforced to ensure constraint satisfaction for all the models in the feasible set. The performance objective is formulated as a worst-case cost with respect to the modeling uncertainties. That is, at each time step an optimization problem is solved in which the control input is optimized for the worst-case plant in the uncertainty set. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared to an adaptive MPC algorithm from the literature using Monte-Carlo simulations.

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