This edited volume includes thoroughly collected on sensing and control for autonomous vehicles. Guidance, navigation and motion control systems for autonomous vehicles are increasingly important in land-based, marine and aerial operations. Autonomous underwater vehicles may be used for pipeline inspection, light intervention work, underwater survey and collection of oceanographic/biological data. Autonomous unmanned aerial systems can be used in a large number of applications such as inspection, monitoring, data collection, surveillance, etc. At present, vehicles operate with limited autonomy and a minimum of intelligence. There is a growing interest for cooperative and coordinated multi-vehicle systems, real-time re-planning, robust autonomous navigation systems and robust autonomous control of vehicles. Unmanned vehicles with high levels of autonomy may be used for safe and efficient collection of environmental data, for assimilation of climate and environmental models and to complement global satellite systems. The target audience primarily comprises research experts in the field of control theory, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

This volume is intended for researchers in engineering and applied mathematics. It can also be used as a textbook for graduate students dealing with non-linear systems and control theory. After a self-contained treatment of the differential-geometric prerequisites, the book deals with controllability and observability properties of nonlinear systems, as well as various ways to obtain input-output representations. Problems of transforming nonlinear systems into simpler forms are discussed, including the feedback linearization problem. The disturbance and input-output decoupling problem are treated in detail, as well as some aspects of feedback stabilization, and interconnection and inversion of nonlinear systems. Emphasis is put on fundamental notions as (controlled) invariant distributions and submanifolds, together with algorithms to compute the required feedbacks. Extensions of these methods to other synthesis problems are indicated in the exercises at the end of each chapter. Special attention is paid to mechanical nonlinear control systems, and finally the theory is extended to general continuous-time and discrete time systems. Numerous examples and exercises illustrate the main results of the book.

The problem of asymptotic regulation of the output of a dynamical system plays a central role in control theory. An important variant of this problem is the output regulation problem, which can be used in such areas as set-point control, tracking reference signals and rejecting disturbances generated by an external system, controlled synchronization of dynamical systems, and observer design for autonomous systems. This book is one of the first systematic studies on the nonlinear output regulation problem that embraces both the local and global solvability analysis, covering such aspects as solvability conditions, controller design, and practical implementation issues.

The book opens with the development of the mathematical apparatus of convergent systemsa "very useful for studying nonlinear control systemsa "laying the foundation for most of the results presented in the work. The study then proceeds to a new problem statementa "the so-called uniform output regulation problem. A comprehensive solvability analysis of this problem is provided in the next part of the work. Based on the solvability analysis, constructive controller design methods for the global uniform output regulation problem are presented for various classes of nonlinear systems.

In an attempt to bridge the gap between theory and practice, the authors conclude with a presentation of an experimental case study. The experimenta "one of the first in the field of nonlinear output regulationa "deals with control of a translational oscillator with a rotational actuator, illustrating the applicability of the nonlinear output regulation theory in experiments and raising a number of questions to be addressed in futureresearch.

The scope of questions addressed in the book, the uniformity of their treatment, the novelty of the proposed approach, and the obtained results make this volume unique with respect to other works on the problem of nonlinear output regulation. In addition to being an excellent reference for the uniform output regulation problem, the book has a tutorial value on convergent systems. The work will be of interest to control engineers, theorists, and students, and may be used as a textbook for a graduate course on nonlinear control.

This monograph combines the knowledge of both the field of nonlinear dynamics and non-smooth mechanics, presenting a framework for a class of non-smooth mechanical systems using techniques from both fields. The book reviews recent developments, and opens the field to the nonlinear dynamics community. This book addresses researchers and graduate students in engineering and mathematics interested in the modelling, simulation and dynamics of non-smooth systems and nonlinear dynamics.

