Evolutionary control mode analysis

The control configuration design problem is to find appropriate sets of closed - and/or open-loop controls to meet the desired specification including performance, complexity and economic considerations whilst the choice of the final controller configuration is determined by analysis of the acceptable control models. This paper has considered an approach to the problem of control mode analysis based on the use of multiobjective evolutionary algorithms for the search and optimization of suitable control configurations. The proposed method differs from currently available techniques in that it allows a number of potential configurations to be identified and compared with one another, highlighting both the positive and negative aspects of each individual scheme, in a single framework - hopefully realizing a more informed and efficient design process. As aero-engines become more complex and greater numbers of parameters become controllable and measurable, the need for such tools will increase.