Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and a method for controlling a fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to perform a mission. The method comprises receiving request data for the mission, obtaining assignments corresponding to one or more UAVs of the fleet of UAVs, and obtaining assignment data corresponding to each assignment. The method further comprises determining an assignment for the one or more UAVs by performing a first stage of a multi-stage optimization subject to a first set of constraints and updating the first list of assignments by adding the determined assignment to the first list of assignments. The method further comprises determining a second list of assignments for the one or more UAVs by performing a second stage of the multi-stage optimization subject to a second set of constraints and controlling the one or more UAVs based on the second list of assignments.

Abstract: The electric grid is controlled by formulating an original quadratic program (QP) for optimizing an objective function subject to equality constraints and inequality constraints, lifting the equality constraints and the inequality constraints into a lifted space by a lifting operation introducing an additional non-negative variable, and transforming the objective function of the original QP into a quadratic objective function. The quadratic objective function subject to the lifted equality and inequality constraints forms a homogeneous QP in the lifted space solved to produce a solution in the lifted space using a decomposition that replaces variables corresponding to individual generators with dual variables corresponding to the total demand of power, the additional nonnegative variable and its corresponding dual variable. That solution is transformed to a control command for controlling the electric grid.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a system and a method for controlling an operation of a robotic arm holding a tool for manipulating object. The method comprises collecting measurements of tactile sensors associated with the robotic arm, estimating, based on the collected measurements and constraints enforced by a Model Predictive Controller (MPC), a feedback signal indicative of a pose of the object, and executing the MPC configured to produce, based on the pose of the object, control commands for actuators of the robotic arm by optimizing a cost function minimizing a deviation of the pose of the object from a target pose of the object. The optimization of the cost function is subject to the constraints that constrain one or more forces acting on the object at one or more point of contacts to be within corresponding friction regions. The method further comprises controlling the actuators according to the control commands.

Abstract: A multi-split type refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit including a plurality of expansion valves and a controller to set opening command values for the plurality of expansion valves. The controller sets target openings of the plurality of expansion valves to a plurality of provisional openings, respectively, in an initial step, and determines whether the plurality of provisional openings satisfy an inequality constraint in a first step.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and a method for controlling a fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to perform a mission. The method comprises receiving request data for the mission, obtaining assignments corresponding to one or more UAVs of the fleet of UAVs, and obtaining assignment data corresponding to each assignment. The method further comprises determining an assignment for the one or more UAVs by performing a first stage of a multi-stage optimization subject to a first set of constraints and updating the first list of assignments by adding the determined assignment to the first list of assignments. The method further comprises determining a second list of assignments for the one or more UAVs by performing a second stage of the multi-stage optimization subject to a second set of constraints and controlling the one or more UAVs based on the second list of assignments.

Abstract: A manipulation controller is provided for reorienting an object by a manipulator of a robotic system. The manipulation controller includes an interface controller configured to acquire measurement data from sensors arranged on the robotic system, at least one processor, and a memory configured to store a computer-implemented method.

Abstract: A device for controlling an operation of a system performing a task determines a current control input based on the feedback signal by solving a polynomial optimization of a polynomial function with a reformulation derived by introducing additional variables reducing the degree of the polynomial function till a target degree subject to constraints on a structure of the additional variables. The device solves a mixed-integer optimization problem to find a subset of encodings among all possible encodings of factorizations of the polynomial function that reduce the degree of the polynomial function to the target degree with a predetermined minimum number of additional variables and selects an optimal encoding from the subset of encodings with an optimal relaxation bound.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and a method for controlling an operation of a manipulation system.

Abstract: A controller for controlling an operation of a robot to execute a task is provided. The controller comprises a memory configured to store a set of dynamic movement primitives (DMPs) associated with the task. The set of DMPs comprise a set of at least two dynamical systems: a function representing point attractor dynamics and a forcing function corresponding to a learned demonstration of the task. The controller comprises a processor configured to transform the set of DMPs to a set of constrained DMPs (CDMPs) by determining a perturbation function associated with the forcing function. The perturbation function is associated with a set of operational constraints. The processor is further configured to solve, a non-linear optimization problem for the set of CDMPs based on the set of operational constraints and generate, a control input for controlling the robot for executing the task, based on the solution.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a system and a method for controlling an operation of a machine according to a task. The method comprises formulating an original quadratic program (QP) for optimizing an objective function subject to equality constraints and inequality constraints, lifting the equality constraints and the inequality constraints into a lifted space by a lifting operation introducing an additional non-negative variable, and transforming the objective function of the original QP into a quadratic objective function. The quadratic objective function subject to the lifted equality and inequality constraints forms a homogeneous QP in the lifted space. The method further comprises solving the homogeneous QP to produce a solution in the lifted space and controlling the machine according to an infeasibility protocol when a value of the additional non-negative variable in the solution in the lifted space equals zero.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and a method for controlling an operation of a manipulation system.

