Health conscious controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11530656-B2
Application number	US-202017008076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2020
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

New and/or alternative approaches to physical plant performance control that can account for the health of the physical plant. In one example, a control algorithm is enhanced by inclusion of terms related to optimized performance and terms related to physical plant health. In another example, a performance optimized control solution is determined, a maximum allowed deviation is defined, and a final solution for physical plant control is determined taking into account health factors to minimize health impacts within the maximum allowed deviation from optimized performance, using for example a two-stage analysis. Another example uses a two level system with a low level controller and a supervisory controller, in which the supervisory controller observes health impacts of ongoing operations managed by the low level controller, and modifies one or more parameters used by the low level controller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A configurable controller for controlling a physical plant having associated therewith a plurality of actuators for controlling an operation of the physical plant and a plurality of sensors for observing a plurality of characteristics of the operation of the physical plant, the configurable controller comprising:
a state observer configured to capture a current state of the physical plant;
a low level controller configured to control a behavior of the physical plant using at least the actuators; and
a supervisory controller operably coupled to the state observer and the low level controller;
wherein the low level controller is configured to use a plurality of control values for controlling the behavior of the physical plant;
wherein the supervisory controller is configured to monitor health effects of use of the physical plant as the low level controller controls the behavior of the physical plant and identify a health degradation of a first actuator caused by the behavior of the physical plant and, in response thereto, to modify one or more of the plurality of control values used by the low level controller, in order to reduce further wear on the first actuator having the health degradation caused by the behavior of the physical plant;
wherein the low level controller is further configured to use the modified one or more of the plurality of control values to control the physical plant;
wherein the low level controller is configured to use an optimization-based control method, and the modified one or more of the plurality of control values are implemented in the optimization-based control method by the low level controller to control the physical plant,
the optimization-based control method of the low level controller includes a cost minimizing function having actuator health factors with coefficients; and
the supervisory controller modifies one or more of the plurality of control values in order to reduce further wear on the first actuator by increasing one of the coefficients of one of the actuator health factors as a number of cycles of use of the first actuator increases.

2. The configurable controller of claim 1 wherein the supervisory controller is configured with at least a first set of control values and a second set of control values for use by the low level controller, and the supervisory controller is configured to operate as follows:
for a first period of time, instructing the low level controller to implement the first set of control values, and observing a first health degradation associated with the first set of control values;
for a second period of time, instructing the low level controller to implement the second set of control values, and observing a second health degradation associated with the second set of control values;
determining which of the first health degradation and the second health degradation is lesser; and
for a third period of time occurring after the first period of time and the second period of time, instructing the low level controller to use whichever of the first set of control values and the second set of control values has a lesser health degradation.

3. The configurable controller of claim 1 wherein the supervisory controller is configured with at least a first set of control values and a second set of control values for use by the low level controller, and the supervisory controller is configured to operate as follows:
instructing the low level controller to implement the first set of control values;
observing a first health degradation associated with the first set of control values;
determining whether the first health degradation exceeds a threshold; and
upon the first health degradation exceeding the threshold, instructing the low level controller to implement the second set of control values.

4. A method of operation in a configurable controller for controlling a physical plant having associated therewith a plurality of actuators for controlling an operation of the physical plant and a plurality of sensors for observing a plurality of characteristics of the operation of the physical plant, the method comprising:
a state observer capturing a current state of the physical plant;
a low-level controller controlling a behavior of the physical plant using at least the actuators by using a plurality of control values for controlling the behavior of the physical plant;
a supervisory controller, which is operably coupled to the state observer and the low level controller, monitoring health effects of use of the physical plant as the low level controller controls the behavior of the physical plant;
the supervisory controller identifying a health degradation of a first actuator caused by the behavior of the physical plant and, in response thereto, the supervisory controller modifying one or more of the plurality of control values used by the low level controller, in order to reduce further wear on the first actuator;
the low level controller using the modified one or more of the plurality of control values to control the physical plant; and wherein the low level controller uses an optimization-based control method,
the modified one or more of the plurality of control values are implemented in the optimization-based control method by the low level controller to control the physical plant,
the optimization-based control method of the low level controller includes a cost minimizing function having actuator health factors with coefficients; and
the step of the supervisory controller modifying one or more of the plurality of control values in order to reduce further wear on the first actuator is performed by the supervisory controller increasing one of the coefficients of one of the actuator health factors as a number of cycles of use of the first actuator increases.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the supervisory controller is configured with at least a first set of control values and a second set of control values for use by the low level controller, and the method further comprises the supervisory controller operating by:
for a first period of time, instructing the low level controller to implement the first set of control values, and observing a first health degradation associated with the first set of control values;
for a second period of time, instructing the low level controller to implement the second set of control values, and observing a second health degradation associated with the second set of control values;
determining which of the first health degradation and the second health degradation is lesser; and
for a third period of time occurring after the first period of time and the second period of time, instructing the low level controller to use whichever of the first set of control values and the second set of control values has a lesser health degradation.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the supervisory controller is configured with at least a first set of control values and a second set of control values for use by the low level controller, and the method further comprises the supervisory controller operating by:
instructing the low level controller to implement the first set of control values;
observing a first health degradation associated with the first set of control values;
determining whether the first health degradation exceeds a threshold; and
upon the first health degradation exceeding the threshold, instructing the low level controller to implement the second set of control values.

Assignees

• Garrett Transportation I Inc

Inventors

• P{Hacek Over (C)}Olka Matej
• Hriadel David
• Procházka Martin

Classifications

• G05B13/0245

  not using a perturbation signal · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• F02D41/1401 Primary

  characterised by the control or regulation method (F02D41/1473, F02D41/1477 take precedence) · CPC title

• F02D23/00

  Controlling engines characterised by their being supercharged · CPC title

• G05B13/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title