Smith Predictor Structure Research Articles

A Simple modification to the Smith Predictor Structure for dealing with high-order delayed processes considering one unstable pole

The traditional Smith Predictor (SP) is restricted to dealing with stable plants. In this paper, a slight modification of the SP is proposed in order to control unstable plants: systems of any order but with one unstable pole are tackled. In fact, many modifications to the SP can be found in the literature dealing with this kind of system, but none, to our best knowledge, have the simplicity of the structure here proposed. Only one or two gains are added to the traditional SP structure to achieve the stabilization of this kind of unstable system. A simple relation states the necessary and sufficient condition guaranteeing the existence of stabilizing gains, in terms of the location of the unstable pole and the size of the delay term. The range of values for the gains solving the problem is characterized. In addition, the tracking of setpoints and disturbance rejections are analysed. Some numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, as well as one real-time example.

Analytical design of modified Smith predictor for second-order stable time delay plants incorporating a zero

Simplified control tuning not only enhances engineers' proficiency in control theory and its application but also contributes to their skill development. This study focuses on the control of stable second-order plus time delay (SOPTD) plants incorporating a zero, by employing a modified Smith predictor structure. A forward path PID controller and a PID controller with a lead/lag filter in the feedback path contribute to the proposed control system. The PID controller determines the set-point tracking. The load disturbance rejection is influenced by both the PID and lead/lag filter. Each controller is simply designed using pole placement, while considering a tuning parameter to make a balance between performance and robustness. Filtering of the set-point signal is implemented to enhance its response. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed technique, the study involves examining a SOPTD plant and either a negative or a positive zero. Simulation and comparison analysis show that the proposed controller is appropriate for industrial usage since it quickly tracks the set-point and efficiently rejects disturbances, resulting in a smooth control signal. Furthermore, robustness tests reveal its satisfactory degree of robustness against model parameter uncertainties. In summary, the proposed approach is straightforward and outperforms recently published design methodologies in terms of both performance and robustness.

Enhanced control of double integrating plus time delay systems using a two‐degree‐of‐freedom Smith predictor

AbstractThis article presents a novel control approach using a two‐degree‐of‐freedom (2‐DOF) Smith predictor structure for double integrating plus time delay plants. The PD and PID controllers, integral components of the Smith predictor scheme, serve distinct roles in the control process. The PD controller is responsible for set‐point tracking, while both PD and PID controllers contribute to the rejection of load disturbances. Each controller is designed using the pole placement technique, with an appropriate tuning parameter established to balance performance and robustness effectively. A low‐pass filter is incorporated to improve the response of the set‐point signal by attenuating high‐frequency noise. The proposed method's effectiveness is compared with Skogestad internal model control, a well‐known PID tuning method, to benchmark performance improvements and demonstrate the advantages of the 2‐DOF Smith predictor approach. Simulation and comparison analysis demonstrates that the proposed controller setting is suitable for industrial applications due to its quick set‐point tracking, effective load disturbance rejection, and smooth control signal. The study highlights the practical benefits of the 2‐DOF Smith predictor in enhancing industrial control system performance and suggests directions for future research, including experimental validation and robustness analysis under varying system parameters.

Further experimental results on modelling and algebraic control of a delayed looped heating-cooling process under uncertainties

The aim of this research is to revise and substantially extend experimental modelling and control of a looped heating-cooling laboratory process with long input-output and internal delays under uncertainties. This research follows and extends the authors' recent results. As several significant improvements regarding robust modelling and control have been reached, the obtained results are provided with a link and comparison to the previous findings. First, an infinite-dimensional model based on mathematical-physical heat and mass transfer principles is developed. All important heat-fluid transport and control-signal delays are considered when assembling the model structure and relations of quantities. Model parameter values optimization based on the measurement data follows. When determining static model parameter values, all variations in steady-state measured data are taken into account simultaneously, which enhances previously obtained models. Values of dynamic model parameters and delays are further obtained by least mean square optimization. This innovative model is compared to two recently developed process models and to the best-fit model that ignores the measured variations. Controller structures are designed using algebraic tools for all four models. The designed controllers are robust in the sense of robust stability and performance. Both concepts are rigorously assessed, and the obtained conditions serve for controller parameter tuning. Two different control systems are assumed: the standard closed-loop feedback loop and the two-feedback-controllers control system. Numerous experimental measurements for nominal conditions and selected perturbations are performed. Obtained results are further analyzed via several criteria on manipulated input and controlled temperature. The designed controllers are compared to the Smith predictor structure that is well-established for time-delay systems control. An essential drawback of the predictor regarding disturbance rejection is highlighted.

