This thesis concerns the identification of dynamic models in systems biology. and is structured into two parts. Both parts concern building dynamic models from observed data, but are quite different in perspective, rationale and mathematics. The first part considers the development of novel identification techniques that are particularly tailored to (molecular) biology and considers two approaches. The first approach reformulates the parameter estimation problem as a feasibility problem. This reformulation allows the invalidation of models by analysing entire parameter regions. The second approach utilises nonlinear observers and a transformation of the model equations into parameter free coordinates. The parameter free coordinates allow the design of a globally convergent observer, which in turn estimates the parameter values, and further, allows to identify modelling errors or unknown inputs/influences. Both approaches are bottom up approaches that require a mechanistic understanding of the underlying processes (in terms of a biochemical reaction network) leading to complex nonlinear models. The second part is an example of what can be done with classical, well developed tools from systems identification when applied to hitherto unattended problems.In particular, part two of my thesis develops a modelling framework for rat movements in an experimental setup that it widely used to study learning and memory.The approach is a top down approach that is data driven resulting in simple linear models.

Principalement, ce travail présente l’application d’observateurs non linéairespour la détection de fuites (uniques, séquentielles et simultanées) dans des canalisationssous pression. Les observateurs présentés ici ont été conçus à partir d’uneversion discrète des équations du coup de bélier, qui a été obtenue en utilisant laméthode des différences finies et en prenant comme alternative la méthode de collocationorthogonale. Les modèles discrets ainsi que certains observateurs ont étévalidés par une série d’expériences effectuées dans des canalisations d’essai. D’autrepart, une nouvelle version d’observateurs à grand gain pour des systèmes non uniformémentobservables a été développée. Elle a été utilisée pour la détection de fuitesainsi que pour la synchronisation de systèmes chaotiques avec des paramètres inconnus.Des résultats de convergence, expérimentaux et en simulation sont exposésdans ce mémoire. / This work mainly deals with the application of nonlinear observers for the detectionof leaks (single, sequential and simultaneous) in pipes under pressure. Theproposed observers were conceived from a spatially discretized version of the waterhammer equations. This version was obtained using the finite difference method ,as an alternative to the orthogonal collocation method also considered. The discretemodels, as well as some observers were validated by a set of experiments realizedin test pipes. This work also gave rise to a new version of high gain observers fornon-uniformly observable systems. Firstly used for the purpose of leak detection,it was successfully applied to the synchronization of chaotic systems with unknownparameters as well. Its presentation includes a formal convergence proof, as well assimulation and experimental results. / Este trabajo trata principalmente la aplicación de observadores no lineales parala detección de fugas (únicas, secuenciales y simultaneas) en tuberías bajo presión.Los observadores que aquí se presentan fueron concebidos a partir de una versióndiscreta (espacialmente) de las ecuaciones del golpe de ariete. Tal versión se logróutilizando el método de diferencias finitas, y como alternativa el método decolocación ortogonal. Los modelos discretos, así como ciertos observadores, fueronvalidados mediante una serie de experimentos realizados en tuberías de ensayo.Este trabajo también dio origen a una nueva versión de observadores de granganancia para sistemas no uniformemente observables, la cual se utilizó para ladetección de fugas, así como para la sincronización de sistemas caóticos con parámetrosdesconocidos. Su presentación incluye resultados de convergencia formales,en simulación, y experimentales.

The presented research concerns the control of unmanned vehicles. The results introduced in this dissertation provide a solid control framework for a wide class of nonlinear uncertain systems, with a special emphasis on issues related to implementation, such as control input amplitude and rate saturation, or partial state measurements availability. More specifically, an adaptive control framework, allowing to enforce amplitude and rate saturation of the command, is developed. The motion control component of this framework, which works in conjunction with a saturation algorithm, is then specialized to different types of vehicles. Vertical take-off and landing aerial vehicles and a general class of autonomous marine vehicles are considered. A nonlinear control algorithm addressing the tracking problem for a class of underactuated, non-minimum phase marine vehicles is then introduced. This motion controller is extended, using direct and indirect adaptive techniques, to handle parametric uncertainties in the system model. Numerical simulations are used to illustrate the efficacy of the algorithms. Next, the output feedback control problem is treated, for a large class of nonlinear and uncertain systems. The proposed solution relies on a novel nonlinear observer which uses output measurements and partial knowledge of the system's dynamics to reconstruct the entire state for a wide class of nonlinear systems. The observer is then extended to operate in conjunction with a full state feedback control law and solve both the output feedback control problem and the state observation problem simultaneously. The resulting output feedback control algorithm is then adjusted to provide a high level of robustness to both parametric and structural model uncertainties. Finally, in a natural extension of these results from motion control of a single system to collaborative control of a group of vehicles, a cooperative control framework addressing limited communication issues is introduced. / Ph. D.

