Colin Jones
EPFL STI IGM LA3
ME C2 408 (Bâtiment ME)
Station 9
CH-1015 Lausanne
Biography
Colin Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Automatic Control Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. He was a Senior Researcher at the Automatic Control Lab at ETH Zurich until 2011 and obtained a PhD in 2005 from the University of Cambridge for his work on polyhedral computational methods for constrained control. Prior to that, he was at the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he took a BASc and MASc in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. Colin has worked in a variety of industrial roles, ranging from commercial building control to the development of custom optimization tools focusing on retail human resource scheduling. His current research interests are in the theory and computation of predictive control and optimization, and their application to green energy generation, distribution and management.
Research Interests
My research focuses on the development of the theory and practice of optimization-based, or model predictive control with a particular emphasis on problems arising from renewable energy challenges.
Details of ongoing research can be found at la.epfl.ch/research
Publications are searchable on the EPFL infoscience portal (pdf, Oct, 2011)
Education
| BASc | Electrical engineering and mathematics | University of British Columbia | 1994-2000 |
| MASc | Electrical engineering | University of British Columbia, Canada | 2000-2002 |
| PhD | Control theory | Cambridge, UK | 2002-2005 |
Publications
Colin Jones' publications
2019
Model-based predictive control methods for distributed energy resources in smart grids.
Lausanne, EPFL, 2019.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-9264.
2018
Economic study of the participation of multiple energy resources in grid services markets
2018-10-09.
A coordinator-driven communication reduction scheme for distributed optimization using the projected gradient method
2018-06-15. European Control Conference 2018 (ECC 2018) , Limassol, Cyprus , June 12-15, 2018.
Supplementary material for the paper: A coordinator-driven communication reduction scheme for distributed optimization using the projected gradient method
2018-06-15.
An ADMM-Based Coordination and Control Strategy for PV and Storage to Dispatch Stochastic Prosumers: Theory and Experimental Validation, 2018 Power Systems Computation Conference (PSCC)
2018-06-11. 20th Power Systems Computation Conference , Dublin, Ireland , 11-15 June, 2018. p. 1-7.
DOI : 10.23919/PSCC.2018.8450879.
A design method for distributed luenberger observers
2018-01-23. IEEE 56th Annual Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), , Melbourne, VIC, Australia , December, 12-15, 2017. p. 3374-3379.
DOI : 10.1109/CDC.2017.8264153.
Input-Constrained Path Following for Autonomous Marine Vehicles with a Global Region of Attraction
2018-01-01. 11th IFAC Conference on Control Applications in Marine Systems, Robotics, and Vehicles (CAMS) , Opatija, CROATIA , Sep 10-12, 2018. p. 348-353.
DOI : 10.1016/j.ifacol.2018.09.499.
An ADMM-based Coordination and Control Strategy for PV and Storage to Dispatch Stochastic Prosumers: Theory and Experimental Validation
2018-01-01. Power Systems Computation Conference (PSCC) , Dublin, IRELAND , Jun 11-15, 2018.
An ADMM-based Coordination and Control Strategy for PV and Storage to Dispatch Stochastic Prosumers: Theory and Experimental Validation
2018-01-01. Power Systems Computation Conference (PSCC) , Dublin, IRELAND , Jun 11-15, 2018.
DOI : 10.23919/PSCC.2018.8450879.
Provision of Ancillary Services utilizing a Network of Fast-Charging Stations for Electrical Buses
2018.
Multi-time scale coordination of complementary resources for the provision of ancillary services
Applied Energy. 2018.
DOI : 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.08.045.
Distributed State Estimation and Cooperative Path-Following Under Communication Constraints
Lausanne, EPFL, 2018.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8626.
Coordinated Optimization and Control for Smart Grids
Lausanne, EPFL, 2018.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8814.
Enhancing the dispatchability of distribution networks through utility-scale batteries and flexible demand
Energy and Buildings. 2018.
DOI : 10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.04.056.
Distributed Optimization and Control using Operator Splitting Methods
EPFL, 2018.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8623.
Economic Nonlinear Model Predictive Control: Stability, Optimality and Performance
Foundations and Trends in Systems and Control. 2018.
DOI : 10.1561/2600000014.
2017
Predictive Control of Buildings for Demand Response and Ancillary Services Provision
Lausanne, EPFL, 2017.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7897.
Experimental Implementation of Frequency Regulation Services Using Commercial Buildings
2017. IEEE Manchester PowerTech , Manchester, England , June 18-22, 2017.
DOI : 10.1109/Tsg.2016.2597002.
