INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONTROL
Special Issue on Hybrid Systems in Automotive Control 2007
Editorial—Hybrid Systems in Automotive Control
For many rasons, the emergence of the hybrid systems approach to
networked embedded control systems has received an enthusiastic
industrial response. Hybrid system techniques can provide the basis for
a more robust design methodology since they allow the designers to
represent and manage the complex combination of time-based and
event-based behaviors as well as the interactions between continuous
and discrete phenomena. Hybrid formalisms and methodologies for
modeling, analysis, and verification proved to be effective in handling
several critical issues of the design flow such as:
– Formalization of system specifications;
– Plant and environment modeling, including representation of embedded
controller inputs and outputs;
– Control algorithm design;
– Representation of the interaction between multirate discrete–time and
event–based asynchronous control loops;
– Description of control-flow and data-flow for software implementation;
– Validation and verification of control algorithms and their
implementations;
– Description of the HW/SW implementation requirements.
With this special issue, the goal is to see and stimulate the relevance
this evolution with special attention to the needs in automotive
control.
Many articles are peer-reviewed papers originally presented at the HYCON-CEmACS
Workshop on Automotive Applications of Hybrid Systems held in Lund
on June 1-2, 2006. This workshop was included in the automotive control
activities of the HYCON Network of Excellence
(http://www.ist-hycon.org),
supported by the European Commission within
the Sixth Framework Programme―Information Society Technologies (grant
FP6- IST-511368, Sep. 2004 - Sep. 2008). The objective of HYCON is to
establish a durable community of leading researchers and practitioners
who develop and apply the hybrid systems approach to networked embedded
control systems. The HYCON network includes 27 partners from 10
countries and six partners in light association with a total of 130
researchers and 113 PhD students. The HYCON activities are divided in
four thematic activities: hybrid system analysis; modeling and
simulation of hybrid systems; hybrid system synthesis; and
implementation aware control. The CEmACS project
(http://www.hamilton.ie/cemacs)
is a partnership between
DaimlerChrysler Research, the Hamilton Institute at NUI Maynooth, Lund
University, Glasgow University and SINTEF. The objective of CEmACS is
to contribute to a systematic, modular, model-based approach for
designing complex automotive control systems. The Specific Target
Research Project is aimed at combining research into the theory of
multivariable control and nonlinear observers with a selection of novel
prototype automotive control applications. Control and observer designs
will be evaluated using two real-life benchmark integrated chassis
control design applications: (i) vehicle dynamics control for active
safety (collision avoidance and roll-over protection), and (ii)
multivariable control design for ride and handling using multiple
actuators (Generic Prototyping).
The meeting was organized in the framework of the HYCON workpackage WP4
"Automotive control" in close cooperation with the workpackage WP6
"Industrial Bridging" and the HYCON Industrial Advisory Board. The aim
of the workshop was to identify challenges and opportunities for hybrid
systems in automotive embedded control design. In particular, the
following topics were discussed: industrial trends and concerns;
methodologies, flows and tools; theoretical open problems. The workshop
was attended by HYCON partners, CEmACS partners and representatives
from automotive companies: DaimlerChrysler, DT Innovations, FIAT, Ford,
PSA Peugeot Citroen, Scania, Volvo, Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli
(PARADES, Univ.of California at Berkeley), gave the invited
presentation of the workshop. The presentation of the contributions and
the discussion were organized in with technical sessions on hybrid
modeling and control vehicle dynamics, and engine dynamics and
control. This special issue collects several high-quality papers which
explore the above potential links.
We wish to thank Eva Schildt and other members of our staff for their
help in the organization of the workshop. As guest editors of this
special issue, would like to thank Prof EricRogers, Editor and the
Taylor & Francis team for cooperation
Rolf Johansson and Anders Rantzer
Department of Automatic Control,
Lund University, PO Box 118,
SE22100 Lund, Sweden
Rolf.Johansson@control.lth.se
Anders.Rantzer@control.lth.se