Control and Intelligent Systems

The design and analysis concepts within Control Engineering have applications in practically all areas of technology from micro-electronics, communications, and biomedical to the energy, food and chemical process industries. This group has focussed on what artificial intelligence and advanced control techniques can offer for smart sensing, process monitoring, process optimisation and control in applications including, biomedical, chemical process control and electrical power and energy systems.

Intelligent Control: We have experience in the application of neural network and fuzzy logic techniques to build intelligence into sensors and control systems. This work has included the development of novel training algorithms, new machine intelligence techniques for smart sensors and process monitoring, model based control techniques with applications stretching from power system control to intelligent signal processing of EEG signals.

Advanced Process Control: With applications particularly to the chemical, pharmaceutical and food processing industries, this work has focussed on model based predictive control, process optimisation and multivariate process monitoring techniques for improved production and fault detection.

Biomedical Applications: The use of intelligent sensing and control techniques in biomedical applications, in particular focusing on EEG analysis. Interests would include sensor fusion, smart biomedical sensors, blood glucose monitoring and control and FES applications.

Power Systems: Improved control of power systems, using advanced control techniques. This has included active filtering, harmonic monitoring and grid-wide harmonic control.

Sustainable Energy: We are a member of SERN - a multidisciplinary research group that brings together researchers from across UCC with an interest in Energy research.Our work has mainly focussed on wind farm modelling and improved control. Interests include HVDC, hybrid energy supplies, optimal use of storage, intelligent control of embedded generation, environmental control and energy management, etc.