Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Feedback control'

As a part of ongoing research projects at University West in the area of robot welding applications, a study was looked-for in the field of feedback control of robot systems with external sensors. A literature survey was performed in this field. A virtual instrument was developed in a PC using the LabView software from National Instruments. The instrument receives a signal from a force sensor, converts the input data and sends out the computed signal on a configured serial port. This information is then received by the robot system to be used to control the robot trajectory. The system was tested and it showed that external closed loop control of robot movement was possible to do. Problems with high delay time in the ABB IRB2400 robot system limits the bandwidth or the speed of the closed loop system. This delay time is caused by the intrinsic offset function that is needed to change robot path during motion. This function requires a great computational cost. The conclusion is that ABB IRB2400 robots, with the S4 controller, are limited for applications with low bandwidth because of their motion computation program structure. It does not allow for external feedback applications that require higher robot movement speeds.

The concept of merging exercise equipment with video games, known as exergaming, has the potential to be one of the main tools used in addressing the current rising obesity epidemic. Existing research shows that exergaming can help improve fitness and additionally motivate people to become more active. The two key elements of attractiveness - how much people want to play or use the exergaming system; and effectiveness – how effective the exergaming system is in actually increasing or maintaining physical fitness, need to be maximised to obtain the best outcomes from an exergaming system; we put this forward as the Dual Flow Model. As part of the development of our exergame system we required the use of a heart rate response simulator. We discovered that there was no existing quantitative model appropriate for the simulation of heart rate responses to exercise. In order to overcome this, we developed our own model for the simulation of heart rate response. Based on our model, we developed a simulation tool known as the Virtual Body Simulator, which we used during our exergame development. Subsequent verification of the model using the trial data indicated that the model accurately represented exergame player heart rate responses to a level that was more than sufficient for exergame research and development. In our experiment, attractiveness was controlled by manipulation of the game difficulty to match the skill of the player. The balance of challenge and skills to facilitate the attainment of the flow state, as described by Csikszentmihalyi (1975), is widely accepted as a motivator for various activities. Effectiveness, in our experiments was controlled through exercise intensity. Exercise intensity was adjusted based on the player‟s heart rate to maintain intensity within the limits of the ASCM Guidelines (ACSM, 2006) for appropriate exercise intensity levels. We tested the Dual Flow Model by developing an exergame designed to work in four different modes; created by selectively varying the control mechanisms for exercise workout intensity and game mental challenge. We then ran a trial with 21 subjects who used the exergame system in each of the different modes. The trial results in relation to the Dual Flow Model showed that we developed an excellent intensity control system based on heart rate monitoring; successfully managing workout intensity for the subjects. However, we found that the subjects generally found the intensity controlled sessions less engaging, being closer to the flow state in the sessions where the intensity was controlled based on heart rate. The dynamic difficulty adjustment system developed for our exergame also did not appear to help facilitate attainment of the flow state. Various theories are put forward as to why this may have occurred. We did find that challenge control had an impact on the actual intensity of the workout. When the intensity was not managed, the challenge control modes were generally closer to the desired heart rates. While the difference was not statistically very large, there was a strong correlation between the intensity of the different modes. This correlation was also present when looking at the players‟ perception of intensity, indicating that the difference was enough to be noticed by the subjects.

Hierarchical scheduling provides predictable timing and temporal isolation; two properties desirable in real-time embedded systems. In hierarchically scheduled systems, subsystems should receive a sufficient amount of CPU resources in order to be able to guarantee timing constraints of its internal parts (tasks). In static systems, an exact amount of CPU resource can be allocated to a subsystem. However, in dynamic systems, where execution times of tasks vary considerably during run-time, it is desirable to give a dynamic portion of the CPU given the current load situation. In this thesis we present a feedback control approach for adapting the amount of CPU resource that is allocated to subsystems during run-time such that each subsystem receives sufficient resources while keeping the number of deadline violations to a minimum. We also show some example simulations where the controller adapts the budget of a subsystems.If we allocate CPU only based on subsystems demand and don't take into account the availability of the resource, timing guarantees of the lower priority subsystems (using a priority based scheduler in the global level) will be violated in the overload situations. In such a situation the high criticality modules should be superior to the low criticality modules in receiving resources. In this thesis, in the extension of our adaptive framework, we propose two techniques for controlling the CPU distribution among modules in an overload circumstance. First we introduce the notion of subsystem criticality and then distribute CPU portions based on the criticality level of subsystems.

La commande à transmissions événementielles est une approche dans laquelle les instants de transmission sont définis selon un critère dépendant de l'état du système et non plus d'une horloge à l'instar des implantations périodiques. Dans cette thèse, nous nous concentrons sur la synthèse de telles lois de commande par retour de sortie. Les contributions sont les suivantes : (i) nous proposons une méthode de synthèse dite par émulation pour des systèmes non linéaires; (ii) nous présentons une méthode de synthèse jointe de la loi de commande et de la condition de déclenchement pour les systèmes linéaires; (iii) nous nous intéressons au cas de systèmes non linéaires singulièrement perturbés et nous construisons le contrôleur à partir d’approximation de la dynamique lente uniquement
Event-triggered control is a sampling paradigm in which the sequence of transmission instants is determined based on the violation of a state-dependent criterion and not a time-driven clock. In this thesis, we deal with event-triggered output-based controllers to stabilize classes of nonlinear systems. The contributions of the presented material are threefold: (i) we stabilize a class of nonlinear systems by using an emulation-based approach; (ii) we develop a co-design procedure to simultaneously design the output feedback law and the event-triggering condition for linear systems; (iii) we propose stabilizing event-triggered controllers for nonlinear systems whose dynamics have two-time scales (in particular, we only rely on the knowledge of an approximate model of the slow dynamics)