In this thesis, various control problems originating from the field of mobile robotics are considered. In particular, the thesis deals with problems that are related to the interaction and coordination of multiple mobile units. The scientific contributions are presented in five papers that together constitute the main part of the thesis. The papers are preceded by a longer introductory part, in which some important results from control theory, data processing and robotics are reviewed. In the first of the appended papers, two stabilizing tracking controls are proposed for a non-holonomic robot platform of unicycle type. Tolerance to errors and other properties of the controllers are discussed and a reactive obstacle avoidance control, that can easily be incorporated with the proposed tracking controls, is suggested. In Paper B, the results from Paper~A are extended to multi-agent systems. It is demonstrated how the tracking controls from Paper A can be used as building blocks when putting together formations of robots, in which each robot maintains a fixed position relative its neighbors during translation. In addition, switching between the different control functions is shown to be robust, implying that it is possible to change the shape of a formation on-line. In the first two papers, the tracking problem is facilitated by the assumption that the approximate velocity of the target/leader is known to the tracking robot. Paper C treats the the case where the target velocity is neither directly measurable with the available sensor setup, nor possible to obtain through communication with neighboring agents. Straight-forward computation of the target velocity from available sensor data unfortunately tend to enhance measurement errors and give unreliable estimates. To overcome the difficulties, an alternative approach to velocity estimation is proposed, motivated by the local observability of the given control system. Paper D deals with another problematic aspect of data acquisition. When using range sensors, one often obtains a mixed data set with measurements originating from many different sources. This problem would, for instance, be encountered by a robot moving in a formation, where it was surrounded by other agents. There exist established techniques for sorting mixed data sets off-line, but for time-depending systems where data need to be sorted on-line and only small time delays can be tolerated, established methods fail. The solution presented in the paper is a prediction-correction type algorithm, referred to as CCIA (Classification Correction and Identification algorithm). Finally, in Paper E, we consider the problem of maintaining connectivity in a multi-agent system. Often inter-agent communication abilities are associated with some proximity constraints, so when the robots move in relation to each other, communication links both break and form. In the paper we present a framework for analysis that makes it possible to compute a set of general constraints which, if satisfied, are sufficient to guarantee maintained communication for a given multi-agent system. Constraints are computed for two sorts of consensus-based systems and the results are verified in simulations. / QC 20100715

La disponibilité de certains capteurs est indispensable pour le contrôle des machines électriques dans une application automobile. Cette thèse constitue une contribution à l'étude d'une commande tolérante aux défauts pour un entraînement électrique dans le cadre du projet SOFRACI. Pour pallier une défaillance de ces capteurs, des stratégies sont mises en place pour assurer une continuité de fonctionnement ou un arrêt sûr. Dans le cas de la machine synchrone, les capteurs les plus critiques sont: le capteur de position, les capteurs de courant et le capteur de bus de tension continue. C'est dans ce contexte que l'on a développé des algorithmes de commande tolérante aux défauts avec successivement des étapes de détection, d'isolation et de reconfiguration. Ensuite, la validation expérimentale a été effectuée sur un banc composé d’une machine synchrone et d’un onduleur avec 3 ponts H conçus pour la propulsion d’un véhicule électrique. Ainsi les méthodes développées et qui s’appuient principalement sur la théorie du contrôle, sont évaluées expérimentalement à travers des injections de défauts en temps réel, avec un accent mis sur le temps nécessaire à la détection. / During the last decade, Fault Tolerant Control (FTC) has become an increasingly interesting topic in automotive industry. The operation of electrical drives is highly dependent on feedback sensors availability. With the aim of reaching the required level of availability in transportation applications, the drive is equipped with a DC voltage sensor, three current sensors (due to safety requirements in electric vehicle standards) and a position sensor. This PhD is a contribution to the study of an electrical drive fault tolerant control. The objective is to have a system, which can adaptively reorganizes itself at a sensor failure occurrence. Consequently, strategies are defined from the early preliminary design steps, so as to facilitate fault detection, fault isolation and control reconfiguration. To this purpose, our work goes from theoretical studies toward experimental validations through the model simulation using control theory.In this thesis, FTC algorithms are developed for the rotor position, the phase currents and DC link voltage sensors. The experimentally validation is perform with an electrical drive composed of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine and a 3H bridge inverter. Thus, the developed methods are evaluated experimentally through real time fault injection, with an emphasis on the detection time.

