iBridge2017 - 2019
The iBridge project is a cross-generational project aimed at increasing the interest of children and pupils in the social and cross-cultural research topics and innovation as well as deepening their relationship to science through the application of robotics in the elderly care technologies. Read more →
Modeling and optimal control of electric machines with redundant stator windings
A fault of an electric machine can yield a potentially dangerous behavior of the overall system in certain applications. In this research projects, methods for the fault detection and the fault-tolerant operation of permanent magnet synchronous machines are developed. Read more →
Modeling and control of injection molding machines
Injection molding is the most prominent way to produce components made of plastics. In this research project, control strategies are developed for the optimal operation of injection molding machines. Read more →
Modeling and optimal control of permanent magnet synchronous motors
Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM) are frequently used in industrial applications as e.g. robotics. This research project is concerned with the optimal control of PMSM, where magnetic saturation and non-sinusoidal field characteristics are systematically taken into account. Read more →
Modeling and control of hydraulic drive systems
Hydraulic drive systems are frequently used in industrial applications due to their high power density, small size and small weight. In this research project, model-predictive control strategies are developed and tested for different hydraulic drive systems. Read more →
Control of pumped storage power plants
To compensate the fluctions of the energy generation and consumption in electrical networks, pumped storage power plants are frequently utilized. These power plants are essential for the stabilization of electrical distribution networks. This research project investigates the efficient mathematical description, the optimal operation and the development of control and observer strategies. Read more →
Electrorheological fluids2007 - 2011
Electrorheological Fluids (ERF) allow to directly influence their rheological properties by means of an electric field. In this research project, the application of ERF in valves, semi-active suspension systems and shock absorbers was examined. Read more →
Active camera stabilization platform2010 - 2014
Stabilizing the orientation of the camera is an important task in filming dynamic scenes in movie or tv productions. This project considered a new active camera stabilization platform developed by qinematiq. The project included the system design, the developement of an attitude estimation strategy and the design of a nonlinear attitude control strategy. Read more →
Mobile DRT VLF test system2011 - 2015
Testing of high voltage cable is important to guarantee the reliabilty of electric distribution networks. This project considered the control of a test system, which utilizes high voltage with very low frequency (VLF). A main part of the project was the optimization of the system parameters in order to improve the overall closed loop behavior. The practical feasibility of the control and estimation strategies was proven by means of measurements on the real test system. Read more →
Optimization-based control methods applied to a laboratory-scale tower crane
Tower cranes are widely-used and constitute an interesting field of application for modern control theory. An important task is to control the position of the hook by suppressing the oscillating motion of the cable at the same time. Another possible goal is the rejection of disturbances such as different load masses or external forces induced by wind. Different control concepts are developed to cope with these and further goals. The resulting controllers are tested on a laboratory tower crane. The focus lies on optimization-based control methods, in particular model predictive control (MPC). Read more →