System for monitoring and optimizing controllers for process performance

A control system for controlling a complex, real process of a controlled system, comprising:

• a process control system;
• a set of controllers comprising
• controllers which were previously active, and
• at least one active controller;
• a principal controller configured for
• training simulators that are for simulating the controlled system,
• developing the set of controllers,
• testing the set of controllers on the simulators in order to find a best controller, and
• comparing the best controller with the at least one active controller for determining whether to replace the active controller with the best controller,
• wherein the principal controller is configured:
• for individually training the simulators in evolutionary fashion using a recurrent neural network;
• and
• so that, for each of the simulators, the training comprises
• defining a fitness for being optimized, and
• the defining of the fitness comprises determining a discrepancy in a forecast value from an actual value,
• wherein the control system is hierarchically split into a plurality of levels comprising:
• a first level that is implemented by the controlled system and represents the complex, real process that is to be controlled,
• a second level that is realized by the process control system and represents an interface to the complex, real process that is to be controlled,
• a third level that is realized by the at least one active controller and represents control of the complex, real process that is to be controlled, and
• a fourth level that is realized by the principal controller and represents a superordinate supervisor.