Driver block design and applications to structural control

The predictive control strategy consists of computing the control signal that makes the predicted process output belong to a desired output trajectory which is generated by a driver block. In this paper the general design of the driver block is formulated. This design is based on selecting a desired output trajectory which verifies a performance criterion over a finite time prediction horizon. Two types of solutions are given. One of them requires to solve a Riccati equation to minimize a quadratic cost function. The other avoids the use of a Riccati equation by imposing specific shapes to the control sequence. Simulation examples in the field of control of structures are presented and comparisons are made between predictive and optimal control.