Structural and Parametric Synthesis of Neural Network Controllers for Control Objects with Limiters

The article presents a methodology for the synthesis of digital control systems for nonlinear objects with limiters under conditions of incomplete information. Closed-loop tracking systems with negative feedback are considered. Artificial neural networks are proposed to build a controller, which is included in series with the control object. This approach is effective when known classical methods do not allow to synthesize control. This is the case, for example, if the mathematical model is essentially nonlinear and is not fully defined. The developed methods allow us to expand the class of technical systems, for which the direct (without using various kinds of simplifications) synthesis of control laws that are close to optimal is possible. In addition, neural network controllers possess the properties of robustness, adaptivity, and are initially digital, i.e. those qualities, which are very much in demand in practice. In article main attention is given to such problems, as a choice of neural network structure for neural simulator and neural controller, construction of training sample, ensuring convergence of the process of weights correction. For training neural networks the method of back propagation of error is used as a basic one. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is demonstrated by the example of the synthesis of a neuroregulator for a specific technical object and its comparison with classical control systems. It should be noted that today neural network technologies are widespread enough in various spheres of activity. The successes demonstrated in sound processing, image processing, automatic translation, in navigation systems, in big data processing are impressive. However, their application in automatic control systems is not so widespread. The authors of this article believe that the potential of artificial neural networks can be used in this direction. It should be understood that the use of neural networks is effective only under certain conditions and properties of the control object.