Scanning-electron-beam lithography (SEBL) is the primary technology to generate arbitrary features at the nano-scale. However, pattern placement accuracy still remains poor compared to its resolution due to the open-loop nature of SEBL systems. Vibration, stray electromagnetic fields, deflection distortion and hysteresis, substrate charging, and other factors prevent the electron-beam from reaching its target position and one has no way to determine the actual beam position during patterning with conventional systems. To improve the pattern placement accuracy, spatial-phase-locked electron-beam lithography (SPLEBL) provides feedback control of electron-beam position by monitoring the secondary electron signal from electron-transparent fiducial grids on the substrate. While scanning the electron beam over the fiducial grids, the phase of the grid signal is analyzed to estimate the electron-beam position error; then the estimates are sent back to beam deflection system to correct the position error. In this way, closed-loop control is provided to ensure pattern placement accuracy. The implementation of spatial-phase-locking on high speed field-programmable gate array (FPGA) provides a low-cost method to create a nano-manufacturing platform with 1 nm precision and significantly improved throughput. Shot-to-shot, or pixel-to-pixel, dose variation during EBL is a significant practical and fundamental problem. Dose variations associated with charging, electron source instability, optical system drift, and ultimately shot noise in the beam itself conspire to increase critical dimension variability and line width roughness and to limit the throughput. It would be an important improvement to e-beam patterning technology if real-time feedback control of electron-dose were provided to improve pattern quality and throughput even beyond the shot noise limit. A novel approach is proposed in this document to achieve the real-time dose control based on the measurement of electron arrival at the sample to be patterned, rather than from the source or another point in the electron-optical system. A dose control algorithm, implementation on FPGA, and initial experiment results for the real-time feedback dose control on the e-beam patterning tool is also presented.

This thesis presents decentralized model reference adaptive control techniques for systems with full-state feedback and systems with output feedback. The controllers are strictly decentralized, that is, each local controller uses feedback from only local subsystems and no information is shared between local controllers. The full-state feedback decentralized controller is effective for multi-input systems, where the dynamics matrix and control-input matrix are unknown. The decentralized controller achieves asymptotic stabilization and command following in the presence of sinusoidal disturbances with known spectrum. We present a construction technique of the reference-model dynamics such that the decentralized controller is effective for systems with arbitrarily large subsystem interconnections. The output-feedback decentralized controller is effective for single-input single-output subsystems that are minimum phase and relative degree one. The decentralized controller achieves asymptotic stabilization and disturbance rejection in the presence of an unknown disturbance, which is generated by an unknown Lyapunov-stable linear system.

In this thesis we apply linear feedback control to spatially evolving flows in order to minimize disturbance growth. The dynamics is assumed to be described by the linearized Navier--Stokes equations. Actuators and sensor are designed and a Kalman filtering technique is used to reconstruct the unknown flow state from noisy measurements. This reconstructed flow state is used to determine the control feedback which is applied to the Navier--Stokes equations through properly designed actuators. Since the control and estimation gains are obtained through an optimization process, and the Navier--Stokes equations typically forms a very high-dimensional system when discretized there is an interest in reducing the complexity of the equations. One possible approach is to perform Fourier decomposition along (almost) homogeneous spatial directions and another is by constructing a reduced order model by Galerkin projection on a suitable set of vectors. The first strategy is used to control the evolution of a range of instabilities in the classical family of Falkner--Skan--Cooke flows whereas the second is applied to a more complex cavity type of geometry.

