Method and apparatus for controlling a non-linear mill

US6493596B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Pavilion Technologies, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Gregory D. Martin · Georgetown, US
• Eugene Boe · Austin, US
• Stephen Piche · Austin, US
• James David Keller · Austin, US
• Douglas Timmer · Austin, US
• Mark Gerules · Cedar Park, US
• John P. Havener · Leander, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 28, 2000
• Grant date: Dec 10, 2002
• Expiry date: Feb 28, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05B17/02
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling a non-linear mill. A linear controller is provided having a linear gain k that is operable to receive inputs representing measured variables of the plant and predict on an output of the linear controller predicted control values for manipulatible variables that control the plant. A non-linear model of the plant is provided for storing a representation of the plant over a trained region of the operating input space and having a steady-state gain K associated therewith. The gain k of the linear model is adjusted with the gain K of the non-linear model in accordance with a predetermined relationship as the measured variables change the operating region of the input space at which the linear controller is predicting the values for the manipulatible variables. The predicted manipulatible variables are then output after the step of adjusting the gain k.