Constraints Handling Using reference Governors, Constrained Control Allocation and Stochastic Drift Counteraction Control

Pointwise-in-time state and control constraints refer to actuator or safety limits that must be enforced by the control system. With trends toward system downsizing and increasing performance, handling constraints represents a growing concern. Effective controllers for constrained systems must be nonlinear, and often predictive. The presentation will reflect on recent research into the theory and applications of constrained control, focusing more specifically on three topics "“ reference governors, constrained control allocation and stochastic drift counteraction control. Reference governors, which modify commands to nominally designed closed-loop systems to enforce the constraints, will be introduced first. Extensions of the reference governor to certain classes of linear systems with nonlinear constraints and to systems controlled over a communication network with time-varying delays will be presented. Opportunities for reference governor applications in such areas as aircraft gas turbine engines, automotive engines and spacecraft rendezvous and proximity maneuvering problems will be highlighted. Then, constrained control allocation problems will be discussed. Formulations of constrained control allocation for mitigating Pilot Induced Oscillations (PIO) in aircraft, and for actuator coordination in systems with variable (possibly on-line) actuator configuration will be discussed. Finally, constraint handling within the stochastic drift counteraction control framework will be mentioned. Opportunities for applications of this framework to automotive and aerospace energy management problems for hybrid powerplants, fuel efficient driving, and glider flight management will be discussed and illustrated with examples.
Ilya Kolmanovsky has received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering, and the M.A. degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1993, 1995, and 1995, respectively. He is presently a professor in the department of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan with research interests in control of systems with constraints, control of automotive and aerospace propulsion systems, and in spacecraft control applications. Prior to joining the University of Michigan, Dr. Kolmanovsky was with Ford Research and Advanced Engineering in Dearborn, Michigan for close to 15 years. In 2011, Dr. Kolmanovsky was a summer faculty fellow at Space Vehicles Directorate of Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Kolmanovsky has co-authored over 250 journal and conference articles and is named as an inventor on 84 United States patents and derivative international patents. He is a Fellow of IEEE, and a past recipient of the Donald P. Eckman Award of American Automatic Control Council, of IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology Outstanding Paper Award, and several Ford Motor Company Technical Achievement, Innovation and Publication awards.