In the present dissertation paper an approach which ensures an efficient control of such diverse systems as noisy or chaotic oscillators and neural ensembles is developed. This approach is implemented by a simple linear feedback loop. The dissertation paper consists of two main parts. One part of the work is dedicated to the application of the suggested technique to a population of neurons with a goal to suppress their synchronous collective dynamics. The other part is aimed at investigating linear feedback control of coherence of a noisy or chaotic self-sustained oscillator. First we start with a problem of suppressing synchronization in a large population of interacting neurons. The importance of this task is based on the hypothesis that emergence of pathological brain activity in the case of Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders is caused by synchrony of many thousands of neurons. The established therapy for the patients with such disorders is a permanent high-frequency electrical stimulation via the depth microelectrodes, called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). In spite of efficiency of such stimulation, it has several side effects and mechanisms underlying DBS remain unclear. In the present work an efficient and simple control technique is suggested. It is designed to ensure suppression of synchrony in a neural ensemble by a minimized stimulation that vanishes as soon as the tremor is suppressed. This vanishing-stimulation technique would be a useful tool of experimental neuroscience; on the other hand, control of collective dynamics in a large population of units represents an interesting physical problem. The main idea of suggested approach is related to the classical problem of oscillation theory, namely the interaction between a self-sustained (active) oscillator and a passive load (resonator). It is known that under certain conditions the passive oscillator can suppress the oscillations of an active one. In this thesis a much more complicated case of active medium, which itself consists of thousands of oscillators is considered. Coupling this medium to a specially designed passive oscillator, one can control the collective motion of the ensemble, specifically can enhance or suppress it. Having in mind a possible application in neuroscience, the problem of suppression is concentrated upon. Second, the efficiency of suggested suppression scheme is illustrated by considering more complex case, i.e. when the population of neurons generating the undesired rhythm consists of two non-overlapping subpopulations: the first one is affected by the stimulation, while the collective activity is registered from the second one. Generally speaking, the second population can be by itself both active and passive; both cases are considered here. The possible applications of suggested technique are discussed. Third, the influence of the external linear feedback on coherence of a noisy or chaotic self-sustained oscillator is considered. Coherence is one of the main properties of self-oscillating systems and plays a key role in the construction of clocks, electronic generators, lasers, etc. The coherence of a noisy limit cycle oscillator in the context of phase dynamics is evaluated by the phase diffusion constant, which is in its turn proportional to the width of the spectral peak of oscillations. Many chaotic oscillators can be described within the framework of phase dynamics, and, therefore, their coherence can be also quantified by the way of the phase diffusion constant. The analytical theory for a general linear feedback, considering noisy systems in the linear and Gaussian approximation is developed and validated by numerical results.
In der vorliegenden Dissertation wird eine Näherung entwickelt, die eine effiziente Kontrolle verschiedener Systeme wie verrauschten oder chaotischen Oszillatoren und Neuronenensembles ermöglicht. Diese Näherung wird durch eine einfache lineare Rückkopplungsschleife implementiert. Die Dissertation besteht aus zwei Teilen. Ein Teil der Arbeit ist der Anwendung der vorgeschlagenen Technik auf eine Population von Neuronen gewidmet, mit dem Ziel ihre synchrone Dynamik zu unterdrücken. Der zweite Teil ist auf die Untersuchung der linearen Feedback-Kontrolle der Kohärenz eines verrauschten oder chaotischen, selbst erregenden Oszillators gerichtet. Zunächst widmen wir uns dem Problem, die Synchronisation in einer großen Population von aufeinander wirkenden Neuronen zu unterdrücken. Da angenommen wird, dass das Auftreten pathologischer Gehirntätigkeit, wie im Falle der Parkinsonschen Krankheit oder bei Epilepsie, auf die Synchronisation großer Neuronenpopulation zurück zu führen ist, ist das Verständnis dieser Prozesse von tragender Bedeutung. Die Standardtherapie bei derartigen Erkrankungen besteht in einer dauerhaften, hochfrequenten, intrakraniellen Hirnstimulation mittels implantierter Elektroden (Deep Brain Stimulation, DBS). Trotz der Wirksamkeit solcher Stimulationen können verschiedene Nebenwirkungen auftreten, und die Mechanismen, die der DBS zu Grunde liegen sind nicht klar. In meiner Arbeit schlage ich eine effiziente und einfache Kontrolltechnik vor, die die Synchronisation in einem Neuronenensemble durch eine minimierte Anregung unterdrückt und minimalinvasiv ist, da die Anregung stoppt, sobald der Tremor erfolgreich unterdrückt wurde. Diese Technik der "schwindenden Anregung" wäre ein nützliches Werkzeug der experimentellen Neurowissenschaft. Desweiteren stellt die Kontrolle der kollektiven Dynamik in einer großen Population von Einheiten ein interessantes physikalisches Problem dar. Der Grundansatz der Näherung ist eng mit dem klassischen Problem der Schwingungstheorie verwandt - der Interaktion eines selbst erregenden (aktiven) Oszillators und einer passiven Last, dem Resonator. Ich betrachte den deutlich komplexeren Fall eines aktiven Mediums, welches aus vielen tausenden Oszillatoren besteht. Durch Kopplung dieses Mediums an einen speziell hierür konzipierten, passiven Oszillator kann man die kollektive Bewegung des Ensembles kontrollieren, um diese zu erhöhen oder zu unterdrücken. Mit Hinblick auf eine möglichen Anwendung im Bereich der Neurowissenschaften, konzentriere ich mich hierbei auf das Problem der Unterdrückung. Im zweiten Teil wird die Wirksamkeit dieses Unterdrückungsschemas im Rahmen eines komplexeren Falles, bei dem die Population von Neuronen, die einen unerwünschten Rhythmus erzeugen, aus zwei nicht überlappenden Subpopulationen besteht, dargestellt. Zunächst wird eine der beiden Subpopulationen durch Stimulation beeinflusst und die kollektive Aktivität an der zweiten Subpopulation gemessen. Im Allgemeinen kann sich die zweite Subpopulation sowohl aktiv als auch passiv verhalten. Beide Fälle werden eingehend betrachtet. Anschließend werden die möglichen Anwendungen der vorgeschlagenen Technik besprochen. Danach werden verschiedene Betrachtungen über den Einfluss des externen linearen Feedbacks auf die Kohärenz eines verrauschten oder chaotischen selbst erregenden Oszillators angestellt. Kohärenz ist eine Grundeigenschaft schwingender Systeme und spielt ein tragende Rolle bei der Konstruktion von Uhren, Generatoren oder Lasern. Die Kohärenz eines verrauschten Grenzzyklus Oszillators im Sinne der Phasendynamik wird durch die Phasendiffusionskonstante bewertet, die ihrerseits zur Breite der spektralen Spitze von Schwingungen proportional ist. Viele chaotische Oszillatoren können im Rahmen der Phasendynamik beschrieben werden, weshalb ihre Kohärenz auch über die Phasendiffusionskonstante gemessen werden kann. Die analytische Theorie eines allgemeinen linearen Feedbacks in der Gaußschen, als auch in der linearen, Näherung wird entwickelt und durch numerische Ergebnisse gestützt.

This thesis constitutes the documentation for a Doctoral research program undertaken at the Industrial Research Institute of Swinburne University of Technology (IRIS) between 2001 and 2005. The focus of the research was an investigation of the open- and closed-loop response of piezoelectric micro-pumps for micro-fluidic applications, particularly for chemical and biomedical environments. Specifically, in order to successfully integrate micro-devices into functional systems, it was important to address issues of real-time performance monitoring and control. The research addresses some of these problems in the context of a piezoelectric-driven micro-pump, equipped with interferometric displacement feedback, which was used to measure the dynamic displacement of the micro-pump actuator surface. During the course of the research, both a discrete component and a fully integrated (laboratory-on-a-board) test system were developed for open-loop characterization of the micro-pump. The laboratory-on-a-board system was also used for closed-loop control application. Measurements showed significant differences in actuator velocity, displacement and settling time between different pumping media. In addition, transient underdamped vibration of the actuator surface was observed during the rapid excursion and recursion phases of the pump movement while pumping air. These non-contact measurements could be used to determine the open-loop characteristics of a micropump and provide information for design improvement or failure detection/analysis. The technique could also be used to provide continuous measurement for adaptive compensation, so that the pump performance criteria are always satisfied. To this end, an automated interference fringe counting algorithm was developed, so that the steadystate parameters could be mapped into the closed-loop control elements in real time. The performance of this algorithm is discussed herein, together with the implications for optimal control of the micro-pump, and eventual integration of the interferometer and micro-pump systems. The research indicated that there were potential benefits in closed-loop control of micro-pumps, particularly where failure detection was required and for pumping of non-homogeneous media. The thesis also documents the relative performance differences between open and closed-loop control in homogenous media.

Thesis (PhD) - Swinburne University of Technology, Industrial Research Institute Swinburne - 2006.
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the school of Advanced Studies at Industrial Research Institute Swinburne, Swinburne University of Technology - 2006. Typescript. "December 2006". Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-242).

