News & Events

41 News items, Awards, Events or Talks found.


  •  NEWS    MERL researchers presented 3 papers at the 5th IFAC Nonlinear Model Predictive Control Conference
    Date: September 17, 2015
    MERL Contacts: Stefano Di Cairano; Scott A. Bortoff; Abraham Goldsmith
    Brief
    • MERL researchers presented 3 papers at the 5th IFAC Nonlinear Model Predictive Control Conference. Approximately 150 attendees. Conference topics range from theory (existence, stability), to algorithms (optimization, design), to applications (process control, mechatronics, energy, automotive, aerospace). MERL was an industry sponsor for the conference. MERL researcher co-chaired the Industry Session on Industry perspective on Model Predictive Control. MERL researcher acted as Program Co-chair, organizing the conference program.
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  •  NEWS    MERL researchers present 10 papers at the American Controls Conference
    Date: July 3, 2015
    MERL Contacts: Daniel N. Nikovski; Yebin Wang; Stefano Di Cairano; Arvind Raghunathan; Avishai Weiss
    Brief
    • MERL researchers presented 10 papers at the American Controls Conference, in Chicago, USA. The ACC is one of the most important conferences on control systems in the world. Topics ranged from theoretical, including new algorithms for Model Predictive Control and Co-Design, to applications including spacecraft control and HVAC systems.
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  •  TALK    Design of Active Inputs for Set-Based Fault Diagnosis
    Date & Time: Friday, September 6, 2013; 12:00 PM
    Speaker: Dr. Davide M. Raimondo, University of Pavia, Italy
    MERL Host: Stefano Di Cairano
    Abstract
    • Although there are many fault diagnosis algorithms available, there has been very little work on the design or modification of control inputs with the aim of increasing the detectability and isolability of faults. The use of such inputs has clear potential for overcoming a central difficulty in fault detection, which is to distinguish the effects of faults from those of disturbances, process uncertainties, etc. Accordingly, the use of active inputs could be a transformative technology in industry, provided that such inputs can be computed reliably and efficiently.
      This presentation discusses new methods for computing active inputs that guarantee that the input-output data of a process will be sufficient to correctly identify a fault from a given library of possible faults. This problem is inherently nonconvex and has a combinatorial dependence on the number of faults considered. To address this, a new formulation is considered, along with related approximations, that is amenable to efficient solution using standard optimization packages (e.g. CPLEX). The theoretical contributions combine ideas from reachability analysis, set-based computations, and optimization theory to exploit detailed problem structure and thereby manage the problem complexity. Comparisons with an existing method show that the proposed formulation provides a dramatic reduction in the required computational effort.
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  •  TALK    Topics in Intelligent Building Systems Control
    Date & Time: Tuesday, July 23, 2013; 12:00 PM
    Speaker: Dr. Sandipan Mishra, Renssealer Polytechnic Institute
    MERL Host: Stefano Di Cairano
    Abstract
    • This talk will present the breadth of research activities in the Intelligent Systems, Automation & Control Laboratory at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, ranging from building systems control to additive manufacturing and adaptive optics. In particular, we will focus on the modeling and control design paradigms for intelligent building systems and smart LED lighting systems. Since building systems have substantial variability of occupancy, usage, ambient environment, and physical properties over time, strategies for "model-free" control algorithms for building temperature control will be illustrated. The seminar will also discuss the state-of-the-art in feedback control of lighting systems and demonstrate the efficacy of distributed control and consensus type algorithms for these large-scale lighting systems. Finally, some interesting examples of bio-inspired estimation from blurry images for adaptive optics will be presented.
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  •  NEWS    International Journal of Control: publication by Matthew E. Brand, Scott A. Bortoff and Stefano Di Cairano
    Date: July 9, 2013
    Where: International Journal of Control
    MERL Contacts: Stefano Di Cairano; Matthew Brand; Scott A. Bortoff
    Research Area: Control
    Brief
    • The article "Projection-free Parallel Quadratic Programming for Linear Model predictive Control" by Di Cairano, S., Brand, M. and Bortoff, S.A. was published in International Journal of Control.
