We formulate the basic principles of constructing a sign-signal control for the expedient behavior of autonomous intelligent agents in a priori undescribed conditions of a problematic environment. We clarify the concept of a self-organizing autonomous intelligent agent as a system capable of automatic goal-setting when a certain type of conditional and unconditional signal — signs appears in a problem environment. The procedures for planning the expedient behavior of autonomous intelligent agents have been developed, that imitate trial actions under uncertainty in the process of studying the regularities of transforming situations in a problem environment, which allows avoiding environmental changes in the process of self-learning that are not related to the achievement of a given goal. Boundary estimates of the proposed procedures complexity for planning expedient behavior are determined, confirming the possibility of their effective implementation on the on-board computer of the automatic control system for the expedient activity of autonomous intelligent agents. We carry out an imitation on a personal computer of the proposed procedures for planning purposeful behavior, confirming the effectiveness of their use to build intelligent problem solvers for autonomous intelligent agents in order to endow them with the ability to adapt to a priori undescribed operating conditions. The main types of connections between various conditional and unconditional signal — signs of a problem environment are structured, which allows autonomous intelligent agents to adapt to complex a priori undescribed and unstable conditions of functioning.

This paper discusses the issue of adjusting the temperature of steam exiting a superheater in an environment that is affected by perturbations due to the sudden and significant fluctuations in the inlet steam temperature. Using the superheater at the Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works as an example, we highlight that a slow response to the aforementioned perturbations in the systems that adjust for deviations leads to undesired rises and drops in the outlet steam temperature. We review the current suggestions on adjusting the temperature of steam exiting a superheater and determine the main reasons behind the drop in adjustment quality. These reasons are related to a significant lag and the variability of the control object’s features, which make preemptive perturbation control difficult. In order to control such environments, we propose a system with two degrees of freedom, which combines a proportional-integral controller and a fuzzy logic-based controller. In the system that we are proposing, the changes in the controlled parameter (depending on the input value) are adjusted within the main loop that has a standard controller and negative feedback, while the perturbations are removed by using a secondary loop, which also has negative feedback, a fuzzy logic-based controller, and a simulation of the object without the component that accounts for the lag. For situations when the information on the object’s features is precise, we describe the specifics of the loops’ interaction, specifically in cases when the task processing loop does not respond to the perturbations in the inlet steam temperature, thus allowing for setting up the loops’ controllers separately. In situations when the inlet steam temperature is experiencing perturbations, the impact of the lag on adjustment quality only becomes evident when the trajectory of the transition process shifts along the time scale by a lag value, which is completely in line with the Smith predictor principles. The system is focused on synthesizing the fuzzy logic rules and refining the parameters of the simulation used for adjustment purposes, based on the results of automated computer-aided control simulation. We propose a structural modification of the control system that makes it possible to compensate for any residual control errors caused by the non-linear structure of the fuzzy controller; this reduces the number of requirements for those set-up parameters where the value selection is based on the needs of simulation modeling, which requires a lot of computing resources. We demonstrate the results of simulation experiments that compare the efficiency of control using the system suggested and the efficiency of control using a system with a standard controller only. The computer simulation was performed in the MATLAB Simulink environment. We reaffirm that a combined control system performs better when adjusting the steam temperature.

The problem of electricity losses management in distribution electric networks (DEN) operating in conditions of asymmetry of currents and voltages is reviewed. As it is known, the asymmetry factor leads to significant losses of active power and, as a result, decreases the efficiency and technical and economic indicators of the DEN. The purpose of the control is to minimize technical energy losses in the distribution network based on the creation of an automatic control system (ACS) for the process of balancing a three-phase network in the composition of automated meter reading and control system (AMRCS). The latter are currently being widely implemented to automate information processes in DEN. However, AMRCS does not include in its composition technologies designed to solve the problem under review. A method is proposed for constructing a digital ACS controller, the main function of which is to maintain phase currents at the network input at a given level in real time. The concept of the method is based on the idea of the desired redistribution of electricity flows between the phases of the distribution network by appropriate switching of single-phase consumers (customers) so that the minimum spread of phase currents from their specified level is ensured. To achieve the goal of control, criterion functions are constructed that determine the qualitative indicators of the functioning of the ACS. Algorithms for the functioning of the digital controller and the formation of control actions on the subject have been developed. The latter are a digital code containing data on the coordinates of electricity meters of consumers of a three-phase network to be switched to another phase.

This overview of the problems formulations for robotic manipulators at different abstraction levels can be used to find the causes of troubles with some types of control systems. For many variants of manipulators, for example, biomorphic ones, it is not yet possible to achieve the required quality and universality. Nevertheless these tasks are solvable, which is proved by the natural movement control systems of biological organisms. One of the reasons of the difficulties is the complexity of the formalization of motion control, which prevents the development of universal approaches. The existing formalizations were separated by functional level to facilitate analysis. The high-level problems (the division of complex motor tasks into stages) are successfully solved by general planners or logical inference procedures. The middle-level problems (the trajectory tracing according to an abstract motor task) are so far solved less efficiently. Some existing tools, as linguistic methods, can greatly facilitate solution, but require significant and very laborious formalization of conditions. Inverse problems of kinematics and dynamics, conjugation of trajectory sections and direct control of the manipulator motors with error handling are further stages of processing; the quality of known solutions is usually acceptable. Based on the data collected, it can be argued that the development of methods for solving medium-level problems, i.e. constructing the trajectory of the robot according to the description of the action, is the most important domain for the successful creation of new types of manipulator control systems.

