The application of dynamic virtual prototyping to the development of control systems

Abstract

A new method of developing control systems on the basis of dynamic virtual prototyping (DVP) has been proposed. The method facilitates the control system development process by means of (1) automating the transition from the conventional DVP of a plant to the dynamic model suitable for the control system design and (2) integrating the development process into the overall lifecycle.

The method comprises the three principal stages: (1) representing the plant by its DVP; (2) simulating the DVP and generating the data-based model of the plant; (3) designing the control system using the generated data-based model. Stages 1 and 2 are supported by DVP systems (e.g. IGRIP, LMS/VirtualLab, MSC SimOffice), stage 3 is accomplished by CACSD.

The proposed development method has been adapted to the class of plants that are linearizable, quasi-stationary, stable or stabilizable without using the analytical model and have lumped parameters. The specifics of applying the conventional methods of identification and control system design in the context of DVP have been revealed and analyzed.

The engineering applicability of the method has been proved by means of developing the control system for fine positioning of a gantry crane load.