Optimal integrated control and scheduling of networked control systems with communication constraints:: Application to a car suspension system

This brief addresses the problem of the optimal control and scheduling of networked control systems over limited bandwidth deterministic networks. Multivariable linear systems subject to communication constraints are modeled in the mixed logical dynamical (MLD) framework. The translation of the MLD model into the mixed integer quadratic programming (MIQP) formulation is described. This formulation allows the solving of the optimal control and scheduling problem using efficient branch and bound algorithms. Advantages and drawbacks of online and offline scheduling algorithms are discussed. Based on this discussion, a computationally efficient online scheduling algorithm, which can be seen as a compromise, is presented and its performance is evaluated. Finally, this algorithm, called optimal pointer placement (OPP) scheduling algorithm, is applied to the control and scheduling of a car suspension system.