A data-driven control to throttle valves

Electric throttle valves represent a challenge for control design, as their dynamics involves strong nonlinearities, characterized by an asymmetric hysteresis. Large variability in the characteristics of each valve and erratic steady-state behaviors can also be noticed by carrying out experiments on multiple valves, impairing classical model-based control strategies. Nevertheless, local data-driven linear models can be obtained by system identification, and simple proportional-integral (PI) digital controllers can be tuned individually for each valve, providing good tracking performance. As these controllers cannot be transposed from one valve to another, a robust control design is considered. Taking into account the variability of electric throttle valves, a real-time data-driven strategy is then proposed, using identification in closed-loop and controller re-design. This methodology is necessary if control performance is a key issue, and can be embedded on a low-cost controller board (Arduino & REG; Mega 2560). Experimental results going from frequency analysis and linear design to real-time data-driven control illustrate the methodology presented in the paper.