A trajectory generation algorithm for optimal consumption in electromagnetic actuators

Camless internal combustion engines offer improvements over traditional engines in terms of torque performance, reduction of emissions, reduction of pumping losses and fuel economy. Theoretically, electromagnetic valve actuators offer the highest potentials for improving efficiency due to their control flexibility. For real applications, however, the valve actuators developed so far suffer from high power consumption and other control problems. One key point is the design of the reference trajectory to be tracked by the closed loop controller. In this brief, a design technique aimed at minimizing power consumption is proposed. A constrained optimization problem is formulated and its solution is approximated by exploiting local flatness and physical properties of the system. The performance of the designed trajectory is validated via an industrial simulator of the valve actuator.