Control system with diagnostics monitoring for engine control

A configurable controller for controlling a physical plant having associated therewith a plurality of actuators for controlling operation of the physical plant and a plurality of sensors for observing a plurality of characteristics of the physical plant operations, the configurable controller comprising:

• a state observer configured to capture the current state of the physical plant;
• and
• an operation optimizer configured to control the physical plant using at least the actuators;
• and
• a diagnostics optimizer;
• wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is adapted to robust monitoring of a sensed parameter within a predefined operation zone;
• wherein the diagnostics optimizer is configured to modify an output of the operation optimizer to adjust performance of the physical plant toward the predefined operation zone for robust monitoring by at least one of the plurality of sensors;
• and
• wherein the operation optimizer and diagnostics optimizer are configured to operate cooperatively to control at least some of the plurality of actuators and thereby control operation of the physical plant.

A method of operating a configurable controller adapted to control a physical plant having associated therewith a plurality of actuators for controlling operation of the physical plant and a plurality of sensors for observing a plurality of characteristics of the physical plant operations, the configurable controller being operably coupled to one or more of the plurality of actuators to thereby control the actuator, and operably coupled to one or more of the plurality of sensors to receive sensed data therefrom, the configurable controller comprising a state observer configured to capture a current state of the physical plant using the sensors, and an operation optimizer configured to control the physical plant using at least the actuators, and a diagnostics optimizer configured to modify an output of the operation optimizer to adjust performance of the physical plant toward a predefined operation zone for robust monitoring;

• the method comprising:
• the operation optimizer determining, using the current state of the physical plant, a first control solution for optimal performance;
• the diagnostics optimizer calculating an adjustment to the first control solution by determining:
• a current state of the system relative to a monitoring requirement;
• and
• a distance between the first control solution and a robust monitoring boundary condition;
• the diagnostics optimizer determining a second control solution, different from the first control solution by no more than a predetermined deviation;
• and
• the configurable controller issuing control signals, using the second control solution, to the actuators to operate the physical plant.