The aim of this study was to develop a self-tuning or adaptive SI engine controller using torque feedback as the main control variable, based on direct/indirect measurement and estimation techniques. The indirect methods include in-cylinder pressure measurement, ion current measurement, and crankshaft rotational frequency variation. It is proposed that torque feedback would not only allow the operating set-points to be monitored and achieved under wider conditions (including the extremes of humidity and throttle transients), but to actively select and optimise the set-points on the basis of both performance and fuel economy. A further application could allow the use of multiple fuel types and/or combustion enhancing methods to best effect. An existing experimental facility which comprised a Jaguar AJ-V8 SI engine coupled to a Heenan-Froude Dynamatic GVAL (Mk 1) dynamometer was adopted for this work, in order to provide a flexible distributed engine test system comprising a combined user interface and cylinder pressure monitoring system, a functional dynamometer controller, and a modular engine controller which is close coupled to an embedded PC has been created. The considerable challenges involved in creating this system have meant that the core research objectives of this project have not been met. Nevertheless, an open-architecture software and hardware engine controller and independent throttle controller have been developed, to the point of testing. For the purposes of optimum ignition timing validation and combustion knock detection, an optical cylinder pressure measurement system with crank angle synchronous sampling has been developed. The departure from the project’s initial aims have also highlighted several important aspects of eddy-current dynamometer control, whose closed-loop behaviour was modelled in Simulink to study its control and dynamic response. The design of the dynamometer real-time controller was successfully implemented and evaluated in a more contemporary context using an embedded digital controller.

Optogenetics is a set of technologies that enable optically triggered gain or loss of function in genetically specified populations of cells. Optogenetic methods have revolutionized experimental neuroscience by allowing precise excitation or inhibition of firing in specified neuronal populations embedded within complex, heterogeneous tissue. Although optogenetic tools have greatly improved our ability manipulate neural activity, they do not offer control of neural firing in the face of ongoing changes in network activity, plasticity, or sensory input. In this thesis, I develop a feedback control technology that automatically adjusts optical stimulation in real-time to precisely control network activity levels. I describe hardware and software tools, modes of optogenetic stimulation, and control algorithms required to achieve robust neural control over timescales ranging from seconds to days. I then demonstrate the scientific utility of these technologies in several experimental contexts. First, I investigate the role of connectivity in shaping the network encoding process using continuously-varying optical stimulation. I show that synaptic connectivity linearizes the neuronal response, verifying previous theoretical predictions. Next, I use long-term optogenetic feedback control to show that reductions in excitatory neurotransmission directly trigger homeostatic increases in synaptic strength. This result opposes a large body of literature on the subject and has significant implications for memory formation and maintenance. The technology presented in this thesis greatly enhances the precision with which optical stimulation can control neural activity, and allows causally related variables within neural circuits to be studied independently.

Stochastic thermodynamics provides a clear definition of entropy production and the framework of fluctuation theorems has allowed many general results to be obtained for nonequilibrium systems. Notably, relationships for work and free energy in nonequilibrium systems as well as second law-like inequalities have been obtained. A recent extension to this framework has been the addition of feedback and the generalisation of the previously obtained inequalities to incorporate information quantities related to control and feedback. In this thesis we contribute to this framework by first providing a close analysis of the nature of `time-reversal' for feedback systems. Time reversal is a key ingredient in the formulation of the fluctuation relationships from which one obtains the nonequilibrium work functions and so we consider how to meaningfully construct a time-reverse conjugate process for a system with feedback and provide a justification for the Sagawa-Ueda fluctuation relation. We then introduce a simple model of a feedback engine and use it to analyse the fluctuation properties of the information flow between the controlled system and the feedback controller. Finally, we focus on the possibilities for feedback and consider a model whereby feedback is enacted symmetrically between two coupled systems and find that such a system has entropy-reducing dynamics. Since the dynamics appear to violate the second law of thermodynamics, we comment on their validity and argue that mutual feedback may be unphysical.

In this dissertation, we develop feedback control strategies that can be used for evacuating people. Pedestrian models are based on macroscopic or microscopic behavior. We use the macroscopic modeling approach, where pedestrians are treated in an aggregate way and detailed interactions are overlooked. The models representing evacuation dynamics are based on the laws of conservation of mass and momentum and are described by nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equations. As such the system is distributed in nature. We address the design of feedback control for these models in a distributed setting where the problem of control and stability is formulated directly in the framework of partial differential equations. The control goal is to design feedback controllers to control the movement of people during evacuation and avoid jams and shocks. We design the feedback controllers for both diffusion and advection where the density of people diffuses as well as moves in a specified direction with time. In order to achieve this goal we are assuming that the control variables have no bounds. However, it is practically impossible to have unbounded controls so we modify the controllers in order to take the effect of control saturation into account. We also discuss the feedback control for these models in presence of uncertainties where the goal is to design controllers to minimize the effect of uncertainties on the movement of people during evacuation. The control design technique adopted in all these cases is feedback linearization which includes backstepping for higher order two-equation models, Lyapunov redesign for uncertain models and robust backstepping for two-equation uncertain models. The work also focuses on abstraction of evacuation system which focuses on obtaining models with lesser number of partial differential equations than the original one. The feedback control design of a higher level two-equation model is more difficult than the lower order one-equation model. Therefore, it is desirable to perform control design for a simpler abstracted model and then transform control design back to the original model.
Ph. D.

An ionic polymer actuator consists of a thin Nafion-117 sheet plated with gold or platinum on both sides. An ionic polymer actuator undergoes large deformation in the presence of low applied voltage across its thickness and exhibits low impedance. They can also be used as large displacement sensors by bending them to induce stresses and generate a voltage response. They operate best in a humid environment. Ionic polymer actuators have been used for various practical applications such as bio-mimetic robotic propulsion, flexible low mass robotic arms, propellors for swimming robotic structures, linear and platform type robotic actuators and active catheter systems. One of the disadvantages of ionic polymer actuators is that their settling time to a unit step voltage is on the order of 5-20 seconds in a cantilever configuration. The slow time constant of an ionic polymer limits the actuation bandwidth. The characteristics of ionic polymer actuators, low force and large displacement (as compared to other actuator technologies such as PZT or PVDF), cannot be used in applications requiring a faster response time for a given actuation signal. Due to this limitation, many applications will not be able to make use of the large displacement effectively because of the limited bandwidth of the actuator. Another disadvantage of using an ionic polymer actuator is that the stiffness of the actuator is a function of the hydration of the polymer. Difficulties in controlling the hydration, which changes with respect to time, results in inconsistencies in the mechanical response exhibited by the polymers during continual usage. Several physical models of ionic polymer actuators have been proposed. The physical phenomenon responsible for the bending is not completely understood and no clear set of principles have been able to explain the motion of the polymers completely. Physical phenomena like ionic motion, back diffusion of water and electrostatic force have been used to explain these models. This research demonstrates the use of feedback control to overcome the limitation of slow settling time. First, an empirical model of the ionic polymers developed by Kanno was modified by studying the step response of these actuators. The empirical model is used to design a feedback compensator by state space modeling techniques. Since the ionic polymer actuator has a slow settling time in the open-loop, the design objectives are to minimize the settling time and constrain the control voltage to be less than a prescribed value. The controller is designed using Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) techniques which reduced the number of design parameters to one variable. Simulations are performed which show settling times of 0.03 seconds for closed-loop feedback control are possible as compared to the open-loop settling time of 16-18 seconds. The maximum control voltage varied from 1.2 Volts to 3.5 Volts depending on the LQR design parameter. The controller is implemented and results obtained are consistent with the simulations. Closed-loop settling time is observed to be 4-8 seconds and the ratio of the peak response to the steady-state response is reduced by an order of magnitude. Discrepancies between the experiment and the simulations are attributed to the inconsistencies in the resonant frequency of the actuator. Experiments demonstrate that changes in the surface hydration of the polymer result in 20\% variations in the actuator resonance. Variations in the actuator resonance require a more conservative compensator design, thus limiting the performance of the feedback control system.
Master of Science

