Supervisory control of families of linear set-point controllers - Part I. Exact matching

This paper describes a simple "high-level" controller called a "supervisor" which is capable of switching into feedback with a SISO process, a sequence of linear positioning or set-point controllers from a family of candidate controllers so as to cause the output of the process to approach and track a constant reference input. The process is assumed to be modeled by a SISO linear system whose transfer function is in the union of a number of subclasses, each subclass being small enough so that one of the candidate controllers would solve the positioning problem if the transfer function of the process were to be one of the subclasses' members. Each subclass contains a "nominal process model transfer function" about which the subclass is centred. It is shown that in the absence of unmodeled process dynamics, the proposed supervisor can successfully perform its function even if process disturbances are present, provided they are bounded and constant.