A modified Smith predictor based – Sliding mode control approach for integrating processes with dead time

This paper proposes a modified hybrid robust Smith predictor controller design for integrating processes with long dead time. The proposal results in a dynamic sliding mode controller for integrating systems on blending sliding mode control and Smith Predictor modification concepts. The design part of the controller corresponding to the sliding mode arises from an approximate model of the high-order nonlinear integrating process to characterize the non-self-regulating processes. The approximation to a First Order Integrating System Plus Dead Time is obtained from an experimental method that adopts identification procedures and avoids complex analytical resources. The model contributes to designing the dynamic sliding mode controller and tuning parameters. The resulting controller is a hybrid scheme that combines the sliding mode methodology, a smith predictor structure, and a PD compensator. The hybrid control topology is used for the first time for integrating systems with dead time. The proposed approach is applied to a high order linear integrating system with long-dead time and a coupled tanks system using hardware in the loop (HIL) simulation. The hybrid control topology provides enhanced controller performance, guarantees proven robustness to parameter modeling uncertainties, and attenuates high-frequency oscillations, counteracting the adverse effects of chattering. Integral of Squared Error (ISE), Total Variation of control effort (TVu), Maximum overshoot, and Settling Time are used for quantitative comparative performance analysis.

Control of Main Steam Pressure in Coal-Fired Power Plant Boilers by Fractional-Order Controller with Smith Predictor Structure for Delay Compensation

In a thermal plant, the combustion system of the coal-fired boiler is a nonlinear time-varying system, which leads to undesired responses, if traditional proportional-integral-derivative controllers are utilized. Internal process delay is an important characteristic of the steam pressure in the boiler of coal-fired power plants, which affects the closed-loop dynamics. To compensate for this significant delay and reach the desired performance, a novel control strategy based on a combination of an optimal fractional-order proportional-integral-derivative (OFOPID) controller with a Smith predictor (SP) structure is suggested in this paper that achieves the desired control performance required for the optimal operation of the boiler. The simulation results of a coal-fired power plant boiler with the power of 300 MW show that the performance is improved considerably by having lower overshoot and lower rise and settling times, as well as a lower mean square error during the operation of the power plant Boiler.

Direct synthesis approach to design fractional PID controller for SISO and MIMO systems based on Smith predictor structure applied for time-delay non integer-order models

Direct synthesis approach to design fractional PID controller for SISO and MIMO systems based on Smith predictor structure applied for time-delay non integer-order models

Application of model reference adaptive control and modified Smith predictor to control blood glucose in type 1 diabetic patients

In this paper, a new adaptive control structure for time-delayed systems has been proposed, combining the model reference adaptive control with the modified Smith predictor (SP). Due to the extensive variability of the patients’ metabolism, an in silico clinical trial consisting of 30 patients is utilized to simulate the personal variability in the glucose control system. All the patients have random changes and sinusoidal oscillations in their parameters of the Dalla Man glucose-insulin model. Based on the quantitative and qualitative indicators, the performance of the proposed algorithm is compared to a PID controller of the Smith predictor structure. The results of the simulation show that the proposed control scheme is successful against the interpatient variation in fasting conditions, meal disruption rejection, and in terms of robustness. Insulin therapy often leads to high fluctuations in blood glucose and hypoglycemic events in patients with type 1 diabetes. On the other hand, a closed blood glucose loop control with an artificial pancreas can improve the patients’ quality of life. In this paper, the physiological behaviour of the system is modelled inversely using the daily patients’ data acquired by the GIM simulator.

Simple internal model control based modified Smith predictor for integrating time delayed processes with real-time verification

Internal model control (IMC) tuned simple modified Smith predictor structure for integrating time delayed processes (IPTD) is reported here. Pole position at origin implies its non-self-regulating behaviour. Processes like distillation column, liquid supply to large storage tank, superheated steam flow to turbine etc. are usually found IPTD processes. Reported modified Smith predictor (MSP) design with multiple controllers is adequate to exhibit anticipated closed loop performance for IPTD processes. Tuning complexity of the reported multi-controller based structure is mitigated by the sole tuning parameter (closed loop time constant) obtained from IMC design. Proposed scheme shows considerable performance improvement during set point tracing by zero overshoot. Additionally, smooth as well as reasonably fast load recovery is ensured. Eminence of the reported scheme is established in terms of performance indices along with stability margins in assessment through recently reported modified Smith predictor techniques. Real-time evaluation of the proposed design is demonstrated on an indigenous set up of level control loop considered as IPTD process.

