AN INPUT PRE-SCREENING TECHNIQUE FOR CONTROL-STRUCTURE SELECTION

A new technique for selecting manipulated variables from a range of po ssible control inputs is introduced. The new technique, Single-Input E ffectiveness (SIE), provides a screening criterion for eliminating cer tain options when deciding which inputs to the process should be used in a control scheme. These inputs are selected so as to have the large st effect on the selected outputs. The new tool can be used for pre-sc reening inputs and avoids the combinatorial difficulty which usually o ccurs when performing control structure selection. Hence for a complex system with a large number of possible inputs, the possible options c an be selected efficiently. It has also been proven that the SIE has a close relationship with the non-square RGA. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.