WALSH-FUNCTIONS FOR THE OFF-LINE IDENTIFICATION OF NONLINEAR PLANTS AND THEIR CONTROL

A new method is presented for the off-line identification of plant non linearities from plant response data. No prior knowledge of the struct ure of the nonlinearities is required, although a knowledge of the dep endent variables within the nonlinearities is assumed. The identificat ion strategy involves the use of Walsh functions which are described i n the paper. These functions are particularly suitable for high-speed digital implementation, and are very well suited to dealing with funct ions with discontinuities. The nonlinear functions identified by this method can be used in a nonlinear plant Walsh function control scheme, which is currently the subject of research. A set of typical implemen tation results of both identification and control is included, which s hows the efficacy of the method.