Systems and Control Lab

The Systems and Control Lab (SCL) is the leading research entity in the field of control and mathematical systems sciences in Hungary. The scope of research involves advanced methods of systems modeling and control, analysis and synthesis of dynamical systems created by traditional and emerging technologies. Systems identification, detection and filtering, signal and image processing are parts of the research with special emphasis on operational robustness, safety and security of the solutions.

Main R&D topics

• Deterministic and stochastic theory of linear and nonlinear systems in continuous and discrete tim by means of algebraic and geometric approaches
• Controllability, observability, stability and structural resilience of dynamical systems
• Robust control and filtering in uncertain dynamical systems
• Modeling, analysis and synthesis of Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) systems
• Robust design of control systems based on µ-synthesis, linear matrix inequality (LMI) and integral quadratic constraints (IQC) techniques
• Model-based detection of system malfunctions and other malicious actions in cyber-physical systems, engineering diagnostics
• Synthesis of dependable systems
• Fault tolerant control in linear hybrid systems
• Optimal control and filtering in large-scale, heterogeneous distributed systems
• Control over networks, coordinated and cooperative control methods
• Model reduction in big dimension state-space systems
• Advanced signal and image processing, systems identification

With regard to the above fields and theories SCL conducts basic and applied research. Applied research focuses on two main application areas: the vehicle industry (including road and commercial air vehicles) and industrial energetics. SCL takes part both in community-financed and industrial projects for testing and validation of prototype implementations of the theoretic results in an attempt to bring theory and practice closer to each other.

International relations

SCL maintains an extensive network of scientific relations with foreign partners. This network plays a crucial role in the embedment of the research activity at SCL into the global scientific network. This activity includes multilateral enacture of project works (both in European and Transatlantic relations), as well as maintaining informal communication channels to persons and institutions with academic and industrial engagements. The continued strategic partnership with universities, research institutes and industrial partners all over  the world enables SCL to keep its high standards in the scientific research, while firmly staying on the platform of real applications.

Industrial solutions

The main consumers of the results produced by SCL are from the energy, vehicle and transportation sectors. Both national and international projects of SCL aim at providing results in the mentioned application fields. The results take the form of prototypes, industrialized and partially industrialized solutions. Up-to-date solutions were developed to various existing industrial systems, e.g., the high-performance robust control of one of the most critical safety systems in the country (i.e., the pressure control of the primary circuit of the nuclear power plant of Paks, Hungary). The advanced fault-tolerant control capable of supporting high safety standards in civil aviation and the control of coordinated vehicle platoon systems for commercial vehicles are other examples of such solutions. Also, various fault tolerant methods and algorithms were developed for intelligent (e.g., driverless, autonomous) vehicle systems.

Main national and international references

• Airbus Industries
• UTC Aerospace
• US Office of Naval Research (ONR)
• University of Minnesota, MN, USA

The above references are in respect of the following R&D activities and topics. Development and industrialization of advanced fault detection and fault tolerant control methods for commercial aircraft applications. Smart actuators and resilience in aircraft structures. A machine vision-based sense-and-avoid (SAA) collision avoidance technology was developed to minimize the risks of mid-air collisions in civil aviation. The development of new data acquisition and control methods for dealing with resonance issues (i.e., fluttering) that occur in flexible aircraft structures, especially in wings during high-speed flights, may help in the production of safer and more economical aircraft structures.

• Bosch Hungary Ltd..
• Knorr-Bremse Braking Systems Ltd..
• MVM Paksi Atomerőmű Zrt. (The Nuclear Power Plant of Paks, Hungary)

Industrialized solutions were developed in the cooperation with OEM, Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers operating in the field of vehicle industry in Hungary. The development of  various  component system solutions  (e.g., for  electric  and  hybrid-electric vehicles,  for  efficient  platoon  control,  for passenger safety and advanced driver assistance systems with enhanced reliability, for energy-efficiency and environment awareness) promote proliferation of eMobility. The contribution to the primary circuit pressure control refurbishment project efficiently demonstrated the applicability of theoretic results in industrial environments.

Intelligent Autonomous Vehicles Laboratory - our research infrastructure

At all stages of R&D, the Laboratory supports the modelling of autonomous vehicles, testing and validation of the software (guidance and navigation algorithms) and hardware (sensors, communication networks, on-board control systems) developed.

The new algorithms and hardware elements are first tested in a simulation environment on a realistic digital twin model of the vehicles. This is followed by a real-time implementation of the procedures, testing the control, sensor and communication systems in the indoor test arena using small electric vehicles. The deployed sensor and computer systems allow experiments with up to a large number of cooperating vehicles under controlled and controllable laboratory conditions. The final phase is the validation of the system under real-world conditions on high performance outdoor drones and commercial road vehicles provided by the infrastructure's outdoor test platform.