[EN] This thesis deals with two characteristic problems in visual feedback robot control: 1) sensor latency; 2) providing suitable trajectories for the robot and for the measurement in the image. All the approaches presented in this work are analyzed and implemented on a 6 DOF industrial robot manipulator or/and a wheeled robot. Focusing on the sensor latency problem, this thesis proposes the use of dual-rate high order holds within the control loop of robots. In this sense, the main contributions are: - Dual-rate high order holds based on primitive functions for robot control (Chapter 3): analysis of the system performance with and without the use of this multi-rate technique from non-conventional control. In addition, as consequence of the use of dual-rate holds, this work obtains and validates multi-rate controllers, especially dual-rate PIDs. - Asynchronous dual-rate high order holds based on primitive functions with time delay compensation (Chapter 3): generalization of asynchronous dual-rate high order holds incorporating an input signal time delay compensation component, improving thus the inter-sampling estimations computed by the hold. It is provided an analysis of the properties of such dual-rate holds with time delay compensation, comparing them with estimations obtained by the equivalent dual-rate holds without this compensation, as well as their implementation and validation within the control loop of a 6 DOF industrial robot manipulator. - Multi-rate nonlinear high order holds (Chapter 4): generalization of the concept of dual-rate high order holds with nonlinear estimation models, which include information about the plant to be controlled, the controller(s) and sensor(s) used, obtained from machine learning techniques. Thus, in order to obtain such a nonlinear hold, it is described a methodology non dependent of the machine technique used, although validated using artificial neural networks. Finally, an analysis of the properties of these new holds is carried out, comparing them with their equivalents based on primitive functions, as well as their implementation and validation within the control loop of an industrial robot manipulator and a wheeled robot. With respect to the problem of providing suitable trajectories for the robot and for the measurement in the image, this thesis presents the novel reference features filtering control strategy and its generalization from a multi-rate point of view. The main contributions in this regard are: - Reference features filtering control strategy (Chapter 5): a new control strategy is proposed to enlarge significantly the solution task reachability of robot visual feedback control. The main idea is to use optimal trajectories proposed by a non-linear EKF predictor-smoother (ERTS), based on Rauch-Tung-Striebel (RTS) algorithm, as new feature references for an underlying visual feedback controller. In this work it is provided both the description of the implementation algorithm and its implementation and validation utilizing an industrial robot manipulator. - Dual-rate Reference features filtering control strategy (Chapter 5): a generalization of the reference features filtering approach from a multi-rate point of view, and a dual Kalman-smoother step based on the relation of the sensor and controller frequencies of the reference filtering control strategy is provided, reducing the computational cost of the former algorithm, as well as addressing the problem of the sensor latency. The implementation algorithms, as well as its analysis, are described.
[ES] La presente tesis propone soluciones para dos problemas característicos de los sistemas robóticos cuyo bucle de control se cierra únicamente empleando sensores de visión artificial: 1) la latencia del sensor; 2) la obtención de trayectorias factibles tanto para el robot así como para las medidas obtenidas en la imagen. Todos los métodos propuestos en este trabajo son analizados, validados e implementados utilizando brazo robot industrial de 6 grados de libertad y/o en un robot con ruedas. Atendiendo al problema de la latencia del sensor, esta tesis propone el uso de retenedores bi-frequencia de orden alto dentro de los lazos de control de robots. En este aspecto las principales contribuciones son: -Retenedores bi-frecuencia de orden alto basados en funciones primitivas dentro de lazos de control de robots (Capítulo 3): análisis del comportamiento del sistema con y sin el uso de esta técnica de control no convencional. Además, como consecuencia del empleo de los retenedores, obtención y validación de controladores multi-frequencia, concretamente de PIDs bi-frecuencia. -Retenedores bi-frecuencia asíncronos de orden alto basados en funciones primitivas con compensación de retardos (Capítulo 3): generalización de los retenedores bi-frecuencia asíncronos de orden alto incluyendo una componente de compensación del retardo en la señal de entrada, mejorando así las estimaciones inter-muestreo calculadas por el retenedor. Se proporciona un análisis de las propiedades de los retenedores con compensación del retardo, comparándolas con las obtenidas por sus predecesores sin compensación, así como su implementación y validación en un brazo robot de 6 grados de libertad. -Retenedores multi-frecuencia no lineales de orden alto (Capítulo 4): generalización del concepto de retenedor bi-frecuencia de orden alto con modelos de estimación no lineales, los cuales incluyen información tanto de la planta a controlar, como del controlador(es) y sensor(es) empleado(s), obtenida a partir de técnicas de aprendizaje. Así pues, para obtener dicho retenedor no lineal, se describe una metodología independiente de la herramienta de aprendizaje utilizada, aunque validada con el uso de redes neuronales artificiales. Finalmente se realiza un análisis de las propiedades de estos nuevos retenedores, comparándolos con sus predecesores basados en funciones primitivas, así como su implementación y validación en un brazo robot de 6 grados de libertad y en un robot móvil con ruedas. Por lo que respecta al problema de generación de trayectorias factibles para el robot y para la medida en la imagen, esta tesis propone la nueva estrategia de control basada en el filtrado de la referencia y su generalización desde el punto de vista multi-frecuencial. -Estrategia de control basada en el filtrado de la referencia (Capítulo 5): una nueva estrategia de control se propone para ampliar significativamente el espacio de soluciones de los sistemas robóticos realimentados con sensores de visión artificial. La principal idea es utilizar las trayectorias óptimas obtenidas por una trayectoria predicha por un filtro de Kalman seguido de un suavizado basado en el algoritmo Rauch-Tung-Striebel (RTS) como nuevas referencias para un controlador dado. En este trabajo se proporciona tanto la descripción del algoritmo como su implementación y validación empleando un brazo robótico industrial. -Estrategia de control bi-frecuencia basada en el filtrado de la referencia (Capítulo 5): generalización de la estrategia de control basada en filtrado de la referencia desde un punto de vista multi-frecuencial, con un filtro de Kalman multi-frecuencia y un Kalman-smoother dual basado en la relación existente entre las frecuencias del sensor y del controlador, reduciendo así el coste computacional del algoritmo y, al mismo tiempo, dando solución al problema de la latencia del sensor. La validación se realiza utilizando un barzo robot industria asi
[CAT] La present tesis proposa solucions per a dos problemes característics dels sistemes robòtics el els que el bucle de control es tanca únicament utilitzant sensors de visió artificial: 1) la latència del sensor; 2) l'obtenció de trajectòries factibles tant per al robot com per les mesures en la imatge. Tots els mètodes proposats en aquest treball son analitzats, validats e implementats utilitzant un braç robot industrial de 6 graus de llibertat i/o un robot amb rodes. Atenent al problema de la latència del sensor, esta tesis proposa l'ús de retenidors bi-freqüència d'ordre alt a dins del llaços de control de robots. Al respecte, les principals contribucions son: - Retenidors bi-freqüència d'ordre alt basats en funcions primitives a dintre dels llaços de control de robots (Capítol 3): anàlisis del comportament del sistema amb i sense l'ús d'aquesta tècnica de control no convencional. A més a més, com a conseqüència de l'ús dels retenidors, obtenció i validació de controladors multi-freqüència, concretament de PIDs bi-freqüència. - Retenidors bi-freqüència asíncrons d'ordre alt basats en funcions primitives amb compensació de retards (Capítol 3): generalització dels retenidors bi-freqüència asíncrons d'ordre alt inclouen una component de compensació del retràs en la senyal d'entrada al retenidor, millorant així les estimacions inter-mostreig calculades per el retenidor. Es proporciona un anàlisis de les propietats dels retenidors amb compensació del retràs, comparant-les amb les obtingudes per el seus predecessors sense la compensació, així com la seua implementació i validació en un braç robot industrial de 6 graus de llibertat. - Retenidors multi-freqüència no-lineals d'ordre alt (Capítol 4): generalització del concepte de retenidor bi-freqüència d'ordre alt amb models d'estimació no lineals, incloent informació tant de la planta a controlar, com del controlador(s) i sensor(s) utilitzat(s), obtenint-la a partir de tècniques d'aprenentatge. Així doncs, per obtindre el retenidor no lineal, es descriu una metodologia independent de la ferramenta d'aprenentatge utilitzada, però validada amb l'ús de rets neuronals artificials. Finalment es realitza un anàlisis de les propietats d'aquestos nous retenidors, comparant-los amb els seus predecessors basats amb funcions primitives, així com la seua implementació i validació amb un braç robot de 6 graus de llibertat i amb un robot mòbil de rodes. Per el que respecta al problema de generació de trajectòries factibles per al robot i per la mesura en la imatge, aquesta tesis proposa la nova estratègia de control basada amb el filtrat de la referència i la seua generalització des de el punt de vista multi-freqüència. - Estratègia de control basada amb el filtrat de la referència (Capítol 5): una nova estratègia de control es proposada per ampliar significativament l'espai de solucions dels sistemes robòtics realimentats amb sensors de visió artificial. La principal idea es la d'utilitzar les trajectòries optimes obtingudes per una trajectòria predita per un filtre de Kalman seguit d'un suavitzat basat en l'algoritme Rauch-Tung-Striebel (RTS) com noves referències per a un control donat. En aquest treball es proporciona tant la descripció del algoritme així com la seua implementació i validació utilitzant un braç robòtic industrial de 6 graus de llibertat. - Estratègia de control bi-freqüència basada en el filtrat (Capítol 5): generalització de l'estratègia de control basada am filtrat de la referència des de un punt de vista multi freqüència, amb un filtre de Kalman multi freqüència i un Kalman-Smoother dual basat amb la relació existent entre les freqüències del sensor i del controlador, reduint així el cost computacional de l'algoritme i, al mateix temps, donant solució al problema de la latència del sensor. L'algoritme d'implementació d'aquesta tècnica, així com la seua validaci
Solanes Galbis, JE. (2015). MULTI-RATE VISUAL FEEDBACK ROBOT CONTROL [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/57951
TESIS