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  •  NEWS    ACC 2013: 7 publications by Yebin Wang, Arvind U. Raghunathan, Scott A. Bortoff, Yiming Zhao, Zafer Sahinoglu and Stefano Di Cairano
    Date: June 17, 2013
    Where: American Control Conference (ACC)
    MERL Contacts: Scott A. Bortoff; Stefano Di Cairano; Yebin Wang; Arvind Raghunathan
    Brief
    • The papers "Sub-optimal Control Design of a Semi-active Vibration Reduction System" by Wang, Y. and Utsunomiya, K., "Adaptive Estimation of State of Charge for Lithium-ion Batteries" by Fang, H., Wang, Y., Sahinoglu, Z., Wanda, T. and Hara, S., "Vehicle Yaw Dynamics Control by Torque-based Assist Systems Enforcing Driver's Steering Feel Constraints" by Zafeiropoulos, S. and Di Cairano, S., "Speed Profile Optimization for Optimal Path Tracking" by Zhao, Y. and Tsiotras, P., "Real-Time Energy-Optimal Trajeactory Generatin for a Servo Motor" by Zhao, Y., Wang, Y., Bortoff, S.A. and Ueda, K., "Global Optimization of Multi-period Optimal Power Flow" by Gopalakrishnan, A., Raghunathan, A.U., Nikovski, D., Biegler, L.T. and "Semismooth Equation Approach to Network Utility Maximization (NUM)" by Bai, L. and Raghunathan, A.U. were presented at the American Control Conference (ACC).
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  •  NEWS    IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology: publication by Stefano Di Cairano and others
    Date: June 14, 2013
    Where: IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology
    MERL Contact: Stefano Di Cairano
    Brief
    • The article "Vehicle Yaw Stability Control by Coordinated Active Front Steering and Differential Braking in the Tire Sideslip Angles Domain" by Di Cairano, S., Tseng, H.E., Bernardini, D. and Bemporad, A. was published in IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology.
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  •  NEWS    Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control (HSCC) 2013: publication by Stefano Di Cairano and others
    Date: April 8, 2013
    Where: Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control (HSCC)
    MERL Contact: Stefano Di Cairano
    Research Area: Control
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  •  NEWS    International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control: publication by Stefano Di Cairano and others
    Date: January 24, 2013
    Where: International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control
    MERL Contact: Stefano Di Cairano
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  •  NEWS    CDC 2012: 3 publications by Yebin Wang, Scott A. Bortoff, Stefano Di Cairano and others
    Date: December 10, 2012
    Where: IEEE Annual Conference on Decision and Control (CDC)
    MERL Contacts: Stefano Di Cairano; Scott A. Bortoff; Yebin Wang
    Brief
    • The papers "A Numerical Algorithm for Nonlinear L2-gain Optimal Control with Application to Vehicle Yaw Stability Control" by Milic, V., Di Cairano, S., Kasac, J., Bemporad, A. and Situm, Z., "The Rendezvous Dynamics under Linear Quadratic Optimal Control" by Di Cairano, S., Pascucci, C.A. and Bemporad, A. and "On the Optimal Trajectory Generation for Servomotors: A Hamiltonian Approach" by Wang, Y., Ueda , K. and Bortoff, S.A. were presented at the IEEE Annual Conference on Decision and Control (CDC).
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  •  NEWS    NMPC 2012: publication by Stefano Di Cairano
    Date: August 23, 2012
    Where: IFAC Nonlinear Model Predictive Control Conference (NMPC)
    MERL Contact: Stefano Di Cairano
    Research Area: Control
    Brief
    • The paper "An Industry Perspective on MPC in Large Volumes Applications: Potential Benefits and Open Challenges" by Di Cairano, S. was presented at the IFAC Nonlinear Model Predictive Control Conference (NMPC).
