Author Description

This new, updated edition of Optimal Control reflects major changes that have occurred in the field in recent years and presents, in a clear and direct way, the fundamentals of optimal control theory. It covers the major topics involving measurement, principles of optimality, dynamic programming, variational methods, Kalman filtering, and other solution techniques. To give the reader a sense of the problems that can arise in a hands-on project, the authors have included new material on optimal output feedback control, a technique used in the aerospace industry. Also included are two new chapters on robust control to provide background in this rapidly growing area of interest. Relations to classical control theory are emphasized throughout the text, and a root-locus approach to steady-state controller design is included. A chapter on optimal control of polynomial systems is designed to give the reader sufficient background for further study in the field of adaptive control. The authors demonstrate through numerous examples that computer simulations of optimal controllers are easy to implement and help give the reader an intuitive feel for the equations. To help build the reader's confidence in understanding the theory and its practical applications, the authors have provided many opportunities throughout the book for writing simple programs. Optimal Control will also serve as an invaluable reference for control engineers in the industry. It offers numerous tables that make it easy to find the equations needed to implement optimal controllers for practical applications. All simulations have been performed using MATLAB and relevant Toolboxes. Optimal Control assumes a background in the state-variable representation of systems; because matrix manipulations are the basic mathematical vehicle of the book, a short review is included in the appendix. A lucid introductory text and an invaluable reference, Optimal Control will serve as a complete tool