It is a difficult challenge to develop a feedback control system for Statistical Process Control (SPC) because there is no effective method that can be used to calculate the accurate magnitude of feedback control actions in traditional SPC. Suitable feedback adjustments are generated from the experiences of process engineers. This drawback means that the SPC technique can not be directly applied in an automatic system. This thesis is concerned with Fuzzy Sets and Fuzzy Logic applied to the uncertainty of relationships between the SPC (early stage) alarms and SPC implementation. Based on a number of experiments of the frequency distribution for shifts of abnormal process averages and human subjective decision, a Fuzzy-SPC control system is developed to generate the magnitude of feedback control actions using fuzzy inference. A simulation study which is written in C++ is designed to implement a Fuzzy-SPC controller with satisfactory results. To further reduce the control errors, a NeuroFuzzy network is employed to build NNFuzzy- SPC system in MATLAB. The advantage of the leaning capability of Neural Networks is used to optimise the parameters of the Fuzzy- X and Fuzzy-J? controllers in order to obtain the ideal consequent membership functions to adapt to the randomness of various processes. Simulation results show that the NN-Fuzzy-SPC control system has high control accuracy and stable repeatability. To further improve the practicability of a NN-Fuzzy-SPC system, a combined forecaster with EWMA chart and digital filter is designed to reduce the NN-Fuzzy-SPC control delay. For the EWMA chart, the smoothing constant 0 is investigated by a number of experiments and optimised in the forecast process. The Finite Impulse Response (FIR) lowpass filter is designed to smooth the input data (signal) fluctuations in order to reduce the forecast errors. An improved NN-Fuzzy-SPC control system which shows high control accuracy and short control delay can be applied in both automatic control and online quality control.

