Nonlinear control of electronic converters: Fast and optimal control using sampling-driven nonlinear MPC

This thesis considers the design of the sampling-driven nonlinear model predictive controller (SD-NMPC) for power electronic converters. Most MPC schemes that are used nowadays lack in the application for systems with high sampling frequencies because of their high computational time, especially when the system is nonlinear. This is, for example...

Variable Fractional Order (VFO) PID Control for Precision Positioning: A Frequency Domain Approach

Stringent control demands from the high-tech mechatronics industry have warranted the need to explore potentially advantageous non-linear controllers. Variable Fractional Order (VFO) calculus provides one such avenue to build non-linear PID-like controllers. VFO calculus is the generalization of integer order differentiation and integration,...

Hyperloop Dynamics

A proposed future mode of mass transit is the hyperloop system, in which magnetically levitating passenger pods travel at high speed through a tube held at low pressure. This thesis will investigate the dynamics of such a system, and determine the influence of various parameters on the dynamic response of the system. The tube has been modelled...

High Bandwidth Stable Motion Control of Fourth and Higher Order Systems

PID is the most commonly used technique in industrial motion control. It consists of three components - lead, lag and low pass filter (LPF). PID, being a linear control method is inherently bounded by waterbed effect due to which there exists a trade-off between precision, tracking, and stability. Reset control is a nonlinear technique which...

Investigation of L1 Adaptive Control as an Augmentation Loop

L1 adaptive control is a relatively new technique that attempts to tackle the robustness shortcoming of the MRAC controller by applying a low pass filter to the control input. It can be used as an augmentation loop using baseline controllers such as backstepping or PID. This controller has been implemented as an augmentation loop with both these...

Control of the atmospheric flight phase of small rocket launchers

This dissertation addresses Thrust Vector Control (TVC) design techniques for small launch vehicles with bounded roll rate. The first contribution of this dissertation is the development of a 6 Degree of Freedom (DoF) nonlinear model that serves as a tool for flight control system design. The nonlinear model is then trimmed and linearized, for a...