Perturbation Analysis of Discrete Event Dynamic Systems


Book Description

Dynamic Systems (DEDS) are almost endless: military C31 Ilogistic systems, the emergency ward of a metropolitan hospital, back offices of large insurance and brokerage fums, service and spare part operations of multinational fums . . . . the point is the pervasive nature of such systems in the daily life of human beings. Yet DEDS is a relatively new phenomenon in dynamic systems studies. From the days of Galileo to Newton to quantum mechanics and cosmology of the present, dynamic systems in nature are primarily differential equations based and time driven. A large literature and endless success stories have been built up on such Continuous Variable Dynamic Systems (CVDS). It is, however, equally clear that DEDS are fundamentally different from CVDS. They are event driven, asynchronous, mostly man-made and only became significant during the past generation. Increasingly, however, it can be argued that in the modem world our lives are being impacted by and dependent upon the efficient operations of such DEDS. Yet compared to the successful paradigm of differential equations for CVDS the mathematical modelling of DEDS is in its infancy. Nor are there as many successful and established techniques for their analysis and synthesis. The purpose of this series is to promote the study and understanding of the modelling, analysis, control, and management of DEDS. The idea of the series came from editing a special issue of the Proceedings of IEEE on DEOS during 1988.




Introduction to Discrete Event Systems


Book Description

Introduction to Discrete Event Systems is a comprehensive introduction to the field of discrete event systems, offering a breadth of coverage that makes the material accessible to readers of varied backgrounds. The book emphasizes a unified modeling framework that transcends specific application areas, linking the following topics in a coherent manner: language and automata theory, supervisory control, Petri net theory, Markov chains and queuing theory, discrete-event simulation, and concurrent estimation techniques. This edition includes recent research results pertaining to the diagnosis of discrete event systems, decentralized supervisory control, and interval-based timed automata and hybrid automata models.




Discrete Event Systems


Book Description




Stochastic Learning and Optimization


Book Description

Performance optimization is vital in the design and operation of modern engineering systems, including communications, manufacturing, robotics, and logistics. Most engineering systems are too complicated to model, or the system parameters cannot be easily identified, so learning techniques have to be applied. This book provides a unified framework based on a sensitivity point of view. It also introduces new approaches and proposes new research topics within this sensitivity-based framework. This new perspective on a popular topic is presented by a well respected expert in the field.




Discrete Event Systems: Modeling and Control


Book Description

Research of discrete event systems is strongly motivated by applications in flex ible manufacturing, in traffic control and in concurrent and real-time software verification and design, just to mention a few important areas. Discrete event system theory is a promising and dynamically developing area of both control theory and computer science. Discrete event systems are systems with non-numerically-valued states, inputs, and outputs. The approaches to the modelling and control of these systems can be roughly divided into two groups. The first group is concerned with the automatic design of controllers from formal specifications of logical requirements. This re search owes much to the pioneering work of P.J. Ramadge and W.M. Wonham at the beginning of the eighties. The second group deals with the analysis and op timization of system throughput, waiting time, and other performance measures for discrete event systems. The present book contains selected papers presented at the Joint Workshop on Discrete Event Systems (WODES'92) held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on Au gust 26-28, 1992 and organized by the Institute of Information Theory and Au tomation of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechoslovakia, by the Automatic Control Laboratory of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) , Zurich, Switzerland, and by the Department of Computing Science of the University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.




Introduction to Discrete Event Systems


Book Description

This unique textbook comprehensively introduces the field of discrete event systems, offering a breadth of coverage that makes the material accessible to readers of varied backgrounds. The book emphasizes a unified modeling framework that transcends specific application areas, linking the following topics in a coherent manner: language and automata theory, supervisory control, Petri net theory, Markov chains and queueing theory, discrete-event simulation, and concurrent estimation techniques. Topics and features: detailed treatment of automata and language theory in the context of discrete event systems, including application to state estimation and diagnosis comprehensive coverage of centralized and decentralized supervisory control of partially-observed systems timed models, including timed automata and hybrid automata stochastic models for discrete event systems and controlled Markov chains discrete event simulation an introduction to stochastic hybrid systems sensitivity analysis and optimization of discrete event and hybrid systems new in the third edition: opacity properties, enhanced coverage of supervisory control, overview of latest software tools This proven textbook is essential to advanced-level students and researchers in a variety of disciplines where the study of discrete event systems is relevant: control, communications, computer engineering, computer science, manufacturing engineering, transportation networks, operations research, and industrial engineering. ​Christos G. Cassandras is Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Professor of Systems Engineering, and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University. Stéphane Lafortune is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.




