Control-affine neural network approach for non minimum-phase nonlinear process control

The design of controllers for nonlinear, nonminimum-phase processes is very challenging and remains as one of the more difficult control research problems. Most currently available control algorithms rely implicitly or explicitly upon an inverse of the process. Linear control methods for nonminimum-phase processes are typically based on a decomposition of the process into a minimum-phase and a nonminimum-phase part, and subsequent inversion of the minimum-phase component. A similar scheme for nonlinear systems is still an open problem. In this work, an internal model control strategy employing a minimum-phase model is proposed. The minimum-phase model is first-order, minimum-phase and control-affine but statically equivalent to the original process. Because the model is identified directly from input-output data, a first principles model of the process is not required. The inverse of the process is obtained through analytical inversion of the process model. The proposed control scheme is applied to a van de Vusse reactor and a complex continuous stirred tank bioreactor.