EMR 2025

Photos of EMR'23, Lille, France (last edition in France)

This workshop is focused on the Energetic Macroscopic Representation (EMR) methodology for modelling and control of complex electromechanical systems.

EMR is a graphical formalism that was introduced in 2000 to describe complex electromechanical systems. EMR has since been extended to complex multi-physical systems (thermal science, electrochemistry, fluid mechanics …). EMR is based on the action-reaction principle to organize the interconnection of models of sub-systems according to the physical causality (i.e. integral causality). This description highlights energetic properties of the system (energy accumulation, conversion and distribution). Moreover, an inversion-based control can be systematically deduced from EMR using specific inversion rules.

Compared with other graphical description, such as Bond Graphs or Causal Ordering Graphs (COG), EMR has a more global energetic view and contributes to system’s control design. It differs from structural description tools such as Physic Modelling Language (PML) using Object-Oriented Modelling Language, which makes its libraries to be coupled in the same way as physical units. EMR is focused on the system function and not only on the system structure. EMR gives insights into the real energy operation of systems and allows a deep understanding of its potentialities from a dynamic point of view.

In short, the distinct features of EMR lie in its clarity of physical concepts, as well as their physical causality, and its functional description rather than a structural description. It hence contributes significantly to the design of control and energy management of systems.