Multi-Unit Plant Control with Localized Aging Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The performance of systems comprising multiple units, such as automobiles, degrades over time due to aging and other factors, leading to inconsistent plant output, which existing control systems struggle to autonomously compensate for.
Innovation Solution
A control apparatus that includes a model controller, unit specifier, target value corrector, characteristic estimators, and feedback sections to autonomously adjust and correct target values for units with changed performance, minimizing changes in other units' control forms and maintaining plant performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If model-based control is applied to a plant including multiple units, then control precision is improved, but the system cannot autonomously compensate for performance changes due to aging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where actual output values from each unit are compared with target values generated by the model controller. The difference (deviation) is fed back to the deviation manager, which automatically adjusts the model parameters or target values to compensate for performance degradation due to aging, thereby maintaining control precision without requiring external intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The control system performs self-diagnosis and self-adjustment by automatically detecting performance changes in individual units through deviation analysis. The system autonomously compensates for aging effects by adjusting control parameters based on accumulated deviation data, eliminating the need for manual recalibration or external maintenance interventions
2Reliability
If compensation is performed for the entire plant, then plant performance is maintained, but control forms of all units must be changed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the plant into multiple independent units (e.g., engine, motor, generator) and applies compensation individually to each unit rather than to the entire plant. The deviation manager analyzes and compensates for performance changes in each unit separately, adjusting only the specific unit's target values or control parameters while leaving other units unchanged, thus reducing overall control complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies localized compensation by identifying which specific unit has deviated from its target performance and adjusting only that unit's control parameters. This localized approach ensures that compensation is applied precisely where needed (the degraded unit) without unnecessarily modifying the control forms of other healthy units, maintaining plant performance while minimizing control complexity
3Reliability
If autonomous compensation is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal compensation framework where a single deviation manager handles performance monitoring and adjustment for all units in the plant. This multi-functional component performs multiple tasks (deviation calculation, root cause identification, parameter adjustment) that would otherwise require separate systems, thereby improving reliability while limiting the increase in overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The deviation manager acts as an intermediary between the model controller and the individual units. It receives target values from the model controller, compares them with actual unit outputs, and automatically adjusts control parameters before sending commands to the units. This intermediary layer provides autonomous compensation capability while keeping the overall system structure manageable by centralizing the complex compensation logic in a single mediating component
Data Source
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AI summary
To keep plant performance constant in a control apparatus for controlling a plant including a plurality of units. The control apparatus (a PCM) controls an automobile including a plurality of units. The control apparatus includes a model controller that generates a target value of a characteristic to be achieved by each unit based on a model set for each unit, a unit specifier (a performance change determinator) that specifies a unit in which performance unique to the unit has changed among the units, and a target value corrector (an FF updater) that corrects the target value for the unit that has been specified by the unit specifier.