Orientador: Edvaldo Assunção
Resumo: Este trabalho aborda o controle via realimentação estática de saída aplicado à sistemas lineares com parâmetro variante (LPV) e lineares incertos invariantes no tempo (LIT). O projeto de ganhos de realimentação estática de saída apresentado neste trabalho é baseado no método dos dois estágios, o qual consiste em primeiramente obter um ganho de realimentação de estados, e então, utilizar esta informação no segundo estágio para obter-se o ganho de realimentação estática de saída desejado. As soluções para os problemas investigados são apresentadas na forma de desigualdades matriciais lineares (no inglês, linear matrix inequalities, LMIs), obtidas por meio da aplicação do Lema de Finsler. Baseado em resultados anteriores encontrados na literatura, este trabalho propõe uma estratégia de relaxação de forma a obter um método menos conservador para obtenção de ganhos robustos de realimentação estática de saída para sistemas incertos LTI. Na estratégia proposta, as variáveis adicionais do Lema de Finsler são consideradas como dependentes de parâmetro, juntamente com o uso de funções de Lyapunov dependentes de parâmetro (no inglês, parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions, PDLFs). É apresentado um estudo avaliando a eficácia da estratégia proposta em fornecer uma maior região de factibilidade para um dado problema. Os resultados foram utilizados em uma comparação com um método de relaxação baseado apenas no uso de PDLFs. Uma segunda contribuição deste trabalho consiste na proposta de um... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: The static output feedback (SOF) control applied to linear parameter-varying (LPV) and uncertain linear time-invariant (LTI) systems are addressed in this work. The approach chosen for the design of SOF gains is based on the two-stage method, which consists in obtaining a state feedback gain at first, and then using that information for deriving the desired SOF gain at the second stage. The solutions for the investigated problems are presented in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), obtained by means of the application of the Finsler's Lemma. Based on previous papers found in literature, this work proposes a relaxation strategy in order to achieve a less conservative method for obtaining robust SOF gains for uncertain LTI systems. In the proposed strategy, the Finsler's Lemma additional variables are considered to be parameter-dependent along with the use of parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions (PDLFs). A study evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in providing a larger feasibility region for a given problem is presented. The results were used in a comparison with a relaxation method based only on PDLFs. Another contribution of this work lies in the proposal of a solution for the control of LPV systems via the design of a gain-scheduled SOF controller. The methods proposed for both control problems were applied on the design of controllers for an active suspension system. In the experiments, it was assumed that only one of its four system's states wer... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Mestre

The aeration process is often the single largest consumer of electricity in a wastewater treatment plant. Aeration in biological reactors provides microorganisms with oxygen which is required to convert ammonium to nitrate. Ammonium is toxic for aqueous ecosystems and contributes to eutrophication. The importance of aeration for the treatment results in combination with the high costs motivates automatic control of the aeration process. This thesis is devoted to ammonium feedback control in municipal wastewater treatment plants. With ammonium feedback control, the aeration intensity is changed based on a measurement of the outlet ammonium concentration. The main focus of the thesis is design, implementation, evaluation and improvement of ammonium PI (proportional-integral) controllers. The benefits of ammonium feedback control are established through long-term experiments at three large wastewater treatment plants in Stockholm, Sweden. With ammonium feedback control, energy savings up to around 10 % were achieved compared to keeping the dissolved oxygen concentration constant. The experiments generated several lessons learned with regard to implementation and evaluation of controllers in full-scale operation. The thesis has established guidelines on how to design ammonium feedback controllers for situations when cost-effective operation is the overall aim. Simulations have demonstrated the importance to limit the dissolved oxygen concentration in the process and under what conditions the energy saving with ammonium feedback control is large. The final part of the thesis treats improvements of ammonium PI control through minor modifications to the control structure or controller. Three strategies were studied: gain scheduling control, repetitive control, and a strategy reacting to oxygen peaks in the last aerobic zone. The strategies all had their benefits but the ammonium feedback controller was the key factor to improved aeration control.

Packet-switched communication networks such as today's Internet are built with several interconnected core and distribution packet forwarding routers and several sender and sink transport agents. In order to maintain stability and avoid congestion collapse in the network, the sources control their rate behavior and voluntarily adjust their sending rates to accommodate other sources in the network. In this thesis, we study one class of sender rate control that is modeled using continuous first-order differential equation of the sending rates. In order to adjust the rates appropriately, the network sends continuous packet-loss feedback to the sources. We study a form of closed-loop feedback congestion controllers whose rate adjustments exhibit a nonlinear form. There are three dimensions to our work in this thesis. First, we study the network optimization problem in which sources choose utilities to maximize their underlying throughput. Each sender maximizes its utility proportional to the throughput achieved. In our model, sources choose a utility function to define their level of satisfaction of the underlying resource usages. The objective of this direction is to establish the properties of source utility functions using inequality constrained bounded sets and study the functional forms of utilities against a chosen rate differential equation. Second, stability of the network and tolerance to perturbation are two essential factors that keep communication networks operational around the equilibrium point. Our objective in this part of the thesis is to analytically understand the existence of local asymptotic stability of delayed-feedback systems under homogeneous network delays. Third, we propose a novel tangential controller for a generic maximization function and study its properties using nonlinear optimization techniques. We develop the necessary theoretical background and the properties of our controller to prove that it is a better rate adaptation algorithm for logarithmic utilities compared to the well-studied proportional controllers. We establish the asymptotic local stability of our controller with upper bounds on the increase / decrease gain parameters.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate relay feedback process identification and some controller design methods. Using an exact analysis method, namely the state space method, a set of conditions for the prediction of oscillations in relay control systems has been developed. Since the exact solution for the limit cycle is found it becomes possible to assess the stability of these oscillations using an eigenvalue criterion. A correction factor has been introduced to overcome the limitations of the Balasubramanian's eigenvalue criterion. Relay feedback identification in process control can lead to erroneous results if the system parameters are estimated from the approximate describing function approach. Exact analytical expressions are derived and on the basis of these expressions an identification procedure is suggested which is capable of estimating the parameters of a class of process transfer functions. Analytical expressions are presented for quantifying the approximate estimation errors in the presence of measurement noise and load disturbance. The performance limitations of the conventional PID controller have been clearly shown in the context of controlling resonant, unstable or integrating processes. It has been shown that a PI-PD controller with the PD in the inner loop not only avoids the derivative kick but also a better performance is achieved than with a P or D controller in the inner loop. Further, the same controller provides good disturbance rejection and its performance is often near to that of an optimum controller for disturbance rejection and is significantly better than the results of other design methods based on setpoint response. Simple tuning methods based on standard forms for a PI-PD controller controlling time delay processes have been presented which are particularly effective for integrating and unstable plants. Automatic tuning formulae for PI, PID and PI-PD controllers have been proposed for controlling stable and unstable processes. The problem of controlling integrating and unstable processes incorporating time delay has been tackled by proposing a new Smith predictor. It is shown that the predictor is capable of successfully controlling stable, integrating and unstable processes. Controller parameters leading to robust performance for various levels of uncertainty in the model parameters particularly in the unstable time constant and time delay have been presented. Also, simple and effective automatic tuning formulae are derived for the new Smith predictor structure when the plant model is not available assuming first order model with time delay for stable, unstable and integrating processes. The plant model blocks in the control structure, as well as all the controllers, are designed from a single symmetrical relay test.