A Novel Smith Predictive Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Control Strategy for the First-Order Time-Delay Inertial System

The control strategy research of the time-delay system is a focused issue in the control field. In order to furthermore improve the performance of the first-order time-delay inertial system, firstly, a new Smith predictor structure is proposed, which solves the constraint that the conventional Smith predictor needs to match the actual object model. Secondly, the performance and parameter function of the new Smith predictor are discussed in theory to provide the basis for parameter tuning. Finally, a new Smith predictor combined with linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC) is proposed to solve the problem that the two input signals of the linear extended state observer (LESO) are not synchronized on the time scale, and the stability of the new Smith + LADRC time-delay control system is proved theoretically for known and unknown controlled complex objects. Simulation analysis is conducted to verify the robustness of the proposed strategy under the condition of the different parameters. The results indicate that the proposed strategy has better performance than the conventional method in response speed, overshoot, adjustment time, and stability.

Stabilization Domains for Second Order Delay Systems

In this paper, an analytic condition is given for determining delayed positive feedback controller for stabilizing an oscillatory system. The $\tau $ -decomposition and $D$ -decomposition methods are employed in deriving this condition. The obtained results are then used to stabilize second order delay systems by a proportional controller. Under-damped and over-damped systems are treated separately, where the Smith-predictor structure is used in the over-damped case to obtain the stability conditions. Illustrative examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Control of the temperature in a petroleum refinery heating furnace based on a robust modified Smith predictor

The robust control of the crude oil outlet temperature uniformity in a heating furnace of a petroleum refinery is addressed. A reliable dynamic model of the nominal process has been attained using a system identification procedure based on real-time data. This procedure yields a second order model with a dominant time-delay. A PI controller embedded in a modified Smith predictor structure is therefore proposed. Sensitivity and robustness properties of this control system are analytically obtained. Based on that, a tuning procedure is developed for this control system which has lower sensitivity to disturbances than the standard Smith predictor while guaranteeing the system stability when plant parameters change. Simulations are carried out of the proposed control system and other well-known linear advanced process control systems. The comparison of the obtained results shows the superior performance of our control system in most cases, both in rejecting a variety of disturbances and in maintaining the closed-loop stability when the process parameters change.

Analytical Design of Multi-loop Fractional IMC-PID-Filter Controllers for MIMO System Using Equivalent NIOPDT Models

In this paper, a multiloop fractional IMC-PID-filter controller design is proposed for 2x2 multivariable systems (two-input two-output (TITO) system). The MIMO system is decomposed by an inverted decoupler into independent loops (SISO systems) and they are approximated to equivalent new fractional order models known as non integer order plus time delay (NIOPTD). The fractional property of the suggested controller is imposed by choosing the Bode’s ideal closed loop transfer function as the reference model for each loop. The design method is based on the internal model control (IMC) paradigm. Finally, an illustrative example of MIMO process is provided and a comparative study is conducted out to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method where the simulation results show the superior performance obtained by a multi-loop fractional IMC-PID-filter controllers in comparison with fractional PI/PID controllers based on simplified decoupling smith predictor (Fractional-SDSP and Classical-SDSP) structure as well as classical decentralized PID controllers using root locus method.

Simplified tuning of IMC based modified smith predictor for UFOPDT processes

Abstract A simplified tuning guideline for internal model control (IMC) based modified Smith predictor technique is reported here for unstable lag dominated first-order processes with dead time (UFOPDT). Pole location in right half section of s-plane signifies the unstable behaviour of UFOPDT processes. Mostly, chemical processes like isothermal chemical reactor, bioreactor, dimerization reactor, fluid catalytic cracker etc. are found to be lag dominated and unstable along with considerable time delay. Smith predictor technique based control methodology is considered to be a well-accepted approach for such cases. However, conventional Smith predictor technique is not capable enough for controlling UFOPDT processes. Whereas modified Smith predictor is found to be quite competent in such cases as its design involves more than one controller. Modified Smith predictor structure is capable to provide desirable closed loop response during set point tracking along with the load recovery phases. To mitigate the tuning complexity of multiple controllers involved in modified Smith predictor designing, suggested IMC structure employs single tuning parameter λ i.e. closed loop time constant for all three controllers concerned. Noticeable performance enhancement is reported by the proposed scheme as no overshoot is observed during set point tracking. Moreover, smooth and efficient load rejection behaviour is also obtained. Supremacy of the proposed tuning is established through closed loop performance comparison with others’ reported modified Smith predictor based tuning relations for chemical reactor and bioreactor in terms of performance indices as well as stability margins.

