Networked MPC for constrained linear systems: a recursive feasibility approach

The present paper proposes a recursively feasible networked model predictive control scheme for discrete-time constrained interconnected linear systems. A centralized controller, which communicates with the subsystems through a packet-based communication network, is designed to guarantee the uniform boundedness of the trajectories of the overall closed-loop system. In order to cope with disturbances and time-varying transmission delays which typically affect networked control systems, a network delay compensation strategy based on acknowledgments and time-stamping of data packets is adopted. The main contribution of the paper consists in proving that the proposed method guarantees the robust enforcement of hard state and input constraints even in presence of bounded model uncertainty and delayed feedback communication channels, provided that transmission delays are bounded.