To study resonance and near-resonance phenomena, a symbolic (complex) method was used, which makes it possible to significantly increase productivity, simplify and formalize mathematical transformations. Parallel and sequential connections of elements of a mechanical system with a source of harmonic force or a source of harmonic speed as a source of external mechanical harmonic action are considered. The analytical descriptions of resonance in theoretical mechanics courses correspond to parallel connection. There are devices, in a satisfactory approximation, capable of performing the functions of sources of force and sources of speed. The source of harmonic speed can be a crank-yoke drive and a flywheel with a large moment of inertia. The source of the harmonic force can be the rod of the pneumatic cylinder, the cavity of which communicates with the cavity of another pneumatic cylinder, the diameter of which is immeasurably higher than that of the first, and the piston performs harmonic oscillations. The mechanical harmonic influences described in the courses of theoretical mechanics correspond to the source of the force. Four modes are described — resonances and antiresonances of forces and velocities. The use of the symbolic (complex) method has significantly simplified the study of resonance and near-resonance phenomena, in particular, it has made it possible to deeply unify and formalize the consideration of various mechanical systems. The cumbersome and time-consuming operations associated with the preparation and solution of differential equations have been replaced by simple algebraic transformations. Resonance and antiresonance of forces, resonance and antiresonance of velocities are determined.

For the functioning of algorithms of inertial orientation and navigation of strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS), it is necessary to conduct a mathematical initial alignment of SINS immediately before the operation of these algorithms. An efficient method of initial alignment (not calibration!) of SINS is the method of vector matching. Its essence is to determine the relative orientation of the instrument trihedron Y (related to the unit of SINS sensors) and the reference trihedron X according to the results of measuring the projections of at least two non-collinear vectors of the axes on both trihedrons. We address the estimation of the initial orientation of the object using the method of gyrocompassing, which is a form of vector matching method. This initial alignment method is based upon using the projections of the apparent acceleration vector a and the absolute angular velocity vector ω of the object in the coordinate systems X and Y. It is assumed that the three single-axis accelerometers and the three gyroscopes (generally speaking, the three absolute angular velocity sensors of any type), which measure the projections of the vectors a and ω, are installed along the axes of the instrument coordinate system Y. If the projections of the same vectors on the axes of the base coordinate system X are known, then it is possible to estimate the mutual orientation of X and Y trihedrons. We are solving the problem of the initial alignment of SINS for the case of a fixed base, when the accelerometers measure the projection g_i (i = 1, 2, 3) of the gravity acceleration vector g, and the gyroscopes measure the projections u i of the vector u of angular velocity of Earth’s rotation on the body-fixed axes. The projections of the same vectors on the axes of the normal geographic coordinate system X are also estimated using the known formulas. The correlation between the projections of the vectors u and g in X and Y coordinate system is given by known quaternion relations. In these relations the unknown variable is the orientation quaternion of the object in the X coordinate system. By separating the scalar and vector parts in the equations, we obtain an overdetermined system of linear algebraic equations (SLAE), where the unknown variable is the finite rotation vector θ, which aligns the X and Y coordinate systems (it is assumed that there is no half-turn of the X coordinate system with respect to the Y coordinate system). Thus, the mathematical formulation of the problem of SINS initial alignment by means of gyrocompassing is to find the unknown vector θ from the derived overdetermined SLAE. When finding the vector θ directly from the SLAE (algorithm 1) and data containing measurement errors, the components of the vector q are also determined with errors (especially the component of the vector θ, which is responsible for the course ψ of an object). Depending on the pre-defined in the course of numerical experiments values of heading ψ, roll ϑ, pitch γ angles of an object and errors of the input data (measurements of gyroscopes and accelerometers), the errors of estimating the heading angle Δψ of an object may in many cases differ from the errors of estimating the roll Δϑ and pitch Δγ angles by two-three (typically) or more orders. Therefore, in order to smooth out these effects, we have used the A. N. Tikhonov regularization method (algorithm 2), which consists of multiplying the left and right sides of the SLAE by the transposed matrix of coefficients for that SLAE, and adding the system regularization parameter to the elements of the main diagonal of the coefficient matrix for the newly derived SLAE (if necessary, depending on the value of the determinant of this matrix). Analysis of the results of the numerical experiments on the initial alignment shows that the errors of estimating the object’s orientation angles Δψ, Δϑ, Δγ using algorithm 2 are more comparable (more consistent) regarding their order.