Michelle Chong

Observability of linear systems under adversarial attacks

We address the problem of state estimation for multi-output continuous-time linear systems, for which an attacker may have control over some of the sensors and inject (potentially unbounded) additive noise into some of the measured outputs. To characterize the resilience of a system against such sensor attacks, we introduce a new notion of observability - termed “observability under attacks” - that addresses the question of whether or not it is possible to uniquely reconstruct the state of the system by observing its inputs and outputs over a period of time, with the understanding that some of the available systems outputs may have been corrupted by the opponent. We provide computationally efficient tests for observability under attacks that amount to testing the (standard) observability for an appropriate finite set of systems. In addition, we propose two state estimation algorithms that permit the state reconstruction in spite of the attacks. One of these algorithms uses observability Gramians and a finite window of measurements to reconstruct the initial state. The second algorithm takes the form of a switched observer that asymptotically converges to the correct state estimate in the absence of additive noise and disturbances, or to a neighborhood of the correct state estimate in the presence of bounded noise and disturbances.

A robust circle criterion observer with application to neural mass models

A robust circle criterion observer is designed and applied to neural mass models. At present, no existing circle criterion observers apply to the considered models, i.e. the required linear matrix inequality is infeasible. Therefore, we generalise available results to derive a suitable estimation algorithm. Additionally, the design also takes into account input uncertainty and measurement noise. We show how to apply the observer to estimate the mean membrane potential of neuronal populations of a popular single cortical column model from the literature.

SMT-based observer design for cyber-physical systems under sensor attacks

We introduce a scalable observer architecture to estimate the states of a discrete-time linear-time-invariant (LTI) system whose sensors can be manipulated by an attacker. Given the maximum number of attacked sensors, we build on previous results on necessary and sufficient conditions for state estimation, and propose a novel multi-modal Luenberger (MML) observer based on efficient Satisfiability Modulo Theory (SMT) solving. We present two techniques to reduce the complexity of the estimation problem. As a first strategy, instead of a bank of distinct observers, we use a family of filters sharing a single dynamical equation for the states, but different output equations, to generate estimates corresponding to different subsets of sensors. Such an architecture can reduce the memory usage of the observer from an exponential to a linear function of the number of sensors. We then develop an efficient SMT-based decision procedure that is able to reason about the estimates of the MML observer to detect at runtime which sets of sensors are attack-free, and use them to obtain a correct state estimate. We provide proofs of convergence for our algorithm and report simulation results to compare its runtime performance with alternative techniques. Our algorithm scales well for large systems (including up to 5000 sensors) for which many previously proposed algorithms are not implementable due to excessive memory and time requirements. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of our algorithm on the design of resilient power distribution systems.

Parameter and State Estimation of Nonlinear Systems Using a Multi-Observer Under the Supervisory Framework

We present a hybrid scheme for the parameter and state estimation of nonlinear continuous-time systems, which is inspired by the supervisory setup used for control. State observers are synthesized for some nominal parameter values and a criterion is designed to select one of these observers at any given time instant, which provides state and parameter estimates. Assuming that a persistency of excitation condition holds, the convergence of the parameter and state estimation errors to zero is ensured up to a margin, which can be made as small as desired by increasing the number of observers. To reduce the potential computational complexity of the scheme, we explain how the sampling of the parameter set can be dynamically updated using a zoom-in procedure. This strategy typically requires a fewer number of observers for a given estimation error margin compared to the static sampling policy. The results are shown to be applicable to linear systems and to a class of nonlinear systems. We illustrate the applicability of the approach by estimating the synaptic gains and the mean membrane potentials of a neural mass model.

Estimating the unmeasured membrane potential of neuronal populations from the EEG using a class of deterministic nonlinear filters

We present a model-based estimation method to reconstruct the unmeasured membrane potential of neuronal populations from a single-channel electroencephalographic (EEG) measurement. We consider a class of neural mass models that share a general structure, specifically the models by Stam et al (1999 Clin. Neurophysiol. 110 1801-13), Jansen and Rit (1995 Biol. Cybern. 73 357-66) and Wendling et al (2005 J. Clin. Neurophysiol. 22 343). Under idealized assumptions, we prove the global exponential convergence of our filter. Then, under more realistic assumptions, we investigate the robustness of our filter against model uncertainties and disturbances. Analytic proofs are provided for all results and our analyses are further illustrated via simulations.

Parameter and state estimation for a class of neural mass models

We present an adaptive observer which asymptotically reconstructs the parameters and states of a model of interconnected cortical columns. Our study is motivated by the fact that the considered model is able to realistically reproduce patterns seen on (intracranial) electroencephalograms (EEG) by varying its parameters. Therefore, by estimating its parameters and states, we could gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying neurological phenomena such as seizures, which might lead to the prediction of the onsets of epileptic seizures. Simulations are performed to illustrate our results.

A nonlinear estimator for the activity of neuronal populations in the hippocampus

Abstract We present an estimator design to reconstruct the mean membrane potential of individual neuronal populations from a single channel simulated electroencephalographic signal based on a model of the hippocampus. The robustness of the estimator against variations in the synaptic gains of the neuronal populations and disturbances in the input and measurement is studied. Our results are further illustrated in simulations.

SMT-Based Observer Design for Cyber-Physical Systems under Sensor Attacks

We introduce a scalable observer architecture to estimate the states of a discrete-time linear-time-invariant (LTI) system whose sensors can be manipulated by an attacker. Given the maximum number of attacked sensors, we build on previous results on necessary and sufficient conditions for state estimation, and propose a novel multi-modal Luenberger (MML) observer based on efficient Satisfiability Modulo Theory (SMT) solving. We present two techniques to reduce the complexity of the estimation problem. As a first strategy, instead of a bank of distinct observers, we use a family of filters sharing a single dynamical equation for the states, but different output equations, to generate estimates corresponding to different subsets of sensors. Such an architecture can reduce the memory usage of the observer from an exponential to a linear function of the number of sensors. We then develop an efficient SMT-based decision procedure that is able to reason about the estimates of the MML observer to detect at runtime which sets of sensors are attack-free, and use them to obtain a correct state estimate. We provide proofs of convergence for our algorithm and report simulation results to compare its runtime performance with alternative techniques. Our algorithm scales well for large systems (including up to 5000 sensors) for which many previously proposed algorithms are not implementable due to excessive memory and time requirements. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of our algorithm on the design of resilient power distribution systems.

State and parameter estimation of nonlinear systems: A multi-observer approach

We present a multi-observer approach for the parameter and state estimation of continuous-time nonlinear systems. For nominal parameter values in the known parameter set, state observers are designed with a robustness property. At any time instant, one observer is selected by a given criterion to provide its state estimate and its corresponding nominal parameter value. Provided that a persistency of excitation condition holds, we guarantee the convergence of state and parameter estimates up to a given margin of error which can be reduced by increasing the number of observers. The potential computational burden of the scheme is eased by introducing a dynamic parameter re-sampling technique, where the nominal parameter values are iteratively updated using a zoom-in procedure on the parameter set. We illustrate the efficacy of the algorithm on a model of neural dynamics.