Vision-Based Sense and Avoid Algorithms for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Lausanne, EPFL, 2017.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-8043.
On Generalized Primal-Dual Interior-Point Methods with Non-uniform Complementarity Perturbations for Quadratic Programming
2017.
On Coordinated Primal-Dual Interior-Point Methods for Multi-Agent Optimization
2017. 56th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control , Melbourne, Australia , December 12-15, 2017.
DOI : 10.1109/CDC.2017.8264177.
Technical Report: Control of Nonlinear Systems with Explicit-MPC-like Controllers
2017. The 56th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control , Melbourne, Australia , December 12-15, 2017.
DOI : 10.1109/CDC.2017.8264394.
An Alternating Trust Region Algorithm for Distributed Linearly Constrained Nonlinear Programs, Application to the Optimal Power Flow Problem
Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications. 2017.
DOI : 10.1007/s10957-015-0853-2.
On turnpike and dissipativity properties of continuous-time optimal control problems
Automatica. 2017.
DOI : 10.1016/j.automatica.2017.03.012.
Robust Tracking Commitment
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. 2017.
DOI : 10.1109/TAC.2017.2663766.
Predictive Control methods for Building Control and Demand Response
Lausanne, EPFL, 2017.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7738.
Quantization Design for Distributed Optimization
Ieee Transactions On Automatic Control. 2017.
DOI : 10.1109/Tac.2016.2600597.
Interior Point Decomposition for Multi-Agent Optimization
2017. 20th IFAC World Congress , Toulouse, France , 9-14 July, 2017.
DOI : 10.1016/j.ifacol.2017.08.039.
Y Stability and performance verification of optimization-based controllers
Automatica. 2017.
DOI : 10.1016/j.automatica.2016.12.008.
Convergence rates of moment-sum-of-squares hierarchies for optimal control problems
Systems & Control Letters. 2017.
DOI : 10.1016/j.sysconle.2016.11.010.
Hierarchical Control of Building HVAC System for Ancillary Services Provision
2017.
Complexity Certification of the Fast Alternating Minimization Algorithm for Linear MPC
Ieee Transactions On Automatic Control. 2017.
DOI : 10.1109/Tac.2016.2561407.
Dispatching active distribution networks through electrochemical storage systems and demand side management
2017. 1st IEEE Conference on Control Technology and Applications , Big Island, Hawaii, USA , August 27-30, 2017.
DOI : 10.1109/CCTA.2017.8062629.
Data-driven Demand Response Modeling and Control of Buildings with Gaussian Processes
2017. 2017 American Control Conference , Seattle, Washington, USA , May 24-26, 2017.
Real-Time Distributed Algorithms for Nonconvex Optimal Power Flow
2017. 2017 American Control Conference , Seattle, WA, USA , May 24–26.
DOI : 10.23919/ACC.2017.7963469.
Solving the Infinite-horizon Constrained LQR Problem using Accelerated Dual Proximal Methods
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. 2017.
DOI : 10.1109/Tac.2016.2594381.
Model Predictive Path-Following Control for Airborne Wind Energy Systems
2017. 20th IFAC World Congress , Toulouse, France , July 2017.
Incipient Actuator Fault Handling in Nonlinear Model Predictive Control
2017. 20th IFAC World Congress , Toulouse, France , July 2017.
Constrained bundle methods with inexact minimization applied to the energy regulation provision problem
2017. IFAC 2017 World congress20th IFAC World Congress , Toulouse, FranceToulouse, France , July 9-14. 2017July 2017. p. 12471-12476.
DOI : 10.1016/j.ifacol.2017.08.1923.
Experimental Demonstration of Buildings Providing Frequency Regulation Services in the Swiss Market
2017.
2016
Economic Advantages of Office Buildings Providing Ancillary Services with Intraday Participation
IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. 2016.
DOI : 10.1109/TSG.2016.2632239.
A Nonlinear Adaptive Controller for Airborne Wind Energy Systems
2016. American Control Conference (ACC), 2016 , Boston, MA, USA , July 6-8, 2016.
DOI : 10.1109/ACC.2016.7525566.
Accelerated ADMM based on Accelerated Douglas-Rachford Splitting
2016. European Control Conference (ECC) , Aalborg, Denmark , June 29 - July 1, 2016. p. 1952-1957.
DOI : 10.1109/ECC.2016.7810577.