An Introduction to Hybrid Dynamical Systems


Book Description

This book is about dynamical systems that are "hybrid" in the sense that they contain both continuous and discrete state variables. Recently there has been increased research interest in the study of the interaction between discrete and continuous dynamics. The present volume provides a first attempt in book form to bring together concepts and methods dealing with hybrid systems from various areas, and to look at these from a unified perspective. The authors have chosen a mode of exposition that is largely based on illustrative examples rather than on the abstract theorem-proof format because the systematic study of hybrid systems is still in its infancy. The examples are taken from many different application areas, ranging from power converters to communication protocols and from chaos to mathematical finance. Subjects covered include the following: definition of hybrid systems; description formats; existence and uniqueness of solutions; special subclasses (variable-structure systems, complementarity systems); reachability and verification; stability and stabilizability; control design methods. The book will be of interest to scientists from a wide range of disciplines including: computer science, control theory, dynamical system theory, systems modeling and simulation, and operations research.




Stochastic Simulation Optimization


Book Description

With the advance of new computing technology, simulation is becoming very popular for designing large, complex and stochastic engineering systems, since closed-form analytical solutions generally do not exist for such problems. However, the added flexibility of simulation often creates models that are computationally intractable. Moreover, to obtain a sound statistical estimate at a specified level of confidence, a large number of simulation runs (or replications) is usually required for each design alternative. If the number of design alternatives is large, the total simulation cost can be very expensive. Stochastic Simulation Optimization addresses the pertinent efficiency issue via smart allocation of computing resource in the simulation experiments for optimization, and aims to provide academic researchers and industrial practitioners with a comprehensive coverage of OCBA approach for stochastic simulation optimization. Starting with an intuitive explanation of computing budget allocation and a discussion of its impact on optimization performance, a series of OCBA approaches developed for various problems are then presented, from the selection of the best design to optimization with multiple objectives. Finally, this book discusses the potential extension of OCBA notion to different applications such as data envelopment analysis, experiments of design and rare-event simulation.




Conditional Monte Carlo


Book Description

Conditional Monte Carlo: Gradient Estimation and Optimization Applications deals with various gradient estimation techniques of perturbation analysis based on the use of conditional expectation. The primary setting is discrete-event stochastic simulation. This book presents applications to queueing and inventory, and to other diverse areas such as financial derivatives, pricing and statistical quality control. To researchers already in the area, this book offers a unified perspective and adequately summarizes the state of the art. To researchers new to the area, this book offers a more systematic and accessible means of understanding the techniques without having to scour through the immense literature and learn a new set of notation with each paper. To practitioners, this book provides a number of diverse application areas that makes the intuition accessible without having to fully commit to understanding all the theoretical niceties. In sum, the objectives of this monograph are two-fold: to bring together many of the interesting developments in perturbation analysis based on conditioning under a more unified framework, and to illustrate the diversity of applications to which these techniques can be applied. Conditional Monte Carlo: Gradient Estimation and Optimization Applications is suitable as a secondary text for graduate level courses on stochastic simulations, and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry.




Computer Aided Control System Design


Book Description

This book is about Computer Aided Control System Design (CACSD) of the direct process controller. Various methods and tools, representing an up-to-date level of development, are presented by leading experts. Several articles describe main principles and problems associated with modern direct control and with CACSD. Existing tools are presented, including packages for stability analysis of nonlinear systems, adaptive control design and integrated analysis, and simulation and tuning of controllers. The reader can observe that it is possible to develop CACSD tools by using open general packages such as Matlab or Simulab, or by providing specialised software. He can then compare both approaches and get an improved understanding of their respective advantages and disadvantages. The leading article by the editors presents CACSD Methods and tools in a broader context. There is also detailed material on upper control layers, hierarchical control, and real-time systems.