Scott A. Bortoff

- Phone: 617-621-7533
- Email:
-
Position:
Research / Technical Staff
Chief Scientist, Distinguished Research Scientist -
Education:
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1992 -
Research Areas:
External Links:
Scott's Quick Links
-
Biography
Scott's research interests are in applications of nonlinear and optimal control theory to motion control, path planning and process control problems. Before joining MERL in 2009, Scott led the Controls Group at the United Technology Research Center and previously was an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.
-
Recent News & Events
-
NEWS MERL researchers presented 9 papers at the American Control Conference (ACC) Date: June 8, 2022 - June 10, 2022
Where: Atlanta, GA
MERL Contacts: Karl Berntorp; Scott A. Bortoff; Ankush Chakrabarty; Stefano Di Cairano; Christopher R. Laughman; Marcel Menner; Rien Quirynen; Abraham P. Vinod; Avishai Weiss
Research Areas: Control, Machine Learning, OptimizationBrief- At the American Control Conference in Atlanta, GA, MERL presented 9 papers on subjects including autonomous-vehicle decision making and motion planning, realtime Bayesian inference and learning, reference governors for hybrid systems, Bayesian optimization, and nonlinear control.
-
TALK [MERL Seminar Series 2022] Albert Benveniste, Benoît Caillaud, and Mathias Malandain present talk titled Exact Structural Analysis of Multimode Modelica Models Date & Time: Tuesday, April 5, 2022; 11:00 AM EDT
Speaker: Albert Benveniste, BenoƮt Caillaud, and Mathias Malandain, Inria
MERL Host: Scott A. Bortoff
Research Areas: Dynamical Systems, Multi-Physical ModelingAbstractSince its 3.3 release, Modelica offers the possibility to specify models of dynamical systems with multiple modes having different DAE-based dynamics. However, the handling of such models by the current Modelica tools is not satisfactory, with mathematically sound models yielding exceptions at runtime. In our introduction, will briefly explain why and when the approximate structural analysis implemented in current Modelica tools leads to such errors. Then we will present our multimode Pryce Sigma-method for index reduction, in which the mode-dependent Sigma-matrix is represented in a dual form, by attaching, to every valuation of the sigma_ij entry of the Sigma matrix, the predicate characterizing the set of modes in which sigma_ij takes this value. We will illustrate this multimode analysis on example, by using our IsamDAE tool. In a second part, we will complement this multimode DAE structural analysis by a new structural analysis of mode changes (and, more generally, transient modes holding for zero time). Also, mode changes often give raise to impulsive behaviors: we will present a compile-time analysis identifying such behaviors. Our structural analysis of mode changes deeply relies on nonstandard analysis, which is a mathematical framework in which infinitesimals and infinities are first class citizens.
See All News & Events for Scott -
-
MERL Publications
- "H-Infinity Loop-Shaped Model Predictive Control with HVAC Application", IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, March 2022.BibTeX TR2022-028 PDF
- @article{Bortoff2022mar,
- author = {Bortoff, Scott A. and Schwerdtner, Paul and Danielson, Claus and Di Cairano, Stefano and Burns, Daniel J.},
- title = {H-Infinity Loop-Shaped Model Predictive Control with HVAC Application},
- journal = {IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology},
- year = 2022,
- month = mar,
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2022-028}
- }
, - "Accelerating self-optimization control of refrigerant cycles with Bayesian optimization and adaptive moment estimation", Applied Thermal Engineering, DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.117335, Vol. 197, pp. 117335, February 2022.BibTeX TR2022-010 PDF
- @article{Chakrabarty2022feb,
- author = {Chakrabarty, Ankush and Danielson, Claus and Bortoff, Scott A. and Laughman, Christopher R.},
- title = {Accelerating self-optimization control of refrigerant cycles with Bayesian optimization and adaptive moment estimation},
- journal = {Applied Thermal Engineering},
- year = 2022,
- volume = 197,
- pages = 117335,
- month = feb,
- doi = {10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.117335},
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2022-010}
- }
, - "Simulation Failure Robust Bayesian Optimization for Estimating Black-Box Model Parameters", IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC), DOI: 10.1109/SMC52423.2021.9658893, October 2021.BibTeX TR2021-128 PDF Video
- @inproceedings{Chakrabarty2021oct2,
- author = {Chakrabarty, Ankush and Bortoff, Scott A. and Laughman, Christopher R.},
- title = {Simulation Failure Robust Bayesian Optimization for Estimating Black-Box Model Parameters},
- booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC)},
- year = 2021,
- month = oct,
- doi = {10.1109/SMC52423.2021.9658893},
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2021-128}
- }
, - "Modelica-Based Control of A Delta Robot", ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, DOI: doi.org/10.1115/DSCC2020-3158, December 2020.BibTeX TR2020-154 PDF
- @inproceedings{Bortoff2020dec,
- author = {Bortoff, Scott A. and Okasha, Ahmed},
- title = {Modelica-Based Control of A Delta Robot},
- booktitle = {ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Conference},
- year = 2020,
- month = dec,
- doi = {doi.org/10.1115/DSCC2020-3158},
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2020-154}
- }
, - "Industry Engagement with Control Research: Perspective and Messages", Annual Reviews In Control, Vol. 49, pp. 1-14, August 2020.BibTeX TR2020-119 PDF
- @article{Samad2020aug,
- author = {Samad, Tariq and Di Cairano, Stefano and Fagiano, Lorenzo and Odgaard, Peter and Rhinehart, Russel and Bortoff, Scott A.},
- title = {Industry Engagement with Control Research: Perspective and Messages},
- journal = {Annual Reviews In Control},
- year = 2020,
- volume = 49,
- pages = {1--14},
- month = aug,
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2020-119}
- }
,
- "H-Infinity Loop-Shaped Model Predictive Control with HVAC Application", IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, March 2022.
-
Software Downloads
-
Videos
-
MERL Issued Patents
-
Title: "System and Method for Power Optimizing Control of Multi-Zone Heat Pumps"
Inventors: Bortoff, Scott A.; Burns, Dan J; Laughman, Christopher; Qiao, Hongtao
Patent No.: 10,895,412
Issue Date: Jan 19, 2021 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Refrigerant in Vapor Compression System"
Inventors: Laughman, Christopher; Qiao, Hongtao; Burns, Dan J; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 10,830,515
Issue Date: Nov 10, 2020 -
Title: "System and Method for Thermal Comfort Control"
Inventors: Laughman, Christopher; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 10,767,887
Issue Date: Sep 8, 2020 -
Title: "Motion Controller for Real-Time Continuous Curvature Path Planning"
Inventors: Bortoff, Scott A.; Wang, Yebin; Dai, Jin
Patent No.: 10,591,915
Issue Date: Mar 17, 2020 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Vapor Compression Systems"
Inventors: Burns, Dan J; Laughman, Christopher; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 10,495,364
Issue Date: Dec 3, 2019 -
Title: "Control of Redundant Laser Processing Machines"
Inventors: Di Cairano, Stefano; Haghighat, Sohrab; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 10,307,863
Issue Date: Jun 4, 2019 -
Title: "Coordinated Operation of Multiple Space-Conditioning Systems"
Inventors: Laughman, Christopher; Qiao, Hongtao; Burns, Dan J; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 10,234,158
Issue Date: Mar 19, 2019 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Multi-Zone Vapor Compression Systems"
Inventors: Burns, Dan J; Di Cairano, Stefano; Bortoff, Scott A.; Laughman, Christopher
Patent No.: 10,174,957
Issue Date: Jan 8, 2019 -
Title: "Method and System for Controlling Angular Speeds of Motors in Speed Sensorless Induction Motors"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,985,563
Issue Date: May 29, 2018 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Vapor Compression Systems"
Inventors: Burns, Dan J; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,915,456
Issue Date: Mar 13, 2018 -
Title: "Control of Processing Machines with Redundant Actuators"
Inventors: Di Cairano, Stefano; Goldsmith, Abraham M.; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,744,620
Issue Date: Aug 29, 2017 -
Title: "System and Method for Calibrating Laser Processing Machines"
Inventors: Shilpiekandula, Vijay; Bortoff, Scott A.; Goldsmith, Abraham M.
