Stability of attitude control systems acted upon by random perturbations

Mathematical models on stability of attitude control systems acted upon by random perturbation processe

Robust integrated autopilot/autothrottle design using constrained parameter optimization

A multivariable control design method based on constrained parameter optimization was applied to the design of a multiloop aircraft flight control system. Specifically, the design method is applied to the following: (1) direct synthesis of a multivariable 'inner-loop' feedback control system based on total energy control principles; (2) synthesis of speed/altitude-hold designs as 'outer-loop' feedback/feedforward control systems around the above inner loop; and (3) direct synthesis of a combined 'inner-loop' and 'outer-loop' multivariable control system. The design procedure offers a direct and structured approach for the determination of a set of controller gains that meet design specifications in closed-loop stability, command tracking performance, disturbance rejection, and limits on control activities. The presented approach may be applied to a broader class of multiloop flight control systems. Direct tradeoffs between many real design goals are rendered systematic by this method following careful problem formulation of the design objectives and constraints. Performance characteristics of the optimization design were improved over the current autopilot design on the B737-100 Transport Research Vehicle (TSRV) at the landing approach and cruise flight conditions; particularly in the areas of closed-loop damping, command responses, and control activity in the presence of turbulence

MIT Space Engineering Research Center

The Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) at MIT, started in Jul. 1988, has completed two years of research. The Center is approaching the operational phase of its first testbed, is midway through the construction of a second testbed, and is in the design phase of a third. We presently have seven participating faculty, four participating staff members, ten graduate students, and numerous undergraduates. This report reviews the testbed programs, individual graduate research, other SERC activities not funded by the Center, interaction with non-MIT organizations, and SERC milestones. Published papers made possible by SERC funding are included at the end of the report

Phase coherence in an ensemble of uncoupled limit-cycle oscillators receiving common Poisson impulses

An ensemble of uncoupled limit-cycle oscillators receiving common Poisson impulses shows a range of non-trivial behavior, from synchronization, desynchronization, to clustering. The group behavior that arises in the ensemble can be predicted from the phase response of a single oscillator to a given impulsive perturbation. We present a theory based on phase reduction of a jump stochastic process describing a Poisson-driven limit-cycle oscillator, and verify the results through numerical simula- tions and electric circuit experiments. We also give a geometrical interpretation of the synchronizing mechanism, a perturbative expansion to the stationary phase distribution, and the diffusion limit of our jump stochastic model

Input-Shaped Model Reference Control Using Sliding Mode Design for Sway Suppression of An Industrial Overhead Crane

Input-shaped model reference control using sliding mode design is a proven method for controlling systems with parameter variations and disturbance. However, this method has never been reported for an industrial overhead crane, which is operated under nonlinear elements such as acceleration and deceleration limits caused by inverters for driving a crane in speed control mode. The successful implementation of this method will allow the crane to be operated in “hybrid mode”, which results in the fastest response from the feedforward control technique, unity magnitude zero vibration (UMZV) and tracking performance from the feedback control. This paper shows the implementation and experimental result of the input-shaped model reference control using sliding mode design for sway suppression of an industrial overhead crane. The control scheme was implemented on an industrial grade 1-ton overhead crane using a PLC and inverters. The experiments compared the control results of the UMZV and the presented control scheme on the industrial overhead crane in the cases that the system parameters are known and uncertain. When the parameters are uncertain, the presented method, with the feedback elements, provided the advantage of reducing residual vibration, while keeping the benefits of the UMZV performance

Stability analysis of impulsive stochastic Cohen–Grossberg neural networks with mixed time delays

This is the post print version of the article. The official published version can be obtained from the link - Copyright 2008 Elsevier LtdIn this paper, the problem of stability analysis for a class of impulsive stochastic Cohen–Grossberg neural networks with mixed delays is considered. The mixed time delays comprise both the time-varying and infinite distributed delays. By employing a combination of the M-matrix theory and stochastic analysis technique, a sufficient condition is obtained to ensure the existence, uniqueness, and exponential p-stability of the equilibrium point for the addressed impulsive stochastic Cohen–Grossberg neural network with mixed delays. The proposed method, which does not make use of the Lyapunov functional, is shown to be simple yet effective for analyzing the stability of impulsive or stochastic neural networks with variable and/or distributed delays. We then extend our main results to the case where the parameters contain interval uncertainties. Moreover, the exponential convergence rate index is estimated, which depends on the system parameters. An example is given to show the effectiveness of the obtained results.This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of CQ CSTC under grant 2007BB0430, the Scientific Research Fund of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission under Grant KJ070401, an International Joint Project sponsored by the Royal Society of the UK and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany