multicontrol

Multicontrol is a term in control engineering describing systems that use multiple control inputs or control loops to influence a process. It covers architectures where several controllers regulate one or more variables, either in parallel (decentralized) or in a coordinated fashion (distributed or hierarchical). It is used when a single controller cannot meet performance, safety, or reliability requirements.

Configurations include multi-input control, where several actuators affect the plant, and multi-loop control, with different loops regulating variables such as temperature, pressure, and flow. Centralized approaches use one control law for all inputs; decentralized or distributed approaches coordinate through local measurements or inter-controller communication.

Mathematically, the plant is modeled as xdot = f(x, u) with u = [u1, ..., um]. Each controller may optimize a local objective, subject to constraints and possibly a shared goal. Stability and performance analysis often uses Lyapunov methods, H-infinity norms, or distributed optimization techniques such as consensus or ADMM.

Common design approaches include model predictive control for multi-input systems, decentralized or distributed MPC, and robust or cooperative control used in robotics, smart grids, and process industries.

Applications span power systems, manufacturing, autonomous vehicle fleets, and aerospace. Multicontrol enables coordinated actuation, resilience to failures, and improved performance when several objectives must be met.

See also: multi-input multi-output control, decentralized control, distributed control, cooperative control, and model predictive control.