  We consider the distributed channel access problem for a system consisting of
multiple control subsystems that close their loop over a shared wireless
network. We propose a distributed method for providing deterministic channel
access without requiring explicit information exchange between the subsystems.
This is achieved by utilizing timers for prioritizing channel access with
respect to a local cost which we derive by transforming the control objective
cost to a form that allows its local computation. This property is then
exploited for developing our distributed deterministic channel access scheme. A
framework to verify the stability of the system under the resulting scheme is
then proposed. Next, we consider a practical scenario in which the channel
statistics are unknown. We propose learning algorithms for learning the
parameters of imperfect communication links for estimating the channel quality
and, hence, define the local cost as a function of this estimation and control
performance. We establish that our learning approach results in collision-free
channel access. The behavior of the overall system is exemplified via a
proof-of-concept illustrative example, and the efficacy of this mechanism is
evaluated for large-scale networks via simulations.
