CONSOL-OPTCAD

Optimization-based design of engineering systems.

Allows multiple objectives and soft and hard constraints. Handles functional (semi-infinite) type specifications. Interactive tradeoff exploration. Easily coupled to user-supplied simulators; interface with MATLAB is available from the authors.

The given problem is transformed into a constrained, weighted minimax problem, with a different transformation depending on whether the soft/hard constraints are satisfied. The minimax problem is solved by using feasible sequential quadratic programming (see the entry on FSQP/CFSQP), extended to accommodate semi-infinite constraints. The user interactively tightens or relaxes specifications by adjusting "good values" and "bad values" (good/bad "curves" in the case of functional specifications), which determine the weights in the minimax problems.

The software runs only on Sun computers. It makes use of dynamic loading. A detailed manual is available. The package is available free of charge to academic institutions with FTP access. An elaborate graphical user interface with graphical input capability is under development.

Need more info?

Contact:

Prof. André L. Tits                 Ms. Carolyn Garrett 
Electrical Engineering Dept. and    Office of Technology Liaison 
Institute for Systems Research      4312 Knox Road
University of Maryland     	    University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742              College Park, MD  20742
U.S.A. 				    U.S.A.
Phone: (301) 405-3669  		    Phone: (301) 405-4209 
Fax: (301) 405-6707 		    Fax: (301) 314-9871
andre@src.umd.edu 		    cg54@umail.umd.edu

Reference:

M. K. H. Fan, A. L. Tits, J. Zhou, L.-S. Wang, and J. Koninckx, CONSOLE User's Manual, Version 1.1, TR 87-212r1, Systems Research Center, 1990.

M. K. H. Fan, L.-S. Wang, J. Koninckx and A. L. Tits, Software package for optimization-based design with user-supplied simulators, IEEE Control Systems Magazine 9 (1989), pp. 66--71.

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