A Jacobi algorithm for distributed model predictive control of dynamically coupled systems

In this paper we introduce an iterative Jacobi algorithm for solving distributed model predictive control (DMPC) problems, with linear coupled dynamics and convex coupled constraints. The algorithm guarantees stability and persistent feasibility, and we provide a localized procedure for constructing an initial feasible solution by constraint tightening. Moreover, we show that the solution of the iterative process converges to the centralized MPC solution. The proposed iterative approach involves solving local optimization problems consisting of only few subsystems, depending on the choice of the designer and the sparsity of dynamical and constraint couplings. The gain in the overall computational load compared to the centralized problem is balanced by the increased communication requirements. This makes our approach more applicable to situations where the number of subsystems is large, the coupling is sparse, and local communication is relatively fast and cheap. A numerical example illustrates the effects of the local problem size, and the number of iterations on convergence to the centralized solution.