Synthesizing Neural Network Controllers with Guaranteed Closed-Loop Dissipativity

Core Concepts

The core message of this paper is to present a method for synthesizing neural network controllers that guarantee closed-loop dissipativity, enabling certification of performance requirements such as stability and L2 gain bounds, for a class of uncertain linear time-invariant plants.

Abstract

The paper presents a method to synthesize neural network controllers for a class of uncertain linear time-invariant (LTI) plants such that the closed-loop system is dissipative. The class of plants considered consists of LTI systems interconnected with an uncertainty, which can represent unmodeled dynamics, nonlinearities, and other uncertainties.
The key steps are:

Derive a dissipativity condition for uncertain LTI systems where the uncertainty satisfies an integral quadratic constraint (IQC).

Use this dissipativity condition to construct a linear matrix inequality (LMI) that can be used to synthesize neural network controllers with dissipativity guarantees. The neural network controller is modeled as an uncertain LTI system where the uncertainty represents the nonlinearities of the neural network.

Present a projection-based reinforcement learning algorithm to train the neural network controller to maximize a reward function while satisfying the dissipativity LMI constraint.

The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach through simulation examples on an inverted pendulum and a flexible rod on a cart.

Stats

The paper does not provide any explicit numerical data or statistics. It focuses on the theoretical development of the controller synthesis method.

Quotes

"Neural networks have seen recent success in control tasks, particularly through reinforcement learning, due to their ability to express complex nonlinear behavior."
"An important consideration in safe neural network control is computational tractability of controller synthesis methods."
"We leverage recent work on the implicit neural network (or equilibrium network), a neural network model which encompasses common neural network architectures, including the fully connected feedforward network, to describe the neural network aspect of the controller."

Key Insights Distilled From

Synthesizing Neural Network Controllers with Closed-Loop Dissipativity Guarantees

by Neelay Junna... at arxiv.org 04-12-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.07373.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How can the proposed method be extended to handle more general classes of uncertainties beyond the IQC framework

To extend the proposed method to handle more general classes of uncertainties beyond the IQC framework, one approach is to incorporate robust control techniques. Robust control methods, such as H-infinity control or mu-synthesis, can provide guarantees of stability and performance in the presence of a broader range of uncertainties. By formulating the controller synthesis problem as a robust control problem, the neural network controller can be designed to be robust to uncertainties that may not be captured by the IQC framework. Additionally, techniques such as adaptive control or reinforcement learning with adaptive elements can be used to adapt the controller to varying levels of uncertainty in real-time.

What are the potential limitations of the dissipativity-based approach compared to other stability or performance certification methods for neural network controllers

While the dissipativity-based approach offers formal guarantees of closed-loop stability and performance, it may have limitations compared to other stability or performance certification methods for neural network controllers. One limitation is the conservative nature of dissipativity analysis, which may lead to overly restrictive controller designs. Additionally, the computational complexity of solving the matrix inequalities for dissipativity certification can be high, especially for large-scale systems or complex neural network architectures. Furthermore, the dissipativity-based approach may not provide insights into the transient behavior or robustness of the controller, which are important aspects in practical control applications.

Can the controller synthesis procedure be further optimized to improve computational efficiency and scalability to larger neural network models

The controller synthesis procedure can be further optimized to improve computational efficiency and scalability to larger neural network models by leveraging advanced optimization techniques and parallel computing. One optimization strategy is to exploit the structure of the matrix inequalities and constraints to develop specialized solvers that can efficiently handle large-scale problems. Additionally, techniques such as warm-starting, iterative refinement, and distributed computing can be employed to speed up the optimization process. Furthermore, model reduction techniques can be applied to simplify the controller synthesis problem and reduce the computational burden. By combining these optimization strategies, the controller synthesis procedure can be made more efficient and scalable for larger neural network models.