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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Sufficient Conditions For Optimal Control Problems With Terminal Constraints And Free Terminal Times With Applications To Aerospace, Sankalp Kishan Bhan
Sufficient Conditions For Optimal Control Problems With Terminal Constraints And Free Terminal Times With Applications To Aerospace, Sankalp Kishan Bhan
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Motivated by the flight control problem of designing control laws for a Ground Collision Avoidance System (GCAS), this thesis formulates sufficient conditions for a strong local minimum for a terminally constrained optimal control problem with a free-terminal time. The conditions develop within the framework of a construction of a field of extremals by means of the method of characteristics, a procedure for the solution of first-order linear partial differential equations, but modified to apply to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation of optimal control. Additionally, the thesis constructs these sufficient conditions for optimality with a mathematically rigorous development. The proof uses an approach …
Extrinsic And Intrinsic Control Of Integrative Processes In Neural Systems, Anirban Nandi
Extrinsic And Intrinsic Control Of Integrative Processes In Neural Systems, Anirban Nandi
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
At the simplest dynamical level, neurons can be understood as integrators. That is, neurons accumulate excitation from afferent neurons until, eventually, a threshold is reached and they produce a spike. Here, we consider the control of integrative processes in neural circuits in two contexts. First, we consider the problem of extrinsic neurocontrol, or modulating the spiking activity of neural circuits using stimulation, as is desired in a wide range of neural engineering applications. From a control-theoretic standpoint, such a problem presents several interesting nuances, including discontinuity in the dynamics due to the spiking process, and the technological limitations associated with …
Numerical Methods For Nonlinear Optimal Control Problems And Their Applications In Indoor Climate Control, Runxin He
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Efficiency, comfort, and convenience are three major aspects in the design of control systems for residential Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) units. In this dissertation, we study optimization-based algorithms for HVAC control that minimizes energy consumption while maintaining a desired temperature, or even human comfort in a room. Our algorithm uses a Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model, mathematically formulated using Partial Differential Equations (PDEs), to describe the interactions between temperature, pressure, and air flow. Our model allows us to naturally formulate problems such as controlling the temperature of a small region of interest within a room, or to control …
Optimal Battery Operations And Design Considering Capacity Fade Mechanisms, Bharatkumar Suthar
Optimal Battery Operations And Design Considering Capacity Fade Mechanisms, Bharatkumar Suthar
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Safely and capacity fade are the key issues that restrict the use of the lithium-ion battery for many applications. These issues are being tackled in a variety of ways. This dissertation focuses on using detailed continuum-level electrochemical models to study transport, kinetics, and mechanical processes in the lithium-ion batteries. These models can be used to quantify the effect of capacity fade mechanisms (side reactions and mechanical degradation) and improve the safety aspects of the lithium ion batteries. Three capacity-fade mechanisms—solid electrolyte interface side reaction, lithium-plating side reaction and mechanical degradation due to intercalation-induced stresses—are considered in the dissertation. Monitoring and …
Optimal Control Of Weakly Forced Nonlinear Oscillators, Isuru Sammana Dasanayake
Optimal Control Of Weakly Forced Nonlinear Oscillators, Isuru Sammana Dasanayake
All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)
Optimal control of nonlinear oscillatory systems poses numerous theoretical and computational challenges. Motivated by applications in neuroscience, we develop tools and methods to synthesize optimal controls for nonlinear oscillators described by reduced order dynamical systems. Control of neural oscillations by external stimuli has a broad range of applications, ranging from oscillatory neurocomputers to deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease. In this dissertation, we investigate fundamental limits on how neuron spiking behavior can be altered by the use of an external stimulus: control). Pontryagin's maximum principle is employed to derive optimal controls that lead to desired spiking times of a neuron …