A parametric augmented Lagrangian algorithm for real-time economic NMPC
2016. European Control Conference (ECC) , Aalborg, DENMARK , JUN 29-JUL 01, 2016. p. 123-128.
DOI : 10.1109/ECC.2016.7810274.
Design of a Distributed Quantized Luenberger Filter for Bounded Noise
2016. American Control Conference (ACC) , Boston, MA , JUL 06-08, 2016. p. 6393-6398.
A Nonlinear Adaptive Controller for Airborne Wind Energy Systems
2016. American Control Conference (ACC) , Boston, MA , JUL 06-08, 2016. p. 4101-4106.
Sensor Fault Tolerance in Output Feedback Nonlinear Model Predictive Control
2016. 3rd Conference on Control and Fault-Tolerant Systems (SysTol) , Barcelona, SPAIN , SEP 07-09, 2016. p. 711-716.
Constrained LQR Using Online Decomposition Techniques
2016. 55th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control , Las Vegas, Nevada, USA .
DOI : 10.1109/CDC.2016.7798612.
Operator Splitting Methods in Control
Foundations and Trends in Systems and Control. 2016.
DOI : 10.1561/2600000008.
OpenBuildNet Framework for Distributed Co-Simulation of Smart Energy Systems
2016. 14th International Conference on Control, Automation, Robotics and Vision , Phuket, Thailand , November 13-15, 2016.
DOI : 10.1109/ICARCV.2016.7838701.
Continuous-time Model Predictive Control for Economic Optimization
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-6612.
Special section on Nonlinear Model Predictive Control
Annual Reviews In Control. 2016.
DOI : 10.1016/j.arcontrol.2016.04.007.
On convergence and performance certification of a continuous-time economic model predictive control scheme with time-varying performance index
Automatica. 2016.
DOI : 10.1016/j.automatica.2016.01.020.
Distributed synthesis and stability of cooperative distributed model predictive control for linear systems
Automatica. 2016.
DOI : 10.1016/j.automatica.2016.02.009.
MPC for Tracking Periodic References
IEEE Transactions On Automatic Control. 2016.
DOI : 10.1109/Tac.2015.2461811.
Moment-sum-of-squares hierarchies for set approximation and optimal control
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7012.
Stochastic MPC for Controlling the Average Constraint Violation for Periodic Linear System with Additive Disturbance
2016. American Control Conference , Boston, MA, USA , July 6-8, 2016.
DOI : 10.1109/ACC.2016.7526515.
Splitting Methods for Distributed Optimization and Control
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7041.
A Parametric Nonconvex Decomposition Algorithm for Real-Time and Distributed NMPC
Ieee Transactions On Automatic Control. 2016.
DOI : 10.1109/Tac.2015.2426231.
Fixed-wing drones for communication networks
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-6859.
Decomposition Strategies for Nonconvex Problems, a Parametric Approach
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016.
DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-6875.
Proofs of Lemmas of the Paper Design of a Distributed Quantized Luenberger Filter for Bounded Noise
2016.
Experimental Implementation of Frequency Regulation Service Using Commercial Buildings
2016.
Controller design and value function approximation for nonlinear dynamical systems
Automatica. 2016.
DOI : 10.1016/j.automatica.2016.01.022.
2015
Improved path following for kites with input delay compensation
2015. 2015 54th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) , Osaka , 15-18 December 2015. p. 656-663.
DOI : 10.1109/CDC.2015.7402304.
A consensus algorithm for networks with process noise and quantization error
2015. 2015 53rd Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control and Computing (Allerton) , Monticello, IL , 29 September - 2 October 2015. p. 488-495.
DOI : 10.1109/ALLERTON.2015.7447044.
Enumeration-based approach to solving parametric linear complementarity problems
Automatica. 2015.
DOI : 10.1016/j.automatica.2015.09.019.
Multirate sliding mode disturbance compensation for model predictive control
International Journal Of Robust And Nonlinear Control. 2015.
DOI : 10.1002/rnc.3244.
On Turnpike and Dissipativity Properties of Continuous-Time Optimal Control Problems
arXiv.org. 2015.
Quantization design for distributed optimization with time-varying parameters
2015. 54rd Conference on Decision and Control , Osaka, Japan , December 15-18, 2015.
Providing ancillary service with commercial buildings: the Swiss perspective
2015. 9th IFAC International Symposium on AdvancedControl of Chemical Processes (ADCHEM) , Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. , June 7-10, 2015. p. 6–13.
DOI : 10.1016/j.ifacol.2015.08.149.
Robust Tracking Commitment with Application to Demand Response
2015.
