Control issues are investigated for a parafoil and payload system with left and right parafoil brakes used as the control mechanism. It is shown through dynamic modeling and simulation that parafoil and payload systems can exhibit two basic modes of lateral control, namely, roll and skid steering. Using a small...
Vision is a flexible, non-contact sensor that can be used for position feedback in
closed-loop control of dynamic systems. Current vision systems for industrial
automation provide low sample rates and large sample delays relative to other types of
position sensors. Poor sample rates and sample delays are a result of...
Micro scale systems are being utilized in a wide variety of chemical, biological and heat exchanger applications, but suffer from the development of vapor bubbles inside the microchannels due to convective boiling, leading to decreases in system performance. In this work, a simulation-based control strategy is employed to eliminate flow...
Underwater robots beneath ocean waves can benefit from feedforward control to reduce position error. This thesis proposes a method using Model Predictive Control (MPC) to predict and counteract future disturbances from an ocean wave field. The MPC state estimator employs a Linear Wave Theory (LWT) solver to approximate the component...
This thesis explores the implementation of learning based control with predictive cruise control and the potential this technology has for increasing fuel efficiency while keeping on a well maintained schedule for commercial trucks. Traditional cruise control is wasteful when maintaining a constant velocity over rolling hills. Predictive cruise control is...