Flatness based control: A blood glucose regulation example

Flat systems generalize linear systems, but controlling them requires different techniques than those used for many linear systems. Due to the flatness property, system variables can be expressed as functions of the flat output and its derivatives.
This article presents the flatness-based control of blood glucose regulation in the human system. Blood glucose regulation in Type I Diabetes is addressed by adding an external control loop to administrate insulin to keep normoglycaemia in diabetic patients. A non-linear model, the Bergman Minimal Model, represents the dynamics of blood regulation in humans. By leveraging the flatness property, it is possible to express system variables in terms of the flat output and their time derivatives. This technique can lead to more efficient and effective system analysis and design solutions.