Stability of x(t)=Ax(t)+Bx(t-τ)

A stability criterion for linear time-delay systems described by a differential difference equation of the form dx(t)=Ax(t)+Bx(t -τ) is proposed. The result obtained includes information on the size of the delay and therefore can be a delay-dependent stability condition. Its relation to existing delay-independent stability criteria is also discussed     

A distributed M-ary hypothesis testing problem withcorrelated observations

The distributed M-ary hypothesis testing problem of detecting one of M₀ events by an (N+1)-person hierarchical team, when the observations are correlated, is examined. In this problem, each of the N subordinate decision makers (DMs) transmits one of a prespecified set of messages based on their data to a primary decision maker who, in turn, combines the messages with his or her own data to make the final team decision. The necessary conditions for the optimal decision rules of the DMs are derived. A nonlinear Gauss-Seidel iterative algorithm is developed for the person-by-person optimal decision rules, and its monotonic convergence to the person-by-person optimum is established. A fast approximation algorithm is proposed for computing certain conditional probabilities arising in the person-by-person optimal decision rules. The algorithms are illustrated with several examples, and implications for distributed organizational designs are pointed out     

Optimal L∞ bounds for disturbancerobustness

Robust disturbance rejection bounds obtained recently by Zhu et al. are tight with respect to the disturbance set that has a specified L₂ norm bound. It is shown that the bounds are also tight with respect to a weighted L₂ disturbance set that has a specified bound on its outer product by choosing a special weight matrix in the L₂ norm. The matrix can computed by numerical iteration     

Modelling speedup (n) greater than n

A simple model of parallel computation which is capable of explaining speedups greater than n on n processors is presented. Necessary and sufficient conditions for these exceptional speedups are derived from the model. Several of the contradictory previous results relating to parallel speedup are resolved by using the model     

Solutions of the equation AV+BW=VF andtheir application to eigenstructure assignment in linear systems

Two new simple, complete, analytical, and restriction-free solutions with complete and explicit freedom of the matrix equation AV+BW=VF are proposed. Here [AB] is known and is controllable, and F is in the Jordan form with arbitrary given eigenvalues. Based on the proposed solutions of this matrix equation, a complete parametric approach for eigenstructure assignment in linear systems via state feedback is proposed, and two new algorithms are presented. The proposed solutions of the matrix equation and the eigenstructure assignment result are generalizations of some previous results and are simpler and more effective     

Optimal resilient distributed algorithms for ring election

The problem of electing a leader in a dynamic ring in which processors are permitted to fail and recover during election is discussed. It is shown that &thetas;(n log n+k_r) messages, counting only messages sent by functional processors, are necessary and sufficient for dynamic ring election, where k_r is the number of processor recoveries experienced     

M-dimensional Cayley-Hamilton theorem

The theorem states that every block square matrix satisfies its own m-D (m-dimensional, m⩾1) matrix characteristic polynomial. The exact statement and a simple proof of this theorem are given. The theorem refers to a matrix A subdivided into m blocks, and hence having dimension at least m. The conclusion is that every square matrix A with dimension M satisfies several m-D characteristic matrix polynomials with degrees N₁ . . ., N _m, such that N₁+ . . . +N_m ⩽M     

A treatment of jw-axis model-matching transformation zerosin the optimal H2 and H∞control designs

A model-matching transformation (MMT) zero is defined as a rank-deficiency condition which prevents an H² or H^∞ optimal control problem from being transformed into an equivalent model-matching problem. By imposing saturation constraints and accounting for additive instrument noise in the sensor and actuator signals, all MMT zeros can be eliminated     

n-D polynomial matrix equations

Linear matrix equations in the ring of polynomials in n indeterminates (n-D) are studied. General- and minimum-degree solutions are discussed. Simple and constructive, necessary and sufficient solvability conditions are derived. An algorithm to solve the equations with general n-D polynomial matrices is presented. It is based on elementary reductions in a greater ring of polynomials in one indeterminate, having as coefficients polynomial fractions in the other n-1 indeterminates, which makes the use of Euclidean division possible     

