Method and apparatus for controlling or processing operations of varying characteristics

• US 5,057,992 A
• Filed: 04/12/1989
• Issued: 10/15/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dentonaut Labs Limited
• Original Assignee: Dentonaut Labs Limited
• Inventors: Traiger, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): GORDON, PAUL P
• Application Number:
  US07/336,769
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 364/148, 364/149, 364/158, 364/162, 364/164, 364/154
• US Class Current: 700/52
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/023 being a random or a self-induced perturbation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating feedback information from a short series of observations on one or more dynamic processes which may, for example, be obtained from a goal-driven system which is subject to unknown exogenous disturbances and/or uncertain changes in its internal characterizatics. A novel computational structure, preferably in the form of an analog circuit, is used to accomplish the aforementioned objective through its nonlinear and/or time-varying operations upon the supplied signal(s). Autonomously-tuned parameters indicate the sensitivity of the process to deterministic or random transient components (e.g., impulsive excitations). In the context of forecasting, or predictive control, the system can adapt extremely rapidly to changes in the process or signals to estimate the long-term or ultimate outcome of a closed-loop, or otherwise-compensated (goal-directed) process.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a physical process to compensate for uncertain perturbations in the process, said method comprising

measuring values, K, representing a controlling input to a physical process to be regulated over a time t;

measuring a corresponding set of process output values, W, representing the combined effect of said input values, K, and uncertain and uncompensated perturbations occurring in the process;

relating said process output values, W, to said input values, K, by a multiplicative processing operation characterized by the relation;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">S=t.sup.LK/W.spsp.a

wherein;

S=synthesized state-variable;

t=elapsed time;

a=process parameter; and

L=coupling parameter;

estimating said perturbations D_p occurring in the process by constraining the multiplicative processing operation by adjoining a deviation relation thereto, and

compensating for disturbing effects of said perturbations, D_p, upon the physical process by adjusting the input value, K, in accordance with the values S, a, and L.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said physical process is the feeding of an infant, wherein W represents weight of the infant and K represents caloric intake.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising combining with the measured values of W, values of previously observed reference data.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 comprising combining with the measured values of K, values of previously observed reference data.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising effecting said deviation relation by a Hamiltonian expression

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising performing a normalizing operation upon said parameters a, L, and b on the basis of the most recent values for S, K, W, a, L, b, and the most recent derivative of D_p, in order to arrive at normalizing values for a, L, and b.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising detecting a change of phase in the physical process on the basis of at least one of said normalizing values.

8. A method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising adjusting the controlling input value, K, by replacing the values of S that are interactively synthesized from the process being controlled with values of S produced on the basis of reference data for K and W.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising adjusting the parameters a, L, and b on the basis of comparative values of D_p.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising detecting stationary process conditions by determining congruence of the polarities of once-differentiated and twice-differentiated singular perturbation values D_p.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 further conmprising resetting elapsed time in accordance with the outcome of said stationarity detecting operation.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising reversing the adjusting of the input value, K, on the basis of said stationary detecting operation.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising estimating the output W from said adjusted input value K.

14. A method of controlling a filtering system to remove uncertain perturbations in a signal, said method comprising measuring a value of a signal, K, containing uncertain perturbations D_p occurring in the signal to be filtered relative to time, t,

providing values W representing desired variations of said signal K without perturbations,

relating said values of W to the value K by a multiplicative filtering operation characterized by the relation

View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 comprising effecting said deviation relation by a Hamiltonian expression

16. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said values W represent an arbitrary function in time.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said values W are filtered values based on the observed values assigned to K.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said values W comprise a set of reference values pertaining to the signal K.

19. A method of enhancing an image by compensating for uncertain perturbations in the image, said method comprising

measuring values W of elements which compose an image and which contain uncertain perturbations D_p to be filtered to enhance the image, said elements being positioned in said image at distances t from a starting point in a coordinate system,

calculating values K as the derivative of W with respect to distance for said elements,

additionally relating said values W to values K by a multiplicative processing operation characterized by the relation

View Dependent Claims (20, 21)

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 comprising effecting said deviation relation by a Hamiltonian expression

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 further comprising performing a normalizing operation upon said parameters a, L, and b on the basis of the most recent values for S, K, W, a, L, b, and the most recent derivative of D_p, in order to arrive at normalizing values for a, L, and b.

22. Apparatus for controlling a physical process to compensate for uncertain perturbations therein, comprising,

sensing means for measuring values K representing input values to the physical process,

measuring means for measuring output values W which include uncertain perturbations D_p occurring in the physical process,

timing means for measuring elapsed time t of said measuring from a base time,

multiplicative processing means for producing values of S represented by the expression

View Dependent Claims (23, 24)

23. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein said reduced order processing means comprises compensator means for multiplicatively combining the values of S from said multiplicative processing means with values of quantities produced by said compensator means to produce said signal D_p, p being the Lagrange multiplier of an allometric constraint applied to S to form a Hamiltonian expression H including the term p(K-bW^a) wherein b is an allometric compensating parameter.

24. Apparatus as claimed in claim 23 wherein said sensing means measures caloric input supplied to an infant and said measuring means measures weight of the infant.

25. Apparatus for filtering a signal to compensate for uncertain perturbations therein, comprising,

sensing means for measuring values of signal K, to be filtered, containing uncertain perturbations D_p occurring in said signal,

signal generator means for producing signals W representing desired variations of said signal K,

timing means for measuring elapsed time t of said signals from a base time,

multiplicative processing means for producing values of S represented by the expression

View Dependent Claims (26)

26. Apparatus as claimed in claim 25 wherein said reduced order processing means comprises compensator means for multiplicatively combining the values of S from said multiplicative processing means with values of quantities produced by said compensator means to produce said signal D_p, p being the Lagrange multiplier of an allometric constraint applied to S to form a Hamiltonian expression H including the term p(K-bW^a) wherein b is an allometric compensating parameter.

27. Apparatus for enhancing an image by compensating uncertain perturbations in the image, comprising

means for measuring values W of elements which compose an image and which contain uncertain perturbations D_p to be filtered to enhance the image, said elements being positioned in said image at distances t from a starting point in a coordinate system,

means for calculating values K as the derivative with respect to distance of W for said elements,

multiplicative processing means for producing values of S represented by the expression

View Dependent Claims (28)

28. Apparatus as claimed in claim 27 wherein said reduced order processing means comprises compensator means for multiplicatively combining the values of S from said multiplicative processing means with values of quantities produced by said compensator means to produce said signal D_p, p being the Lagrange multiplier of an allometric constraint applied to S to form a Hamiltonian expression H including the term p(K-bW^a) wherein b is an allometric compensating parameter.