Modeling and Control Systems Design by Model Predictive Control for Air-path System of Diesel Engine

Research has been conducted on a variety of combustion technologies in order to reduce diesel engine emissions. These technologies should precisely control the state of in-cylinder gas (EGR mass flow, air mass flow, and so on). However, because the controlled object is a multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) system and a coupled system, the use of control systems based on the conventional methods that employ PID controllers represents a challenge. Model predictive control (MPC) is well known as an MIMO algorithm. An intake control system that could be applied to the intake system of a diesel engine was constructed by supplementing MPC with a feedback function using a disturbance observer and compensator for the nonlinear characteristic of the actuators. Performance tests using an actual vehicle verified that, when applied to a two-input (throttle valve and EGR valve), two-output (air mass flow and intake chamber pressure) system, the proposed MPC is able to rapidly control each output independently to the target value.