Abstract: System and methods for controlling a movement of elevator cars of an elevator system. Determine, for each elevator car, an individual waiting time of accommodating each hall call. Determine, for each pair of hall calls assigned to each elevator car, a pairwise delay over the individual waiting time of each hall call in the pair caused by a joint assignment of the elevator car to accommodate the pair of the hall calls. Approximate a cumulative waiting time of an assignment of the elevator cars. Determine the assignment of the elevator cars using a branch and bound algorithm using spectral relaxations based on a generalized eigenvalue and spectral branching that assigns the plurality of hall calls to the elevator cars to minimize the approximated cumulative waiting time. Use a controller for controlling the movement of the elevator cars according to the assignment.

Abstract: A robotic system for manipulating an object with a robotic manipulator is provided. The robotic system is configured to collect a digital representation of a task for manipulating the object; solve a robust control problem to optimize a sequence of control forces to be applied by the robotic manipulator to change a state of the object, where an evolution of the state of the object is governed by a stochastic complementarity system modeling the task with a predefined probability. The robust control problem optimizes a cost function to generate the sequence of control forces performing the task subject to joint chance constraints including a first chance constraint on the state of the object being manipulated and a second chance constraint on stochastic complementarily constraints modeling manipulation of the object. The robotic system is further configured to control the manipulation of the object based on the sequence of control forces.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a system and a method for controlling an operation of a robotic arm holding a tool for manipulating object. The method comprises collecting measurements of tactile sensors associated with the robotic arm, estimating, based on the collected measurements and constraints enforced by a Model Predictive Controller (MPC), a feedback signal indicative of a pose of the object, and executing the MPC configured to produce, based on the pose of the object, control commands for actuators of the robotic arm by optimizing a cost function minimizing a deviation of the pose of the object from a target pose of the object. The optimization of the cost function is subject to the constraints that constrain one or more forces acting on the object at one or more point of contacts to be within corresponding friction regions. The method further comprises controlling the actuators according to the control commands.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a system and a method for controlling an operation of a machine according to a task. The method comprises formulating an original quadratic program (QP) for optimizing an objective function subject to equality constraints and inequality constraints, lifting the equality constraints and the inequality constraints into a lifted space by a lifting operation introducing an additional non-negative variable, and transforming the objective function of the original QP into a quadratic objective function. The quadratic objective function subject to the lifted equality and inequality constraints forms a homogeneous QP in the lifted space. The method further comprises solving the homogeneous QP to produce a solution in the lifted space and controlling the machine according to an infeasibility protocol when a value of the additional non-negative variable in the solution in the lifted space equals zero.

Abstract: A controller for controlling an operation of a robot to execute a task is provided. The controller comprises a memory configured to store a set of dynamic movement primitives (DMPs) associated with the task. The set of DMPs comprise a set of at least two dynamical systems: a function representing point attractor dynamics and a forcing function corresponding to a learned demonstration of the task. The controller comprises a processor configured to transform the set of DMPs to a set of constrained DMPs (CDMPs) by determining a perturbation function associated with the forcing function. The perturbation function is associated with a set of operational constraints. The processor is further configured to solve, a non-linear optimization problem for the set of CDMPs based on the set of operational constraints and generate, a control input for controlling the robot for executing the task, based on the solution.

Abstract: A controller controls a motion of an object performing a task for changing a state of the object from a start state to an end state while avoiding collision of the object with an obstacle according to an optimal trajectory determined by solving an optimization problem of the dynamics of the object producing an optimal trajectory for performing the task subject to constraints on a solution of first-order stationary conditions modeling a minimum distance between the convex hull of the object and the convex hull of the obstacle using complementarity constraints.

Abstract: A device for controlling an operation of a system performing a task determines a current control input based on the feedback signal by solving a polynomial optimization of a polynomial function with a reformulation derived by introducing additional variables reducing the degree of the polynomial function till a target degree subject to constraints on a structure of the additional variables. The device solves a mixed-integer optimization problem to find a subset of encodings among all possible encodings of factorizations of the polynomial function that reduce the degree of the polynomial function to the target degree with a predetermined minimum number of additional variables and selects an optimal encoding from the subset of encodings with an optimal relaxation bound.

Abstract: A device for controlling an operation of a system performing a task is disclosed. The device submits a sequence of control inputs to the system thereby changing states of the system according to the task and receives a feedback signal. The device determines a current control input for controlling the system based on the feedback signal including a current measurement of a current state of the system by solving a polynomial optimization of a polynomial function with a reformulation derived by introducing additional variables reducing a degree of the polynomial function till a target degree subject to constraints on a structure of the additional variables. The device solves a mixed-integer optimization problem to find an optimal solution among all possible encodings of factorizations of the polynomial function that reduces the degree of the polynomial function till the target degree with a minimum number of additional variables.

Abstract: A manipulation controller is provided for reorienting an object by a manipulator of a robotic system. The manipulation controller includes an interface controller configured to acquire measurement data from sensors arranged on the robotic system, at least one processor, and a memory configured to store a computer-implemented method.