Model-Based Tracking Control over Networks

This paper presents a control design approach for the reference input tracking problem over networks. Plant uncertainties are considered and the Model-Based Networked Control Systems (MB-NCS) framework is used in order to obtain an estimate of the state of the plant between sensor sampling intervals. The results in this paper not only provide a bound on the tracking error but they also allow the networked system to operate in open-loop mode for longer intervals compared to typical approaches that use only a zero-order-hold (ZOH) in the controller/actuator node. This mode of operation reduces time delays and packet dropouts and releases the network to be used for other tasks.