Proceedings of the European Control Conference 1993, Groningen, Netherlands, June 28 – July 1, 1993

Multilevel decision theory arises to resolve the contradiction between increasing requirements towards the process of design, synthesis, control and management of complex systems and the limitation of the power of technical, control, computer and other executive devices, which have to perform actions and to satisfy requirements in real time. This theory rises suggestions how to replace the centralised management of the system by hierarchical co-ordination of sub-processes. All sub-processes have lower dimensions, which support easier management and decision making. But the sub-processes are interconnected and they influence each other. Multilevel systems theory supports two main methodological tools: decomposition and co-ordination. Both have been developed, and implemented in practical applications concerning design, control and management of complex systems. In general, it is always beneficial to find the best or optimal solution in processes of system design, control and management. The real tendency towards the best (optimal) decision requires to present all activities in the form of a definition and then the solution of an appropriate optimization problem. Every optimization process needs the mathematical definition and solution of a well stated optimization problem. These problems belong to two classes: static optimization and dynamic optimization. Static optimization problems are solved applying methods of mathematical programming: conditional and unconditional optimization. Dynamic optimization problems are solved by methods of variation calculus: Euler Lagrange method; maximum principle; dynamical programming.

This book is based upon work done under the project "Correct Software through Formal Methods" supported by the German Ministry of Research and Technology. As a case-study report on the practice of formal software development, this book systematically presents and compares 18 different approaches to the control of a real-world production cell. Mathematically precise, formal methods play an increasingly important role in software development, particularly in areas where failure of software would result in injury to people or, at best, significant loss of money. By analyzing the benefits and explaining the use and limitations of formal methods on a sample basis, this book provides a roadmap for the selection and application of appropriate approaches and thus helps in putting formal methods into industrial use.

Proceedings of the European Control Conference 1995, Rome, Italy 5-8 September 1995

The acquisition of knowledge about systems and the processing of information about them are key features of modern control engineering technology. This is the theme for a volume of articles setting out the scope and content to be covered at the European Control Conference (ECC '93) in Groningen, the Netherlands. The book provides a broad overview of the field of control and a discussion of its development both from a theoretical and an engineering perspective. It contains the fully developed articles on which the plenary addresses and mini-courses of the Conference are based.

This book describes approaches to solving the problems of developing the central nervous system of robots (CNSR) based on smart electromechanical systems (SEMS) modules, principles of construction of the various modules of the central nervous system and variants of mathematical software CNSR in control systems for intelligent robots. It presents the latest advances in theory and practice at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Developers of intelligent robots to solve modern problems in robotics are increasingly addressing the use of the bionic approach to create robots that mimic the complexity and adaptability of biological systems. These have smart electromechanical system (SEMS), which are used in various cyber-physical systems (CPhS), and allow the functions of calculation, control, communications, information storage, monitoring, measurement and control of parameters and environmental parameters to be integrated. The behavior of such systems is based on the information received from the central nervous system of the robot (CNSR) on the state of the environment and system state. Recent advances in computer science, measuring and computing techniques have stimulated the practical realization of the CNSR, providing a fundamentally new approach to the methods and algorithms of formation of appropriate robot behavior. Intelligent robots with CNSR occupy a special place among the highly efficient robotic systems with parallel structures and play an important role in modern automated industries, and this timely book is a valuable resource for specialists in the field of robotics and control, as well as for students majoring in “Robots”, “System analysis and management”, and “Automation and control”.