Research

One research focus at the Chair of Automatic Control is on the development and application of nonlinear and (model) predictive control schemes for nonlinear systems. An important aspect in this regard is the applicability of these methods and the corresponding development of real-time feasible algorithms especially for highly dynamical systems and embedded hardware implementations.

Algorithms of artificial intelligence and machine learning are of increasing importance for control engineering. At the Chair of Automatic Control, research is mainly directed towards the extension of control methods by learning components.

The research group FGDES develops methods for the analysis and synthesis of discrete-event systems with a particular focus on modular and/or hierarchical control architectures. Here, discrete-event systems are dynamical systems with a finite-range state variable. Prototypical application domains are so called “men made systems”, e.g., for automated manufacturing or logistics, which by construction can be adequately represented by discrete-event models.

Robotics belongs to the largest fields of application for control engineering methods. Besides conventional industrial robots, as known from the automobile production, there is an increasing usage of collaborative and mobile robots, for example as vacuum cleaners or autonomous vehicles. Research projects in this area concern the control of movements and forces on the one hand and the planning of paths and trajectories on the other.

Mechatronic systems, which comprise both mechanical and electrical parts, represent an important application field of control engineering. Due to the limited computing power of the used ECUs, the application of modern control methods in these systems is associated with particular challenges. The Chair of Automatic Control researches control methods for, for example, electric drives, automatic transmissions and vehicles.

The chair works on research projects in cooperation with renowned industrial partners and public funding bodies such as the German Research Foundation (DFG). An overview of ongoing and completed projects can be found in this section.

The Chair publishes papers in renowned international conferences and journals. A list of publications produced at the chair can be found here.