Projects and Associated Publications

Data-Driven Abstractions via Binary-Tree Gaussian Processes for Formal Verification

Oliver Schön, Shammakh Naseer, Ben Wooding, Sadegh Soudjani

8th IFAC Conference on Analysis and Design of Hybrid Systems (ADHS 2024).

 

Formal verification of stochastic systems using Binary-Tree Gaussian Processes (BTGPs) for efficient abstraction. BTGPs naturally partition the state space, simplifying error quantification. This yields formal models that are amenable to model checking.

Research Series

SySCoRe: Synthesis via Stochastic Coupling Relations

By Oliver Schön, Birgit van Huijgevoort, Sofie Haesaert, Sadegh Soudjani

This research line develops a powerful method for synthesizing correct-by-design controllers for uncertain stochastic systems via stochastic simulation relations. The abstraction-based approach handles infinite-horizon LTLf specifications and non-Gaussian stochasticity. By leveraging tensor representations of Markov decision processes, the framework achieves superior scalability compared to traditional methods. Recent advancements address epistemic uncertainty, compositionality, and integrate Bayesian techniques to enable data-driven control synthesis. This combination of abstraction, uncertainty handling, and data-driven methods provides a robust solution for designing controllers in safety-critical environments.

Open challenges are extension to LTL specifications and furthering scalability.

Also see my video on sub-simulation relations.

Correct-by-Design Control of Parametric Stochastic Systems
Establishing formal guarantees while allowing for epistemic uncertainty is still a great challenge. We investigate ways of relating parametric stochastic systems to their nominal model. IEEE 61st Conference on Decision and Control (CDC 2022).
Full Paper
ARCH-COMP22 Category Report: Stochastic Models
A friendly competition for formal verification and policy synthesis of stochastic models showcasing the performance and limits of state-of-the-art solution approaches. 9th International Workshop on Applied Verification of Continuous and Hybrid Systems (ARCH22).
Full Paper
SySCoRe: Synthesis via Stochastic Coupling Relations
Developed MATLAB toolbox for synthesizing robust controllers for stochastic continuous-state systems to satisfy temporal logic specifications and quantifying the associated formal robustness guarantees. 26th ACM International Conference on Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control (HSCC 2023).
Try SySCoRe Online
Poster Abstract: Data-Driven Correct-by-Design Control of Parametric Stochastic Systems
We propose a two-stage approach for data-driven controller synthesis for safety-critical systems, combining Bayesian regression for robust parameter estimation with formal methods to handle stochastic and parametric uncertainties using simulation relations based on sub-probability measures. 26th ACM International Conference on Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control (HSCC 2023).
View Poster
Verifying the Unknown: Correct-by-Design Control Synthesis for Networks of Stochastic Uncertain Systems
We extend sub-simulation relations to compositional systems and provide results for stochastic systems with arbitrary additive noise distributions. 2023 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC).
Full Paper
ARCH-COMP23 Category Report: Stochastic Models
A friendly competition for formal verification and policy synthesis of stochastic models showcasing the performance and limits of state-of-the-art solution approaches. 10th International Workshop on Applied Verication of Continuous and Hybrid Systems (ARCH23).
Full Paper
Bayesian Formal Synthesis of Unknown Systems via Robust Simulation Relations
We present a data-driven approach for correct-by-design control synthesis via stochastic simulation relations and Bayesian linear regression. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control.
Full Paper
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Multi-Objective Physics-Guided Recurrent Neural Networks for Identifying Non-Autonomous Dynamical Systems

Oliver Schön, Ricarda Samantha-Götte, Julia Timmermann

14th IFAC Workshop on Adaptive and Learning Control Systems (ALCOS 2022).

 

Learning dynamics models from data whilst utilizing physics-based knowledge for efficient convergence and physically plausible models. Combining a multi-objective approach, an approximate dynamics model, and a recurrent neural network.

Theses

Since their introduction, Physics-guided Neural Networks (PGNN), a novel class of hybrid models, have already been successfully implemented in several domains of application. As a result, both synergetic effects as well as physically sound models were obtained. Within the context of this thesis, for the first time, the potential of PGNNs for the identification of dynamic systems is investigated from a control engineering point of view. Various approaches are identified and first investigations are performed. By combining a recurrent neural network with a physical dynamics model, a Physics-guided Recurrent Neural Network (PGRNN) is constructed. It is demonstrated that the PGRNN generally outperforms a purely data-driven approach by a substantial margin. Further investigations indicate that the quality of the introduced dynamics model is merely of minor importance to the resulting performance benefits. Consecutively, the PGRNN is augmented by a physics-based constraint, inciting energy conserving solutions as well as a function library of nonlinear terms. The latter resulted in the full compensation of prediction error deficiencies due to inaccurate dynamic models.

 

Full Text (in German)

All Publications on Google Scholar

Article Authors Year Citations
Bayesian formal synthesis of unknown systems via robust simulation relationsO Schön, B van Huijgevoort, S Haesaert, S Soudjani20245
Data-Driven Distributionally Robust Safety Verification Using Barrier Certificates and Conditional Mean EmbeddingsO Schön, Z Zhong, S Soudjani20243
Lyapunov-Based Policy Synthesis for Multi-Objective Interval MDPsN Monir, O Schön, S Soudjani2024
Data-Driven Abstractions via Binary-Tree Gaussian Processes for Formal VerificationO Schön, S Naseer, B Wooding, S Soudjani20241
Verifying the unknown: Correct-by-design control synthesis for networks of stochastic uncertain systemsO Schön, B van Huijgevoort, S Haesaert, S Soudjani20232
ARCH-COMP23 Category report: stochastic modelsA Abate, H Blom, N Cauchi, J Delicaris, S Haesaert, B van Huijgevoort, ...20235
Data-Driven Correct-by-Design Control of Parametric Stochastic Systems✱O Schön, B Van Huijgevoort, S Haesaert, S Soudjani2023
SySCoRe: Synthesis via stochastic coupling relationsB Van Huijgevoort, O Schön, S Soudjani, S Haesaert202319
SySCoRe Repeatability Package (ARCH 2023)O Schön, S Soudjani, S Haesaert, B van Huijgevoort2023
Correct-by-Design Control of Parametric Stochastic SystemsO Schön, B van Huijgevoort, S Haesaert, S Soudjani20228
SySCoRe: Synthesis via Stochastic Coupling Relations (Code)B van Huijgevoort, O Schön, S Soudjani, S Haesaert2022
SySCoRe Repeatability Package (ARCH 2022)O Schön, B van Huijgevoort, S Soudjani, S Haesaert2022
ARCH-COMP22 Stochastic ModelsA Abate, H Blom, J Delicaris, S Haesaert, A Hartmanns, ...202216
Multi-Objective Physics-Guided Recurrent Neural Networks for Identifying Non-Autonomous Dynamical SystemsO Schön, RS Götte, J Timmermann202210

Meet My Collaborators

http://oliverschon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/021222-NUHeadshots-40-scaled-e1672141173377.jpg

Dr. Sadegh Soudjani

Max Planck Institute SWS, Germany

Dr. Sofie Haesaert

TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Dr. Birgit van Huijgevoort

TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Dr. Ben Wooding

Newcastle University, UK

Dr. Zhengang Zhong

University of Warwick, UK