Model-Based Policy Search for Automatic Tuning of Multivariate PID Controllers

PID control architectures are widely used in industrial applications. Despite their low number of open parameters, tuning multiple, coupled PID controllers can become tedious in practice. In this paper, we extend PILCO, a model-based policy search framework, to automatically tune multivariate PID controllers purely based on data observed on an otherwise unknown system. The system's state is extended appropriately to frame the PID policy as a static state feedback policy. This renders PID tuning possible as the solution of a finite horizon optimal control problem without further a priori knowledge. The framework is applied to the task of balancing an inverted pendulum on a seven degree-of-freedom robotic arm, thereby demonstrating its capabilities of fast and data-efficient policy learning, even on complex real world problems.Comment: Accepted final version to appear in 2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA

Advances in PID Control

Since the foundation and up to the current state-of-the-art in control engineering, the problems of PID control steadily attract great attention of numerous researchers and remain inexhaustible source of new ideas for process of control system design and industrial applications. PID control effectiveness is usually caused by the nature of dynamical processes, conditioned that the majority of the industrial dynamical processes are well described by simple dynamic model of the first or second order. The efficacy of PID controllers vastly falls in case of complicated dynamics, nonlinearities, and varying parameters of the plant. This gives a pulse to further researches in the field of PID control. Consequently, the problems of advanced PID control system design methodologies, rules of adaptive PID control, self-tuning procedures, and particularly robustness and transient performance for nonlinear systems, still remain as the areas of the lively interests for many scientists and researchers at the present time. The recent research results presented in this book provide new ideas for improved performance of PID control applications

A Stable Self-Tuning Fuzzy Logic Control System for Industrial Temperature Regulation

A closed-loop control system incorporating fuzzy logic has been developed for a class of industrial temperature control problems. A unique fuzzy logic controller (FLC) structure with an efficient realization and a small rule base that can be easily implemented in existing industrial controllers was proposed. The potential of FLC in both software simulation and hardware test in an industrial setting was demonstrated. This includes compensating for thermo mass changes in the system, dealing with unknown and variable delays, operating at very different temperature set points without retuning, etc. It is achieved by implementing, in the FLC, a classical control strategy and an adaptation mechanism to compensate for the dynamic changes in the system. The proposed FLC was applied to two different temperature processes and performance and robustness improvements were observed in both cases. Furthermore, the stability of the FLC is investigated and a safeguard is established

Nonlinear predictive restricted structure control

This thesis defines new developments in predictive restricted structure control for industrial applications. It begins by describing the augmented system for both state-space and polynomial model descriptions. These descriptions can contain the plant model, the disturbance model, and any additional essential model subsystems. It then describes the predictive restricted structure control solution for both linear and nonlinear systems in state-space form. The solution utilizes the recent development in nonlinear predictive generalized minimum variance by adding a general operator subsystem that defines nonlinear system along with the linear or the linear parameter varying output subsystem. The next contribution is the polynomial predictive restricted structure control algorithm for polynomial linear parameter varying model that may result from nonlinear equations or experimental data-driven model identification. This algorithm utilizes the generalised predictive control method to approximate and control nonlinear systems in the linear parameter varying system inputoutput transfer operator matrices. The solution is simple in unconstrained and constrained optimization solutions and required a small computing capacity. Four examples have been chosen to test the algorithms for different nonlinear characteristics. In the first three examples, state-space versions of the algorithm for the linear, the quasi-linear parameter varying and the state-dependent were employed to control the quadruple tank process, electronic throttle body, and the continuous stirred tank reactors. In the last example, the polynomial linear parameter varying restricted structure controller is used to control automotive variable camshaft timing system.This thesis defines new developments in predictive restricted structure control for industrial applications. It begins by describing the augmented system for both state-space and polynomial model descriptions. These descriptions can contain the plant model, the disturbance model, and any additional essential model subsystems. It then describes the predictive restricted structure control solution for both linear and nonlinear systems in state-space form. The solution utilizes the recent development in nonlinear predictive generalized minimum variance by adding a general operator subsystem that defines nonlinear system along with the linear or the linear parameter varying output subsystem. The next contribution is the polynomial predictive restricted structure control algorithm for polynomial linear parameter varying model that may result from nonlinear equations or experimental data-driven model identification. This algorithm utilizes the generalised predictive control method to approximate and control nonlinear systems in the linear parameter varying system inputoutput transfer operator matrices. The solution is simple in unconstrained and constrained optimization solutions and required a small computing capacity. Four examples have been chosen to test the algorithms for different nonlinear characteristics. In the first three examples, state-space versions of the algorithm for the linear, the quasi-linear parameter varying and the state-dependent were employed to control the quadruple tank process, electronic throttle body, and the continuous stirred tank reactors. In the last example, the polynomial linear parameter varying restricted structure controller is used to control automotive variable camshaft timing system

A classification of techniques for the compensation of time delayed processes. Part 2: Structurally optimised controllers

Following on from Part 1, Part 2 of the paper considers the use of structurally optimised controllers to compensate time delayed processes

Gain-scheduled Smith predictor PID-based LPV controller for open-flow canal control

In this paper, a gain-scheduled Smith Predictor PID controller is proposed for the control of an open-flow canal system that allows for dealing with large variation in operating conditions. A linear parameter varying (LPV) control-oriented model for open-flow canal systems based on a second-order delay Hayami model is proposed. Exploiting the second-order structure of this model, an LPV PID controller is designed using H∞ and linear matrix inequalities pole placement. The controller structure includes a Smith Predictor, real time estimated parameters from measurements (including the known part of the delay) that schedule the controller and predictor and unstructured dynamic uncertainty, which covers the unknown portion of the delay. Finally, the proposed controller is validated in a case study based on a single real reach canal: the Lunax Gallery at Gascogne (France).This work has been funded by contract ref. HYFA DPI2008-01996 and WATMAN DPI2009-13744 of Spanish Ministry of Education.Peer Reviewe

Fractional Order Fuzzy Control of Nuclear Reactor Power with Thermal-Hydraulic Effects in the Presence of Random Network Induced Delay and Sensor Noise having Long Range Dependence

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Nonlinear state space modeling of a nuclear reactor has been done for the purpose of controlling its global power in load following mode. The nonlinear state space model has been linearized at different percentage of reactor powers and a novel fractional order (FO) fuzzy proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is designed using real coded Genetic Algorithm (GA) to control the reactor power level at various operating conditions. The effectiveness of using the fuzzy FOPID controller over conventional fuzzy PID controllers has been shown with numerical simulations. The controllers tuned with the highest power models are shown to work well at other operating conditions as well; over the lowest power model based design and hence are robust with respect to the changes in nuclear reactor operating power levels. This paper also analyzes the degradation of nuclear reactor power signal due to network induced random delays in shared communication network and due to sensor noise while being fed-back to the Reactor Regulating System (RRS). The effect of long range dependence (LRD) which is a practical consideration for the stochastic processes like network induced delay and sensor noise has been tackled by optimum tuning of FO fuzzy PID controllers using GA, while also taking the operating point shift into consideration