Algorithm for Temperature Control in the Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus Foetidus

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a temperature control algorithm for the spadix of the skunk cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus, a plant which holds its spadix temperature nearly constant. We derive the control algorithm from a proposed thermoregulation model of the spadix of S. foetidus. In addition, we investigate the control algorithm of S. foetidus for general industrial applications from a control engineering perspective by running simulations and applying it to actual equipment. The temperature control algorithm responds to the rate of change of the controlled variable over time and adjusts the output of the controller as required to minimize the rate of change. The control algorithm of the spadix of S. foetidus is robust to perturbations in the controlled object, and the control algorithm incorporated into a microprocessor successfully controls the performance of actual equipment.