Neural network-based adaptive output feedback approaches that augment a linear control design are described in this thesis, and emphasis is placed on their real-time implementation with flexible systems. Two different control architectures that are robust to parametric uncertainties and unmodelled dynamics are presented. The unmodelled effects can consist of minimum phase internal dynamics of the system together with external disturbance process. Within this context, adaptive compensation for external disturbances is addressed. In the first approach, internal model-following control, adaptive elements are designed using feedback inversion. The effect of an actuator limit is treated using control hedging, and the effect of other actuation nonlinearities, such as dead zone and backlash, is mitigated by a disturbance observer-based control design. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated through simulation and experimental testing with a three-disk torsional system, which is subjected to control voltage limit and stiction. While the internal model-following control is limited to minimum phase systems, the second approach, external model-following control, does not involve feedback linearization and can be applied to non-minimum phase systems. The unstable zero dynamics are assumed to have been modelled in the design of the existing linear controller. The laboratory tests for this method include a three-disk torsional pendulum, an inverted pendulum, and a flexible-base robot manipulator. The external model-following control architecture is further extended in three ways. The first extension is an approach for control of multivariable nonlinear systems. The second extension is a decentralized adaptive control approach for large-scale interconnected systems. The third extension is to make use of an adaptive observer to augment a linear observer-based controller. In this extension, augmenting terms for the adaptive observer can be used to achieve adaptation in both the observer and the controller. Simulations to illustrate these approaches include an inverted pendulum with its cart serially attached to two carts (one unmodelled), three spring-coupled inverted pendulums, and an inverted pendulum with its initial condition in a range in which a linear controller is destabilizing.

The Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) is an engine which combines some of the characteristics of the Diesel and Otto engines. As a result an engine with a high efficiency and low emissions is constructed. Unfortunately, there is not a direct way to control its start of combustion (SOC). One way to phase the SOC is using valve timings. There are two main methods, the Overlap, which consists in trapping more or less residual gas, and the IVC method, which acts affecting the effective compression ratio. Iterative Feedback Tuning (IFT) is a control method that appeared in 1994, which has presented good performances in the tuning of PID and more complex controllers. The tuning is done by using data of closed loop experiments with the controller that is being tuned in the loop. Therefore, knowledge of the system and disturbances is not required. That is one of the principal advantages of this method. At the department of Machine Design at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) there is a single cylinder HCCI engine. It is based on a SCANIA truck engine and it includes an Active Valve Train System. In this equipment a control system based on non-linear compensation is used. Furthermore, a model of the real engine is available. In this project a procedure which allows the application of IFT in the HCCI has been developed. The method was tested, first, on a model and, secondly, in the test bed of the HCCI engine explained above. Controllers were tuned for three different operating points of the engine. The overlap method was used in two of them and the IVC method in the third one. However, more experience is required to determine how much improvement can be gained with the method. It was also noted that speed transients were very difficult to control due to long time delays.

L'expression génétique est un processus cellulaire fondamental réglé de manière ne. Les promoteurs inducibles perme ent de perturber l'expression génétique en changeant l'expression d'une protéine par rapport à son niveau physiologique de référence. Ce e propriété en fait un outil incontournable pour décrypter le fonctionnement des processus biologiques via la comparaison du comportement de la cellule sous divers niveaux d'induction. Toutefois, une limite actuelle à l'utilisation des promoteurs inducibles provient de la difficulté à appliquer des perturbations précises et dynamiques. Les deux obstacles principaux étant: (i) la variabilité intercellulaire ainsi qu'à la nature aléatoire de l'expression génétique qui limite la précision de la perturbation appliquée. (ii) la difficulté à prèdire quantitativement le comporteement des systèmes biologiques sur les longues periodes requises pour des objectifs d'expression variables dans le temps. Or des perturbations précises et changeant dans le temps perme ent d'obtenir de riches informations sur la dynamique d'un système biologique. Est présenté ici une plate-forme de contrôle temps réel en boucle fermée qui permet le contrôle quantitatif sur une longue durée de l'expression génétique chez la levure. Ce e plateforme utilise la microscopie par uorescence pour suivre l'expression génétique, un système micro uidique pour interagir avec l'environnement cellulaire ainsi qu'un logiciel perme ant l'analyse d'image en temps réel et le calcul de la stratégie de contrôle à appliquer. Ce système permet le contrôle de l'expression d'un gène chez la levure, tant au niveau d'un population cellulaire qu'au niveau de la cellule seule et ceci pour un objectif d'expression constant ou dépendant du temps. Le système de réponse au chocs hyper-osmotiques de la levure S. cerevisiae (HOG pathway) a été utilisé pourin uencer l'expression génétique. Toutefois, la possibilité d'utiliser un autre système d'induction sans profondes modi cations de la plate-forme est démontrée. De surcroît au développement de ce e plate-forme est également ici démontré la possibilité de contrôler le système HOG. A n de comprendre la dynamique cellulaire et de pouvoir la quanti er, il est nécessaire de pouvoir appliquer des perturbations précises. La plate-forme de contrôle de l'expression génétique présentée ici permet de perturber avec précision le niveau d'expression d'une protéine et représente donc une contribution majeure dans ce e direction.