20th IASTED International Conference
Modelling, Identification and Control (MIC 2001)
Innsbruck, Austria, February 19-23, 2001
Report by Jenõ Kovács and Tero Hietanen
The international MIC 2001 conference provided an excellent forum for discussion between researchers and engineers from the sometimes separately considered areas as modelling, identification and control. Both the theoretical development and the application aspect were equally presented.
The main topics, from the theoretical point of view, covered the subjects of modelling-optimisation, linear, robust and non-linear control, artificial intelligence and neural networks as well as fuzzy systems. Most of the presentations discussed problems aroused from the applications, e.g. constrained, non-linear control, and suggested solutions. Detection, identification and fault diagnostics have also received large interest.
The practical applications were collected – in order of emphasis received at the conference – from the power generation, pulp and paper, robotics and transportation industries. The Conference clearly addressed the need from the industry for advanced modelling and control methods but also pointed out that the focus on the applicability is essential for closing the gap between theoretical research and the industrial application. The largest group of the industrial applications was from power and energy industry. Also in the field of pulp and paper industry there were several very interesting applications.
The keynote lecture by Professor Keith Godfrey emphasised a very interesting topic – the design of perturbation signals for system identification. It is a solved problem for linear systems, but the case of non-liner processes (like almost all the industrial problems) is still under investigation. The lecture also introduced and analysed the available mathematical tools (usually as Matlab Toolboxes) to design persistently exciting input signals for both linear and non-linear systems.
Oulu, 26.02.2001
Jenõ Kovács and Tero Hietanen
Jeno Kovacs, Dr. Tech.
senior assistant/researcher
Systems Engineering Laboratory
Department of Process and Environmental Engineering
University of Oulu
POB 4300
FIN-90014 Oulun yliopisto
Tel.: (358 8) 553 2432
Fax.: (358 8) 553 2439
E-mail: etunimi.sukunimi@oulu.fi