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  •  NEWS    International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control: publication by Stefano Di Cairano and others
    Date: July 24, 2012
    Where: International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control
    MERL Contact: Stefano Di Cairano
    Research Area: Control
    Brief
    • The article "Model Predictive Control Approach for Guidance of Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Maneuvering" by Di Cairano, S., Park, H. and Kolmanovsky, I. was published in International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control.
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  •  TALK    Threat Assessment and Semi-Autonomous Control of Manned and Unmanned Vehicles
    Date & Time: Monday, July 16, 2012; 2:00 PM
    Speaker: Dr. Karl Iagnemma, Director, MIT Robotic Mobility Group
    MERL Host: Stefano Di Cairano
    Abstract
    • Operator error is a significant factor in a majority of manned and unmanned vehicle accidents. In this talk, a framework for semi-autonomous vehicle accident avoidance will be presented that has been shown to effectively mitigate collisions caused by operator error. The framework analyzes sensor data (from vision and/or LIDAR data) to identify "no go" regions in the environment, and automatically synthesize constraints on vehicle position. An optimal trajectory and associated control inputs are then found via linear or nonlinear model predictive control. The "threat" to the vehicle is quantified from various metrics computed over the optimal trajectory. A number of approaches for arbitrating between operator and control system authority, based on the predicted threat, will be discussed. Extensive simulation and experimental testing will be described for both manned and unmanned scenarios. Future directions in threat assessment and semi-autonomous control, based on the integration of vision-based sensing and active steering control, will also be discussed.
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  •  NEWS    ACC 2012: 2 publications by Scott A. Bortoff, John C. Barnwell III and Stefano Di Cairano
    Date: June 27, 2012
    Where: American Control Conference (ACC)
    MERL Contacts: Stefano Di Cairano; Scott A. Bortoff
    Brief
    • The papers "Further Developments and Applications of Network Reference Governor for Constrained Systems" by Di Cairano, S. and Kolmanovsky, I.V. and "Load Positioning in the Presence of Base Vibrations" by Shilpiekandula, V., Bortoff, S.A., Barnwell, J.C. and El Rifai, K. were presented at the American Control Conference (ACC).
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  •  TALK    A Real-Time Algorithm for Nonlinear Model Predictive Control and Its Applications
    Date & Time: Monday, June 25, 2012; 10:30 AM
    Speaker: Prof. Toshiyuki Ohtsuka, Osaka University
    MERL Host: Stefano Di Cairano
    Abstract
    • In this talk, a real-time algorithm for nonlinear model predictive control and its applications will be introduced. The continuation method is combined with an efficient linear solver GMRES to trace the time-dependent optimal solution without iterative searches. Applications of the algorithm include position control of an underactuated hovercraft, route tracking of a ship with redundant actuators, and path generation for an automobile. Automatic code generation by symbolic computation and other related topics will also be introduced.
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  •  TALK    Control Design with Uncertain Predictions in Autonomous Systems: Theory and Practice
    Date & Time: Friday, March 16, 2012; 10:00 AM
    Speaker: Prof. Francesco Borrelli, UC Berkeley
    MERL Host: Stefano Di Cairano
    Abstract
    • Forecasts will play an increasingly important role in the next generation of autonomous and semi-autonomous systems. In nominal conditions, predictions of system dynamics, human behavior and environmental envelope can be used by the control algorithm to improve safety and performance of the resulting system. However, in practice, constraint satisfaction, performance guarantees and real-time computation are challenged by the (1) growing complexity of the engineered system, (2) uncertainty in the human/machine interaction and (3) uncertainty in the environment where the system operates.

      In this talk I will present the theory and tools that we have developed over the past ten years for the systematic design of predictive controllers for uncertain linear and nonlinear systems. I will first provide an overview of our theoretical efforts. Then, I will focus on our recent results in addressing constraint satisfaction and real-time computation in nonlinear systems and large-scale networked systems. Throughout the talk I will use two applications to motivate our research and show the benefits of the proposed techniques: Safe Autonomous Cars and Green Intelligent Buildings.
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