" The chemical engineering literature is dominated by physical and (bio)-chemical processes that exhibit complex nonlinear behavior, and as a consequence, the associated requirements of their analysis, optimization, control and monitoring pose considerable challenges in the face of emerging competitive pressures on the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. The above operational requirements are now increasingly imposed on processes that exhibit inherently nonlinear behavior over a wide range of operating conditions, rendering the employment of linear process control and monitoring methods rather inadequate. At the same time, increased research efforts are now concentrated on the development of new process control and supervisory systems that could be digitally implemented with the aid of powerful computer software codes. In particular, it is widely recognized that the important objective of process performance reliability can be met through a comprehensive framework for process control and monitoring. From: (i) a process safety point of view, the more reliable the process control and monitoring scheme employed and the earlier the detection of an operationally hazardous problem, the greater the intervening power of the process engineering team to correct it and restore operational order (ii) a product quality point of view, the earlier detection of an operational problem might prevent the unnecessary production of o-spec products, and subsequently minimize cost. The present work proposes a new methodological perspective and a novel set of systematic analytical tools aiming at the synthesis and tuning of well-performing digital controllers and the development of monitoring algorithms for nonlinear processes. In particular, the main thematic and research axis traced are: (i) The systematic integrated synthesis and tuning of advanced model-based digital controllers using techniques conceptually inspired by Zubov’s advanced stability theory. (ii) The rigorous quantitative characterization and monitoring of the asymptotic behavior of complex nonlinear processes using the notion of invariant manifolds and functional equations theory. (iii) The systematic design of nonlinear state observer-based process monitoring systems to accurately reconstruct unmeasurable process variables in the presence of time-scale multiplicity. (iv) The design of robust nonlinear digital observers for chemical reaction systems in the presence of model uncertainty. "

The work concerns the "observability problem"--the reconstruction of a dynamic process's full state from a partially measured state-- for nonlinear dynamic systems. The Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is a widely-used observer for such nonlinear systems. However it suffers from a lack of theoretical justifications and displays poor performance when the estimated state is far from the real state, e.g. due to large perturbations, a poor initial state estimate, etc. . . We propose a solution to these problems, the Adaptive High-Gain (EKF). Observability theory reveals the existence of special representations characterizing nonlinear systems having the observability property. Such representations are called observability normal forms. A EKF variant based on the usage of a single scalar parameter, combined with an observability normal form, leads to an observer, the High-Gain EKF, with improved performance when the estimated state is far from the actual state. Its convergence for any initial estimated state is proven. Unfortunately, and contrary to the EKF, this latter observer is very sensitive to measurement noise. Our observer combines the behaviors of the EKF and of the high-gain EKF. Our aim is to take advantage of both efficiency with respect to noise smoothing and reactivity to large estimation errors. In order to achieve this, the parameter that is the heart of the high-gain technique is made adaptive. Voila, the Adaptive High-Gain EKF. A measure of the quality of the estimation is needed in order to drive the adaptation. We propose such an index and prove the relevance of its usage. We provide a proof of convergence for the resulting observer, and the final algorithm is demonstrated via both simulations and a real-time implementation. Finally, extensions to multiple output and to continuous-discrete systems are given.