A two-stage stochastic programming approach to employee scheduling in retail outlets with uncertain demand
Omega-International Journal Of Management Science. 2015.
DOI : 10.1016/j.omega.2015.01.003.
Quantization Design for Distributed Optimization
2015.
Quantization Design for Unconstrained Distributed Optimization
2015. The 2015 American Control Conference , Chicago, Illinois, USA , July 1–3, 2015.
Constrained Spectrum Control
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. 2015.
DOI : 10.1109/TAC.2014.2364531.
An Optimization-based Approach to Extract Faceted Crystal Shapes from Stereoscopic Images
Computers and Chemical Engineering. 2015.
DOI : 10.1016/j.compchemeng.2015.01.016.
Optimization Based Control for Target Estimation and Tracking via Highly Observable Trajectories An Application to Motion Control of Autonomous Robotic Vehicles
2015. 11th Portuguese Conference on Automatic Control . p. 495-504.
DOI : 10.1007/978-3-319-10380-8_47.
An Alternating Trust Region Algorithm for Distributed Linearly Constrained Nonlinear Programs Application to the AC Optimal Power Flow
2015.
A Model Predictive Control scheme with Ultimate Bound for Economic Optimization
2015. 2015 American Control Conference , Chicago, Illinois, USA , July 1-3 in.
Stability and Performance Verification of Optimization-based Controllers
2015.
A virtual vehicle approach to distributed control for formation keeping of underactuated vehicles
2015. 1st Indian Control Conference (ICC 2015) , IIT Madras, Chennai, India , January 5-7, 2015.
Guaranteeing Input Tracking For Constrained Systems: Theory and Application to Demand Response
2015. 2015 American Control Conference , Chicago, Illinois, USA , July 1-3, 2015.
DOI : 10.1109/ACC.2015.7170741.
Optimization of an Airborne Wind Energy System using Constrained Gaussian Processes with Transient Measurements
2015. First Indian Control Conference , IIT Madras, Chennai , 5-7 January, 2015.
OpenBuild : An Integrated Simulation Environment for Building Control
2015.
2014
Solving the infinite-horizon constrained LQR problem using splitting techniques
2014. 19th IFAC World Congress , Cape Town, South Africa . p. 2285-2290.
DOI : 10.3182/20140824-6-ZA-1003.00650.
An Augmented Lagrangian Coordination-Decomposition Algorithm for Solving Distributed Non-Convex Programs
2014. American Control Conference , Portland, OR , DEC 04-06, 2014. p. 4312-4317.
Optimal Design of Observable Multi-Agent Networks: A Structural System Approach
2014. 13th European Control Conference (ECC) . p. 1536-1541.
Complexity Certification of the Fast Alternating Minimization Algorithm for Linear Model Predictive Control
2014.
Flexible triangular formation keeping of marine robotic vehicles using range measurements.
2014. 19th IFAC World Congress , Cape Town, South Africa , August 2014.
Dominant speed factors of active set methods for fast MPC
Optimal Control Applications & Methods. 2014.
DOI : 10.1002/oca.2140.
Parametric Polytope Reconstruction, an Application to Crystal Shape Estimation
Ieee Transactions On Image Processing. 2014.
DOI : 10.1109/Tip.2014.2350915.
An Economic Model Predictive Control scheme with terminal penalty for continuous-time systems
2014. 53nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) , Los Angeles, CA, USA , December 15-17, 2014.
Inexact Fast Alternating Minimization Algorithm for Distributed Model Predictive Control
2014. 53rd IEEE Conf. on Decision and Control , Los Angeles, 2014 , December 15-17, 2014. p. 5915-5921.
DOI : 10.1109/CDC.2014.7040315.
Fast Alternating Minimization Algorithm for Model Predictive Control
2014. 19th IFAC World Congress , Cape Town, South Africa , 8-24, 2014.
A parametric multi-convex splitting technique with application to real-time NMPC, 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control
2014. 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control , Los Angeles, California, USA , December 15-17, 2014. p. 5052-5057.
DOI : 10.1109/CDC.2014.7040178.
Optimal design of observable multi-agent networks: A structural system approach
2014. 2014 European Control Conference (ECC) , Strasbourg, France , June 25-27, 2014.
DOI : 10.1109/ECC.2014.6862577.
A Parametric Non-Convex Decomposition Algorithm for Real-Time and Distributed NMPC
2014.
Learning decision rules for energy efficient building control
Journal Of Process Control. 2014.