The papers in this edited volume aim to provide a better understanding of the dynamics and control of a large class of hybrid dynamical systems that are described by different models in different state space domains. They not only cover important aspects and tools for hybrid systems analysis and control, but also a number of experimental realizations. Special attention is given to synchronization - a universal phenomenon in nonlinear science that gained tremendous significance since its discovery by Huygens in the 17th century. Possible applications of the results introduced in the book include control of mobile robots, control of CD/DVD players, flexible manufacturing lines, and complex networks of interacting agents.The book is based on the material presented at a similarly entitled minisymposium at the 6th European Nonlinear Dynamics Conference held in St Petersburg in 2008. It is unique in that it contains results of several international and interdisciplinary collaborations in the field, and reflects state-of-the-art technological development in the area of hybrid mechanical systems at the forefront of the 21st century.

This edited volume includes thoroughly collected on sensing and control for autonomous vehicles. Guidance, navigation and motion control systems for autonomous vehicles are increasingly important in land-based, marine and aerial operations. Autonomous underwater vehicles may be used for pipeline inspection, light intervention work, underwater survey and collection of oceanographic/biological data. Autonomous unmanned aerial systems can be used in a large number of applications such as inspection, monitoring, data collection, surveillance, etc. At present, vehicles operate with limited autonomy and a minimum of intelligence. There is a growing interest for cooperative and coordinated multi-vehicle systems, real-time re-planning, robust autonomous navigation systems and robust autonomous control of vehicles. Unmanned vehicles with high levels of autonomy may be used for safe and efficient collection of environmental data, for assimilation of climate and environmental models and to complement global satellite systems. The target audience primarily comprises research experts in the field of control theory, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

This monograph combines the knowledge of both the field of nonlinear dynamics and non-smooth mechanics, presenting a framework for a class of non-smooth mechanical systems using techniques from both fields. The book reviews recent developments, and opens the field to the nonlinear dynamics community. This book addresses researchers and graduate students in engineering and mathematics interested in the modelling, simulation and dynamics of non-smooth systems and nonlinear dynamics.

This volume deals with controllability and observability properties of nonlinear systems, as well as various ways to obtain input-output representations. The emphasis is on fundamental notions as (controlled) invariant distributions and submanifolds, together with algorithms to compute the required feedbacks.

Parametric Resonance in Dynamical Systems discusses the phenomenon of parametric resonance and its occurrence in mechanical systems, vehicles, motorcycles, aircraft and marine craft, along micro-electro-mechanical systems. The contributors provides an introduction to the root causes of this phenomenon and its mathematical equivalent, the Mathieu-Hill equation. Also included is a discussion of how parametric resonance occurs on ships and offshore systems, and its frequency in mechanical and electrical systems. This volume is ideal for researchers and mechanical engineers working in application fields such as MEMS, maritime, aircraft and ground vehicle engineering.

The past decade has witnessed an increasing interest in observers for nonlinear systems. This subject is relevant in different contexts such as synchronization of complex dynamical systems, fault detection and isolation, and output feedback control. This book contains the contributions that are to be presented at the workshop "New Directions in Nonlinear Observer Design", to be held from June 24-26, 1999, in Geiranger Fjord, Norway. The workshop has been organised by Olav Egeland, Thor I. Fossen and Henk Nijmeijer; it will include participants from Africa, Asia, Europe and USA and it will focus on recent developments in the above mentioned areas. The contributions form a good review of present achievements and challenges in nonlinear observer design. The workshop is supported by the Strategic University Program on Marine Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and ABB.

This volume contains the contributions to a Workshop on Group Coordination and Cooperative Control held in Tromso, Norway, 2006, to focus on control theoretic challenges raised by group coordination and cooperation, and lay a foundation for future research. The book covers a wide range of subjects within the area of group coordination and cooperative control, and forms a valuable and up-to-date text on the newer trends in group coordination and cooperative control."

Parametric Resonance in Dynamical Systems discusses the phenomenon of parametric resonance and its occurrence in mechanical systems, vehicles, motorcycles, aircraft and marine craft, along micro-electro-mechanical systems. The contributors provides an introduction to the root causes of this phenomenon and its mathematical equivalent, the Mathieu-Hill equation. Also included is a discussion of how parametric resonance occurs on ships and offshore systems, and its frequency in mechanical and electrical systems. This volume is ideal for researchers and mechanical engineers working in application fields such as MEMS, maritime, aircraft and ground vehicle engineering.