AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Attendance and participation in the planned educational activities will allow the student to:

• know the essential parts of the modern theory of automatic controls, rich in mathematical contents;
• know the elementary theory of sampled dynamic systems and digital control systems;
• correctly and rigorously formulate even complex problems and set up their solution, also using the means offered by current electronic and computer technology;
• apply the knowledge acquired to the study and development of advanced control systems for power electronic converters and electric drives;
• solve converters and electric drives control problems using digital simulation tools;
• implement elementary control systems on digital architectures.

TEACHING METHODS

The course includes theoretical lectures (124 hours) and laboratory exercises (26 hours). The exercises will be both passive and active, the students will be invited to set up some computer control systems, independently. Attendance is absolutely recommended.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Fundamentals of stability theory: Premises. Definitions of stability according to Liapunov, motion and trajectory. Stability theorems.

Processing by input-state-output equations: Review of systems theory. Basic definitions. Notes on realizations in normal form. Stability of linear systems. Controllability and observability. Effects of feedbacks.

Control through state estimation (linear case): State estimation. Assignability of the poles and stabilization.

Optimal control: Premises. The maximum principle. Fundamental formulations. Some special cases.

Variable structure control: Operation in "sliding mode", conditions and limits of existence. Assignment of poles via state feedback. Applications to power conditioning systems and DC motor drives.

Cascade control for electric drives: general structure, meaning and effect of the limitations, feedforward action, anti-windup. Exemplification to the case of the DC motor.

Specific control techniques for electronic power converters and alternating current motors: voltage and current control of converters, vector modulation, scalar and vector controls of ac electric motors.

Acquisition and estimation of motor variable quantities and parameters for regulation: sensors, estimation algorithms.

Digital control: Z transform. Sampled-data systems. Sample rate effects and selection. Discrete Equivalents. Design and implementation of control systems for digital architectures.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

All the audiovisual material used during the lessons and other educational material will be available on aulaweb. In general, the notes taken during the lessons and the material on aulaweb are sufficient for the preparation of the exam.

The texts indicated below, normally available at the Library, are suggested as support for some parts or for further information:

1. F. Saccomanno: “Complementi di Teoria dei Controlli Automatici”, CUSL Genova.
2. Hansruedi Bühler: “Réglage par Mode de glissement”, Presses Polytechniques Romandes, 1986.
3. M. Carpita, M. Marchesoni: "Experimental study of a power conditioning system using sliding mode control", IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 11, No. 5, Settembre, 1996, pp.731-742.
4. N. Mohan, T. M. Undeland, W.P. Robbins – “Power Electronics: Converters, Applications and Design”, John Wiley & Sons Limited, 1995.
5. P.C. Krause, O. Wasynczuk, S.D. Sudhoff, “Analysis of Electric Machinery and Drive Systems”, IEEE Press, 2002
6. B. K. Bose - “Power Electronics and Variable Frequency Drives: Technology and Applications”, IEEE Press, 1996.
7. N. Mohan - “Electric Drives: an Integrative Approach”, MNPERE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA, 2001.
8. Franklin, G. F., Powell, J. D., & Workman, M. L. (1998). Digital control of dynamic systems.