The Role and Use of Robust Multivariable Control in Challenging Automotive Mechatronics Applications Seminar

During the last two decades, there have been great advances in the theory and application of robust multivariable feedback control system design. The reason why such robust algorithms are needed arises from several inherent uncertainty sources such as process changes subject to both parametric and complex-valued uncertainties, various operational conditions, sensor noises and unmeasured exogenous disturbances.

While robust control systems have been successfully employed to tackle a wide range of engineering applications, including aerospace systems, automotive industry has not received reasonable advantages of these modern control techniques. One of the main reasons in this course, perhaps, is the fact that the process of automotive systems, unlike the aerospace industry, is in the state of flux being not "standardised" as of yet.

It is turned out that there has been a continuous increase in the gap between the control theory and the practical control strategies utilised in the existing production vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles and fully electric vehicles. This gap indeed results in significant missed opportunities in addressing several fundamental functionalities such as fuel economy, emissions, driveability, unification of control