A New Design Method of a Cascade Iterative Learning Control (ILC) for the Batch/Repetitive Processes

In industrial applications, many processes are constructed by two or more sub-processes connected in serial to perform a given task repetitively or periodically, termed as the cascaded batch/repetitive processes. In this paper, an integrated design method of a novel cascade control is developed for this kind of processes under the two-dimensional (2D) model predictive iterative learning control (ILC) infrastructure. The resulted control system essentially consists of a real time cascade model predictive control along time direction as the inner-loop control and an iterative learning control along the cycle direction as the outer-loop control. The proposed design algorithm not only realizes the integrated design for all control loops but also guarantees the optimal control in terms of the 2D control performances. Compared to the non-cascade ILC schemes, the proposed algorithm is essentially a 2D cascaded control with superior control performances that are clearly illustrated by the simulation results on the injection molding processes.