Theory and application of an extended horizon self-tuning controller

A robust version of the self‐tuning regulator is developed. The regulator, which requires relatively little knowledge of system characteristics (estimated order of transfer function polynomials and an upper bound for transportation delays), has been shown to yield stable control and convergence for linear, time‐invariant systems. Simulations and practical tests on a large pilot‐scale process have shown that the inclusion of a variable forgetting factor and an “extended horizon” control criterion provides the regulator with a sufficient degree of robustness and flexibility to perform well in a nonlinear time‐varying environment. The regulator makes use of intuitively easy‐to‐understand concepts and leaves few degrees of freedom for the potential user. Furthermore, extensive experiments and simulation studies have shown it to be insensitive to choice of initial conditions and dynamic characteristics set by the user.