Method and apparatus for analyzing a neural network within desired operating parameter constraints

A control system for controlling the operation of a plant that receives control inputs and provides measurements of state variables associated with the operation of the plant and provides an output, comprising:

• a distributed control system for distributing generated control inputs to the plant as the received control inputs;
• a runtime predictive control system for receiving said generated control inputs and predicting updated control inputs in accordance with a predetermined desired plant behavior;
• and
• a filter for placing predetermined constraints on said updated control inputs to provide constrained control inputs, such that limits are placed on the values that can constitute said control inputs, said constrained control inputs provided to said distributed control system for distribution to the plant as said received control inputs and also for distribution of said constrained inputs to said runtime predictive control network, wherein said predetermined constraints comprise combinatorial constraints, wherein a predetermined relationship or range of values is defined as the combination of selected ones of said constrained control inputs, such that said selected ones of said constrained control inputs have the values thereof limited so as not to violate said predetermined relationship.

A control system for controlling the operation of a plant that receives control inputs and provides measurements of state variables associated with the operation of the plant and provides an output, comprising:

• a distributed control system for distributing generated control inputs to the plant as the received control inputs;
• a storage device for storing control system operating parameters;
• a runtime predictive control system for receiving said control inputs and predicting updated control inputs for distribution by said distributed control system to the plant in accordance with said stored control system operating parameters to achieve a predetermined desired plant behavior;
• an analysis system having a stored representation of said predictive control system and operable to simulate the operation of said runtime predictive control system with said stored representation thereof with internally generated simulated control inputs to determine a desired set of control system operating parameters;
• and
• said analysis system having an output device for downloading said determined desired set of control system operating parameters to said storage device for storage as said stored control system operating parameters.

A method for generating updated control inputs for controlling the operation of a plant, comprising the steps of:

• receiving control inputs for the plant, which control inputs are operable to control the plant;
• processing the received control inputs through a predictive system model having a stored representation of the plant and providing predicted outputs;
• receiving at least two of the predicted outputs or the control inputs as input properties as either the combination of at least one of the predicted outputs and one of the control inputs or the combination of at least two of the predicted outputs;
• applying a separate optimality function to each of the input properties, the combination of the optimality functions defining a system optimality value, each of the optimality functions operating such that extremization thereof corresponds to a user-defined desired behavior of the associated input property, the user-defined behavior not the same for each of the optimality functions, which user-defined behavior is comprised of an associated weighting factor and a desired value, wherein the weighting factor is applied to a function of the difference between the predicted value of the associated input property and desired value;
• and
• predicting the updated control inputs that extremize the system optimality value.

A method for generating updated control inputs for controlling the operation of a plant that receives control inputs and provides measurements of state variables associated with the operation of the plant and provides an output, comprising the steps of:

• providing a distributed control system that is operable to distribute generated control inputs to the plant as the received control inputs;
• processing the generated control inputs through a runtime predictive control system to predict updated control inputs in accordance with a predetermined desired plant behavior;
• and
• placing predetermined constraints on the updated control inputs to provide constrained control inputs, such that limits are placed on the values that can constitute the control inputs, the constrained control inputs provided to the distributed control system for distribution to the plant as the received control inputs and also for distribution of the constrained inputs to the runtime predictive control network, wherein the predetermined constraints comprise combinatorial constraints, wherein a predetermined relationship or range of values is defined as the combination of selected ones of the constrained control inputs, such that the selected ones of the constrained control inputs have the values thereof limited so as not to violate the predetermined relationship.