DOI : 10.1016/j.jprocont.2014.01.006.
Convex computation of the maximum controlled invariant set for polynomial control systems
Siam Journal on Control and Optimization, accepted. 2014.
DOI : 10.1137/130914565.
Optimization of an Airborne Wind Energy System Using Constrained Gaussian Processes
2014. IEEE Multi-Conference on Systems and Control , Antibes/Nice , 8-10 October, 2014.
Soft Constrained Model Predictive Control With Robust Stability Guarantees
Ieee Transactions On Automatic Control. 2014.
DOI : 10.1109/Tac.2014.2304371.
Model Predictive Control for Market-Based Demand Response Participation
2014. 19th World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control , Cape Town, South Africa , 24-29 August 2014.
Turnpike and dissipativity properties in dynamic real-time optimization and economic MPC
2014. 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control , Los Angeles, California, USA , December 15-17, 2014.
Certification of fixed computation time first-order optimization-based controllers for a class of nonlinear dynamical systems
2014. American Control Conference , Portland, Oregon, USA , June 4 - 6, 2014. p. 3602-3608.
DOI : 10.1109/ACC.2014.6858719.
Controller design and region of attraction estimation for nonlinear dynamical systems
2014. The 19th World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) , Cape Town, South Africa , August 24-29, 2014.
Stochastic MPC framework for controlling the average constraint violation
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. 2014.
DOI : 10.1109/TAC.2014.2310066.
Optimization based control for target estimation and tracking via highly observable trajectories
2014. 11th Portuguese Conference on Automatic Control – CONTROLO 2014 , Porto, Portugal , July 21-23, 2014.
An Augmented Lagrangian Coordination-Decomposition Algorithm for Solving Distributed Non-Convex Programs
2014. 2014 American Control Conference , Portland, Oregon, USA , June 4-6, 2014.
Solving the infinite-horizon constrained LQR problem using splitting techniques
2014.
On real-time robust model predictive control
Automatica. 2014.
DOI : 10.1016/j.automatica.2013.11.019.
Stochastic Model Predictive Control for Building Climate Control
IEEE Transactions On Control Systems Technology. 2014.
DOI : 10.1109/TCST.2013.2272178.
2013
Trajectory-tracking and Path-following Controllers for Constrained Underactuated Vehicles using Model Predictive Control
2013. European Control Conference (ECC) . p. 1371-1376.
Convex computation of the maximum controlled invariant set for discrete-time polynomial control systems
2013. IEEE Conference on Decision and Control , Florence, Italy , December 10-13, 2013.
Call for Papers: 'Predictive control for embedded systems'
Optimal Control Applications & Methods. 2013.
DOI : 10.1002/oca.2077.
Plug and Play Distributed Model Predictive Control Based on Distributed Invariance and Optimization
2013. the 52nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control , Firenze, Italy , December, 2013.
A Model Predictive Control Scheme with Additional Performance Index for Transient Behavior
2013. 52nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control , Florence , December 10-13, 2013.
Least-restrictive robust periodic model predictive control applied to room temperature regulation
Automatica. 2013.
DOI : 10.1016/j.automatica.2013.05.009.
Optimal Altitude Estimation for Power Generating Kites in an Uncertain Wind-Field
2013. Airborne Wind Energy Conference , Berlin, Germany , September 10-11, 2013.
Multi-Parametric Toolbox 3.0
2013. European Control Conference , Zurich, Switzerland , July 17-19, 2013.
Infoscience
Enseignement & Phd
Enseignement
- Mechanical Engineering,
Programmes doctoraux
- Doctoral Program in Electrical Engineering
- Doctoral Program in Manufacturing Systems and Robotics
- Doctoral program in robotics, control, and intelligent systems
Doctorants
Lian Yingzhao
Listov Petr
Maddalena Emilio
Pejcic Ivan
Shukla Harsh Ambarishkumar
A dirigé les thèses de
Alessandretti Andrea ...Bitlislioglu Altug ...
Fabietti Luca ...
Fernandes Castro Rego Francisco ...
Gorecki Tomasz Tadeusz ...
Hours Jean-Hubert ...
Korda Milan ...
Pu Ye ...
Qureshi Faran Ahmed ...
Stathopoulos Georgios ...
Cours
Control systems + TP
Ce cours débute par une large introduction explorant qualitativement les principes de base de l'automatique. Il se poursuit par la description de performants outils pour modéliser les systèmes discrets. Les problèmes de l'analyse et de la synthèse de l'al... 