This book provides an introductory yet rigorous treatment of Pontryagin's Maximum Principle and its application to optimal control problems when simple and complex constraints act on state and control variables, the two classes of variable in such problems. The achievements resulting from first-order variational methods are illustrated with reference to a large number of problems that, almost universally, relate to a particular second-order, linear and time-invariant dynamical system, referred to as the double integrator. The book is ideal for students who have some knowledge of the basics of system and control theory and possess the calculus background typically taught in undergraduate curricula in engineering. Optimal control theory, of which the Maximum Principle must be considered a cornerstone, has been very popular ever since the late 1950s. However, the possibly excessive initial enthusiasm engendered by its perceived capability to solve any kind of problem gave way to its equally unjustified rejection when it came to be considered as a purely abstract concept with no real utility. In recent years it has been recognized that the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes, and optimal control has found its (appropriate yet limited) place within any curriculum in which system and control theory plays a significant role.

This book provides an introductory yet rigorous treatment of Pontryagin's Maximum Principle and its application to optimal control problems when simple and complex constraints act on state and control variables, the two classes of variable in such problems. The achievements resulting from first-order variational methods are illustrated with reference to a large number of problems that, almost universally, relate to a particular second-order, linear and time-invariant dynamical system, referred to as the double integrator. The book is ideal for students who have some knowledge of the basics of system and control theory and possess the calculus background typically taught in undergraduate curricula in engineering. Optimal control theory, of which the Maximum Principle must be considered a cornerstone, has been very popular ever since the late 1950s. However, the possibly excessive initial enthusiasm engendered by its perceived capability to solve any kind of problem gave way to its equally unjustified rejection when it came to be considered as a purely abstract concept with no real utility. In recent years it has been recognized that the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes, and optimal control has found its (appropriate yet limited) place within any curriculum in which system and control theory plays a significant role.

From the reviews: "The style of the book reflects the author's wish to assist in the effective learning of optimal control by suitable choice of topics, the mathematical level used, and by including numerous illustrated examples. . . .In my view the book suits its function and purpose, in that it gives a student a comprehensive coverage of optimal control in an easy-to-read fashion." -Measurement and Control

From the reviews: "The style of the book reflects the author 's wish to assist in the effective learning of optimal control by suitable choice of topics, the mathematical level used, and by including numerous illustrated examples. . . .In my view the book suits its function and purpose, in that it gives a student a comprehensive coverage of optimal control in an easy-to-read fashion." Measurement and Control

Control systems design methodologies have long suffered the traditional and myopic dichotomy between time and frequency domain approaches, each of them being specialized to cope with only scarcely overlapping performance requirements. This book is aimed at bridging the two approaches by presenting design methodologies based on the minimization of a norm (H2/H() of a suitable transfer function. A distinctive feature of these techniques is the fact that they do not create only one solution to the design problem, instead they provide a whole set of admissible solutions which satisfy a constraint on the maximum deterioration of the performance index.
A systematic book on this topic is long overdue. Self-contained and practical in its approach, Control Theory and Design enables the reader to use the relevant techniques in various real-life applications. The text covers the basic facts of robustcontrol and theory as well as more recent achievements, such as robust stability and robust performance in presence of parameter uncertainties. It features a new perspective on classical LQC results and further sections on robust synthesis, nonclassicaloptimization problems, and analysis and synthesis of uncertain systems.
Control Theory and Design is essential reading for graduates and those entering the research field. The required mathematical background is provided so that the book is also suitable for undergraduate students with some knowledge of basic systemsand control.
Key Features
* Provides a self-contained manual for learning control systems and design
* Contains a clear and concise presentation of the technical background needed
* Includes a new perspective of classical LQG results
* Contains updated results and novel contributions to nonstandard RH2/RH infinity symbol problems
* Covers all the theory from the basic to the more advanced issues