Nothing is as Practical as a Good Theory: Model-Free Control Rien de plus utile qu'une bonne th\'eorie: la commande sans mod\`ele

Abstract

The experience gained with numerous successful applications permits to revisit some points of model-free control. The numerical differentiation of noisy signals may be replaced by a real time parameter identification which is much simpler. The strange ubiquity of classic PIDs is explained as well as the almost universal utilization of ultra-local models of order 1. We show that even with a partially known model the utilization of an intelligent PI controller remains profitable. Two examples, an inverted pendulum and a heat exchanger, seem to confirm the superiority of model-free control with respect to sliding modes control and techniques stemming from infinite-dimensional systems, such as delays or partial differential equations. Our paper is illustrated by several computer simulations.