Parallel synthesis of robust control systems

Parallel computing is used to evaluate compensator robustness numerically and to automate the design of control systems. Robustness is quantified by Monte Carlo evaluation of the effects of plant-parameter uncertainty, and it is maximized by searching the control-design-parameter space with a genetic algorithm. This design approach requires considerable computation, and parallel computing can reduce execution times. Since evaluation times vary among trials, computation time could be prolonged if some nodes remain idle while others finish their tasks. A dynamic scheduler is proposed as a solution. Theoretical and experimental results for a shared-virtual-memory computer illustrate that "speed-up" of controller design computations is nearly linear in the number of computing nodes.