Trajectory Tracking Based on Adaptive Sliding Mode Control for Agricultural Tractor

Trajectory tracking is one of the key technologies for high-precision agriculture and has been the research focus by a large number of academics. In order to design a simple trajectory tracking control scheme, an adaptive sliding mode control based on lateral deviation is proposed. To reduce the chattering phenomenon, an adjustable parameter associated with the sliding surface and system error is introduced, by which the forward gain value can be regulated with the state change. According to the established tractor model, the desired front wheel angle can be obtained as the output of the sliding mode controller. A modified Smith predictor structure based two degree of freedom control scheme is designed to follow the desired front wheel angle. The effectiveness of the designed trajectory tracking control system is demonstrated by simulations, especially the performance of preventing chattering phenomenon.

A Novel Design of Fractional PI/PID Controllers for Two-Input-Two-Output Processes

In this paper, a new formulation of fractional order proportional integral (PI)/ proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is proposed. The proposed controller will be justified for some well-known two-input-two-output (TITO) processes. In order to deal with interactions between process variables in a multivariable system, as well as multiple delay times in process transfer functions, the simplified decoupling Smith predictor (SDSP) structure is also used. The issue of decoupling realizability is solved by the PSO algorithm and fractional order processes are also suggested for model reduction. The tuning rules of the controller are derived in analytical terms based on the internal model control (IMC) structure. The effectiveness and robust stability of the proposed approach are illustrated by comparing it with other methods. To have a fair comparison, the robustness criterion using the M-Δ structure with μ-synthesis is adopted and the μ value of the proposed method is always kept smaller than the value of the others.

Smith predictor based fractional-order integral controller for robust temperature control in a steel slab reheating furnace

In this paper, a new strategy for robust control of temperature in a steel slab reheating furnace with large time delay uncertainty based on fractional-order controllers combined with a Smith predictor is proposed. A time delay model of the preheating zone of this process is used, obtained from an identification procedure applied in a real industrial furnace. It is shown that this process experiences very large time delay changes. A fractional-order integral controller embedded in a Smith predictor structure (FI-SP) is designed, which is robust to changes in such time delay. Simulated results of a standard Proportinal Integral Derivative (PID) controller, a PID controller embedded in a Smith predictor and the proposed FI-SP controller are compared. Six performance indexes have been used in this comparison. The analysis of these indexes shows that the designed FI-SP controller exhibits the most robust behavior (lowest indexes averaged in all the range of time delay variation) for ranges that include large time delays. Then the robustness features of the FI-SP controller outperform the other integer order controllers in the time responses both to set-point changes and to step disturbances. Therefore, this controller guarantees the best accuracy of temperature control. The designed FI-SP guarantees system stability and robust performance for a high range of plant time delay uncertainties.

Steering Tracking Control Based on Assisted Motor for Agricultural Tractors

One of the most important tasks in tractor navigation is the accurate steering tracking during field operations. Steering tracking is to achieve desired steering angle under the governance of the control action, it is essential for the operation quality of the tractor. The objective of this paper is to develop a steering tracking system based on motor control and propose steering tracking control method for automatically guided agricultural tractors. The steering column installed power motor is set up and the electronic control unit (ECU) is designed. As for the established steering system model, a modified Smith predictor structure based two degree of freedom control scheme is proposed. Steering tracking controller and disturbance rejection controller are derived by the analytical formulae on the basis of the internal model control (IMC) design principle and obtained with a simple and practical PID form. Simulation results demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed method for the steering tracking control system.

An Analytical Design of Simplified Decoupling Smith Predictors for Multivariable Processes

In this study, the issues of complicated interactions between process variables were solved by decoupling techniques; in particular, simplified decoupling was used due to its simplicity and robustness. A new approach to solving decoupling realizability was developed by using the modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. However, time delays still existed in the diagonal elements of the decoupled matrix, and they resulted in a more sophisticated controller design and sluggish responses in the outputs. To overcome the adverse effects of time delays, a Smith predictor, also known as a dead time compensator, is normally used. In this work, a Smith predictor structure in combination with simplified decoupling for multivariable processes was proposed in order to enhance system performances in terms of the servomechanism problem. The proportional integral or proportional integral derivative (PI/PID) controller tuning rules for several common industrial processes, such as first-order, second-order, and second-order with negative zero systems, were obtained. Many multivariable industrial processes were adopted to simulate the effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of the servomechanism problem and robust response.

Real-time QFT Control for Temperature in Greenhouses

Sudden changes in a greenhouse environment negatively impact the development and production of crops, especially in greenhouses with natural ventilation when temperatures are low at night and change rapidly due to wet winds. To mitigate these variations, a design of a robust controller based on Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) as from a Smith predictor structure for the dead-time system is proposed. This structure offers high stability based on the gain margin, the phase margin, and the rejection of disturbances in the system output. This design was contrasted with a PID controller based on performance indices, according to the transient response and error in the presence of changes in the point of operation and charge disturbances. Final results showed that the dynamic response of the QFT controller improved compared to PID controller results.