Algebraic methods in autotuning design: Implementation and simulations

Autotuners represent a combination of a relay feedback identification test and some control design method. In this contribution, models with up to three parameters are estimated by means of a single asymmetrical relay experiment. Then a stable low order transfer function with a time delay term is identified by a relay experiment. Autotuning principles then combine asymmetrical relay feedback tests with a control synthesis. Two algebraic control syntheses then are presented in this paper. The first one is based on the ring of proper and stable rational functions RPS. The second one utilizes a special ring RMS, a set of RQ-meromorphic functions. In both cases, controller parameters are derived through a general solution of a linear Diophantine equation in the appropriate ring. A final controller can be tuned by a scalar real parameter m>0. The presented philosophy covers a generalization of PID controllers and the Smith-like control structure. This contribution deals with the implementation of proposed autotuners and presents some illustrative examples. A Matlab toolbox for automatic design and simulation was developed and various simulations performed and analyzed. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015