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When modeling real-life applications, uncertainty appears in the form of, for example, modeling approximations, measurement errors, or simply physical restrictions. Those uncertainties can either be treated as stochastic or as bounded, with known limits in the form of intervals. The latter is considered in this paper for a real-life application in the form of an electrical circuit. This is reasonable because the electrical circuit is subject to uncertainties, mainly due to circuit element tolerances and variable load conditions. Since conservative worst-case limits for such parameters are commonly known, interval methods can be applied. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate a possible overall handling of the given uncertain system. Firstly, this includes a control and a reliable computation of the states’ interval enclosures. On the one hand, this can be used to predict the system’s behavior, and on the other hand to verify the control numerically. Here, the implemented feedback control is based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) and the states are predicted using an interval enclosure technique based on cooperativity. Since the original system is not cooperative, a transformation is performed. Finally, an observer is implemented as a diagnosis tool regarding faulty measurements or component failures. Since adding a state-of-the-art observer would destroy this structure, a cooperativity-preserving method is applied. Overall, this paper combines methods from robust control design and interval-based evaluations, and presents a suitable observer technique to show the applicability of the presented methods.

The aim of this paper is the optimization of velocity trajectories for electrical railway vehicles with the focus on total energy consumption. On the basis of four fundamental operating modes—acceleration, cruising, coasting, and braking—energy-optimal trajectories are determined by optimizing the sequence of the operating modes as well as the corresponding switching points. The optimization approach is carried out in two consecutive steps. The first step ensures compliance with the given timetable, regarding both time and position constraints. In the second step, the influence of different operating strategies, such as load distribution and the switch-off of traction components during low loads, are analyzed to investigate the characteristics of the energy-optimal velocity trajectory. A detailed simulation model has been developed to carry out the analysis, including an assessment of its capabilities and advantages. The results suggest that the application of load-distribution techniques, either by a switch-off of parallel traction units or by a load-distribution between active units, can affect the energy-optimal driving style.

Solid oxide fuel cell systems such as those presented in this paper are not only applicable for a pure supply with electric energy, they can typically also be used in decentralized power stations, i.e., as micro-cogeneration systems for houses, where both electric and thermal energy are required. For that application, obviously, the electric power need is not constant but rather changes over time. In such a way, it essentially depends on the user profiles of said houses which can refer to e.g., private households as well as offices. The power use is furthermore not predefined. For an optimal operation of the fuel cell, we want to adjust the power, to match the need with sufficiently small time constants without the implementation of mid- or long-term electrical storage systems such as battery buffers. To adapt the produced electric power a simple, however, sufficiently robust feedback controller regulating the hydrogen mass flow into the cells is necessary. To achieve this goal, four different controllers, namely, a PI output-feedback controller combined with a feedforward control, an internal model control (IMC) approach, a sliding-mode (SM) controller and a state-feedback controller, are developed and compared in this paper. As the challenge is to find a controller ensuring steady-state accuracy and good tracking behavior despite the nonlinearities and uncertainties of the plant, the comparison was done regarding these requirements. Simulations and experiments show that the IMC outperforms the alternatives with respect to steady-state accuracy and tracking behavior.

In this contribution, a gain adaptation for sliding mode control (SMC) is proposed that uses both linear model predictive control (LMPC) and an estimator-based disturbance compensation. Its application is demonstrated with an electromagnetic actuator. The SMC is based on a second-order model of the electric actuator, a direct current (DC) drive, where the current dynamics and the dynamics of the motor angular velocity are addressed. The error dynamics of the SMC are stabilized by a moving horizon MPC and a Kalman filter (KF) that estimates a lumped disturbance variable. In the application under consideration, this lumped disturbance variable accounts for nonlinear friction as well as model uncertainty. Simulation results point out the benefits regarding a reduction of chattering and a high control accuracy.

Hybrid propulsion systems allow for a reduction of fuel consumption and pollutant emissions of future off-highway applications. A challenging aspect of a hybridization is the larger number of system components that further increases both the complexity and the diversification of such systems. Hence, beside a standardization on the hardware side for off-highway systems, a high flexibility and modularity of the control schemes is required to employ them in as many different applications as possible. In this paper, a causal optimization-based power management algorithm is introduced to control the power split between engine and electric machine in a hybrid powertrain. The algorithm optimizes the power split to achieve the maximum power supply efficiency and, thereby, considers the energy cost for maintaining the battery charge. Furthermore, the power management provides an optional function to control the battery state of charge in such a way that a target value is attained. In a simulation case study, the potential and the benefits of the proposed power management for the hybrid powertrain—aiming at a reduction of the fuel consumption of a DMU (diesel multiple unit train) operated on a representative track—will be shown.