Au cours de cette thèse, le problème général de la conception de méthodes couplées de contrôle et d'estimation pour des systèmes dynamiques non linéaires a été étudié. La cible principale était la navigation par corrélation de terrain (TAN en anglais), où le problème était de guider et d’estimer la position 3D d’un drone survolant une zone connue. Dans cette application, on suppose que les seules données disponibles sont la vitesse du système, une mesure de la différence entre l'altitude absolue du drone et l'altitude du sol survolé et une carte du sol. La TAN est un bon exemple d'application non linéaire dans laquelle le principe de séparation ne peut pas être appliqué. En réalité, la qualité des observations dépend du contrôle et plus précisément de la zone survolée par le drone. Par conséquent, il existe un besoin de méthodes couplées d'estimation et de contrôle. Il est à noter que le problème d'estimation créé par TAN est en soi difficile à analyser et à résoudre. En particulier, les sujets suivants ont été traités:• Conception d'observateur non linéaire et commande en retour de sortie pour la TAN avec des cartes au terrain analytiquesdans un cadre déterministe à temps continu.• La modélisation conjointe du filtrage optimal non linéaire et du contrôle optimal stochastique en temps discretavec des informations imparfaites.• la conception de schémas de contrôle prédictif stochastique duaux associés à un filtre particulaire et leur implémentation numérique pour la TAN. / During this PhD, the general problem of designing coupled control and estimation methods for nonlinear dynamical systems has been investigated. The main target application was terrain-aided navigation (TAN), where the problem is to guide and estimate the 3D position of a drone flying over a known area. In this application, it is assumed that the only available data are the speed of the system, a measurement of the difference between the absolute altitude of the drone and the altitude of the ground flied over and a map of the ground. TAN is a good example of a nonlinear application where the separation principle cannot be applied. Actually, the quality of the observations depends on the control and more precisely on the area that is flied over by the drone. Therefore, there is a need for coupled estimation and control methods. It is to be noted that the estimation problem created by TAN is in itself difficult to analyse and solve. In particular, the following topics have been treated:• Nonlinear observer design and outputfeedback control for TAN with analytical ground mapsin a deterministic continuous-time framework.• The joint modelling of nonlinear optimal filtering and discrete-time stochastic optimal controlwith imperfect information.• The design of output-feedback Explicit dual stochastic MPC schemes coupled with a particlefilter and their numerical implementation to TAN.

Les observateurs et la régulation de sortie sont deux thèmes centraux de la théorie des système non linéaires. Bien que de nombreux chercheurs ont consacré leur attention à ces questions depuis plus de trente ans, il y a encore de nombreuses questions ouvertes. Dans la théorie des observateurs un rôle clé est joué par les observateurs à grand gain. Le but de la première partie de la thèse est d'etudier nouvelles techniques qui permettent de surmonter ou au moins d'atténuer les principaux problèmes qui caractérisent cette classe d'observateurs. Nous proposons une nouvelle classe d'observateurs à grand gain, appelé "low-power", qui permet de surmonter les problèmes numériques, d'éviter le phénomène de peaking et d'améliorer les propriétés de sensibilité aux bruit de mesure à haute fréquence. La deuxième partie de la thèse aborde du problème de la régulation de sortie, qui a été résolu pour les systèmes linéaires au cours des années 70, par Francis et Wonham qui ont énoncé le célèbre «principe de modèle interne". Des solutions constructives ont aussi été proposées dans le cadre non linéaire mais sous des hypothèses restrictives qui réduisent la classe des systèmes auxquels cette méthodologie peut être appliquée. Dans la thèse, nous nous concentrons sur le problème de la régulation de sortie en présence de perturbations périodiques, et nous proposons une nouvelle approche qui nous permet de considérer une classe plus large de systèmes non linéaires. La technique obtenué est robuste au sens défini par Francis et Wonham. / Observers and output regulation are two central topics in nonlinear control system theory. Although many researchers have devoted their attention to these issues for more than 30 years, there are still many open questions. In the observer theory a key role is played by the so called high-gain observers. The purpose of the first part of the thesis is to study novel techniques which allow to overcome or at least to mitigate some of the main drawbacks characterizing this class of observers. We propose a novel class of high-gain observers, denoted as ``low-power'', which allows to overcome numerical problems, to avoid the peaking phenomenon and to improve the sensitivity properties to high-frequency measurement noise. The second part of the thesis addresses the output regulation problem, solved for linear systems during the 70's by Francis and Wonham who coined the celebrated ``internal model principle''. Constructive solutions have also been proposed in the nonlinear framework but under restrictive assumptions that reduce the class of systems to which this methodology can be applied. In this thesis we focus on the output regulation problem in presence of periodic disturbances and we propose a novel approach which allows to consider a broader class of nonlinear systems. The resulting design is robust in the sense defined by Francis and Wonham.

Dans ce travail de thèse, nous développons des méthodes de synchronisation des systèmes chaotiques pour les applications de transmission d'informations. La première méthode de synchronisation que nous proposons est basée sur les observateurs adaptatifs à entrées inconnues pour une classe des systèmes chaotiques présentant des incertitudes paramétriques et des perturbations dans leurs dynamiques et du bruit dans les signaux de sortie (bruit dans le canal de communication). La méthode développée repose sur les techniques adaptatives pour la compensation des non-linéarités et des incertitudes paramétriques et pour la restauration des messages transmis. Elle se base également sur les méthodes de synthèse d'observateurs à entrées inconnues pour supprimer l'influence des perturbations et du bruit. Ensuite, nous développons une deuxième méthode de synchronisation utilisant un observateur adaptatif à ``modes glissants" pour une classe des systèmes chaotiques présentant des entrées inconnues et dont les signaux de sortie sont bruités. La synthèse de l'observateur s'appuie sur la théorie des modes glissants, les techniques de synthèse d'observateurs singuliers et les techniques adaptatives dans le but d'estimer conjointement l'état et les entrées inconnues malgré la présence du bruit dans les équations de sortie. Cette approche de synchronisation est ensuite employée dans un nouveau schéma de communication chaotique sécurisée dont l'objectif est d'augmenter le nombre et l'amplitude des messages transmis, améliorer le niveau de sécurité ainsi que la robustesse aux bruits présents dans le canal de communication. En outre, le scénario de présence des retards de transmission est étudié en élaborant une troisième approche de synchronisation à base d'observateurs adaptatifs pour une classe des systèmes chaotiques de Lur'e avec des non-linéarités à pente restreinte et des signaux de sortie retardés. En se basant sur la théorie de Lyapunov-Krasovskii et en utilisant une hypothèse d'excitation persistante, l'observateur adaptatif proposé garantit la synchronisation maitre-esclave et la restauration des informations transmises malgré l'existence des retards de transmission. Les résultats théoriques obtenus dans ce travail de thèse sont vérifiés à travers des applications de transmission d'informations utilisant différents modèles des systèmes chaotiques tout en étudiant les différents scénarios et cas de figure pouvant se présenter en pratique et en analysant les aspects de sécurité de ces systèmes. / In this thesis, we develop synchronization methods of chaotic systems for information transmission applications. The first proposed method is based on adaptive unknown input observers for a class of chaotic systems subject to parametric uncertainties and perturbations in their dynamics and noise in outputs signals (Channel communication noise). The developed method is based on adaptive techniques to compensate nonlinearities to compensate nonlinearities and parametric uncertainties and to reconstruct the transmitted messages. Furthermore, this approach is based on unknown input observers design to reject the influence of perturbations and noise. Then, we develop a second synchronization method using an adaptive ``sliding mode” observer for a class of chaotic systems subject to unknown inputs and such that the output equations are subject to noise. The observer design is based on sliding modes theory, descriptor observers design and adaptive control in order to join state and unknown input estimation despite the presence of noise in output equations. The latter synchronization approach is then exploited in a new secured communication scheme where the objective is to increase the number and amplitude of the transmitted messages, improve the level of security and the robustness to noise present in the communication channel. Moreover, the case of presence of transmission time-delays was investigated and a synchronization approach based on adaptive observers for a class of Lur’e systems with slope restricted nonlinearities and delayed outputs. Based on the Lyapunov-Krasovskii theory and using a persistency of excitation property, the proposed adaptive observer ensures master-slave synchronization and the reconstruction of the transmitted messages despite the existence of transmission time-delays. The obtained theoretical results in this thesis are verified through transmission information applications using different models of chaotic systems in different scenarios and case-studies which may occur in practice. Cryptanalysis and security aspects of the proposed communication systems are also investigated.