Patent No.: 9,718,146
Issue Date: Aug 1, 2017 -
Title: "Method and System for Computing Reference Signals for Machines with Redundant Positioning"
Inventors: Haghighat, Sohrab; Di Cairano, Stefano; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,696,709
Issue Date: Jul 4, 2017 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling of Vapor Compression System"
Inventors: Burns, Dan J; Jain, Neera; Laughman, Christopher; Di Cairano, Stefano; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,625,196
Issue Date: Apr 18, 2017 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Vapor Compression Systems"
Inventors: Burns, Dan J; Laughman, Christopher; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,534,820
Issue Date: Jan 3, 2017 -
Title: "Motion-Control System for Performing Different Tasks"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Jiang, Yu; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,529,341
Issue Date: Dec 27, 2016 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Temperature and Humidity in Multiple Spaces using Liquid Desiccant"
Inventors: Laughman, Christopher; Burns, Dan J; Bortoff, Scott A.; Waters, Richard C.
Patent No.: 9,518,765
Issue Date: Dec 13, 2016 -
Title: "Optimization of System Control Based on Solving Multi-Point Boundary Value Problems"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,378,469
Issue Date: Jun 28, 2016 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Redundant Actuators of a Machine"
Inventors: Shilpiekandula, Vijay; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,261,872
Issue Date: Feb 16, 2016 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Semi-Active Actuators Arranged to Minimize Vibration in Elevator Systems"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,242,837
Issue Date: Jan 26, 2016 -
Title: "Elevator Rope Sway Estimation"
Inventors: Benosman, Mouhacine; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,096,411
Issue Date: Aug 4, 2015 -
Title: "Method for Determining Trajectory of Multi-Motor Control System Avoiding Obstacle"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Yu, Han; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,076,337
Issue Date: Jul 7, 2015 -
Title: "Elevator Rope Sway Estimation"
Inventors: Benosman, Mouhacine; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 9,045,313
Issue Date: Jun 2, 2015 -
Title: "Cabling Configuration for Railless Elevators"
Inventors: Shilpiekandula, Vijay; Yerazunis, William S.; Barnwell, III, John C.; Bortoff, Scott A.; Katz, Joseph
Patent No.: 8,978,831
Issue Date: Mar 17, 2015 -
Title: "Laser Cutting Machine"
Inventors: Yerazunis, William S.; Barnwell, III, John C.; Bortoff, Scott A.; Shilpiekandula, Vijay; Goldsmith, Abraham M.
Patent No.: 8,921,734
Issue Date: Dec 30, 2014 -
Title: "Controller for Reducing Vibrations in Mechanical Systems"
Inventors: Benosman, Mouhacine; Shilpiekandula, Vijay; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 8,855,826
Issue Date: Oct 7, 2014 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Semi-Active Actuators Arranged to Minimize Vibration in Elevator Systems"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 8,849,465
Issue Date: Sep 30, 2014 -
Title: "An Energy Efficient Motion Control System"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Koichiro, Ueda; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 8,816,627
Issue Date: Aug 26, 2014 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Semi-Active Actuators"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 8,768,522
Issue Date: Jul 1, 2014 -
Title: "Method for Generating Trajectories for Motor Controlled Actuators"
Inventors: Wang, Yebin; Bortoff, Scott A.; Zhao, Yiming
Patent No.: 8,700,190
Issue Date: Apr 15, 2014 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Operations of Vapor Compression"
Inventors: Bortoff, Scott A.; Burns, Dan J; Laughman, Christopher
Patent No.: 8,694,131
Issue Date: Apr 8, 2014 -
Title: "Base Vibration Attenuation and Load Tracking in Mechanical System"
Inventors: Shilpiekandula, Vijay; Bortoff, Scott A.
Patent No.: 8,513,906
Issue Date: Aug 20, 2013
-
Title: "System and Method for Power Optimizing Control of Multi-Zone Heat Pumps"