Optimal H∞ norm computation formultivariable systems with multiple zeros

B. C.Chang and J.B. Peason's (see ibid., vol. AC-29, p.880-7, Oct. 1984) computation of the optimal H^∞ norm is generalized to the case with multiple right half-plane zeros. D. Sarason's (1967) interpolation theory is used to reduce the problem to a simple eigenvalue or singular-value computation     

Computational aspects of the bilinear transformation basedalgorithm for S-plane to Z-plane mapping

The author analyzes the computational complexity of an algorithm by F.D. Groutage et al. (ibid., vol.AC-32, no.7, p.635-7, July 1987) for performing the transformation of a continuous transfer function to a discrete equivalent by a bilinear transformation. Groutage et al. defend their method by noting that their technique is not limited to the bilinear transformation. Rather, it can be extended to any higher-order integration rule (Simpson, Runge-Kutta, etc.), or to any higher-order expansion of the ln function. In general, using the method, s can be any appropriate mapping function s=f (z)     

L2-gain analysis of nonlinear systems andnonlinear state-feedback H∞ control

Previously obtained results on L2-gain analysis of smooth nonlinear systems are unified and extended using an approach based on Hamilton-Jacobi equations and inequalities, and their relation to invariant manifolds of an associated Hamiltonian vector field. On the basis of these results a nonlinear analog is obtained of the simplest part of a state-space approach to linear H_∞ control, namely the state feedback H_∞ optimal control problem. Furthermore, the relation with H_∞ control of the linearized system is dealt with     

Mixed H2/H∞ control:a convex optimization approach

The problem of finding an internally stabilizing controller that minimizes a mixed H₂/H_∞ performance measure subject to an inequality constraint on the H_∞ norm of another closed-loop transfer function is considered. This problem can be interpreted and motivated as a problem of optimal nominal performance subject to a robust stability constraint. Both the state-feedback and output-feedback problems are considered. It is shown that in the state-feedback case one can come arbitrarily close to the optimal (even over full information controllers) mixed H₂/H_∞ performance measure using constant gain state feedback. Moreover, the state-feedback problem can be converted into a convex optimization problem over a bounded subset of (n×n and n ×q, where n and q are, respectively, the state and input dimensions) real matrices. Using the central H_∞ estimator, it is shown that the output feedback problem can be reduced to a state-feedback problem. In this case, the dimension of the resulting controller does not exceed the dimension of the generalized plant     

On L1 optimal control

It is shown that the problem of minimizing the effect of the worst disturbance on the output, where the signals have finite one norms, is equivalent to the same problem with bounded disturbances. The following situations provide the motivation to study such a problem. (1) Disturbances are generated by a fixed bounded-input, bounded-output (BIBO) stable, linear time-invariant (LTI) system with unknown initial conditions and zero input. (The output of this fixed system is the disturbance input to the original control system). (2) Disturbances are generated by an unknown BIBO stable LTI system whose fixed input consists of the unit impulse (this is the dual of (1)). In both of these situations, the disturbances will have a finite one norm     

On recursive, O(N) partitioning of a digitizedcurve into digital straight segments

A simple online algorithm for partitioning of a digital curve into digital straight-line segments of maximal length is given. The algorithm requires O(N) time and O(1) space and is therefore optimal. Efficient representations of the digital segments are obtained as byproducts. The algorithm also solves a number-theoretical problem concerning nonhomogeneous spectra of numbers     

H2-optimal sampled-data control

The H₂-optimal control of continuous-time linear time-invariant systems by sampled-data controllers is discussed. Two different solutions, state space and operator theoretic, are given. In both cases, the H₂ sampled-data problem is shown to be equivalent to a certain discrete-time H₂ problem. Other topics discussed include input-output stability of sampled-data systems, performance recovery in digital implementation of analog controllers, and sampled-data control of systems with the possibility of multiple-time delays     

On a weaker notion of controllability of a language K withrespect to a language L

A necessary and sufficient condition for a prefix-closed language K⊆Σ* to be controllable with respect to another prefix-closed language L⊆Σ* is that K⊆ L. A weaker notion of controllability where it is not required that K⊆L is considered here. If L is the prefix-closed language generated by a plant automaton G, then essentially there exists a supervisor Θ that is complete with respect to G such that L(Θ|G)=K ∩ L if and only if K is weakly controllable with respect to L. For an arbitrary modeling formalism it is shown that the inclusion problem is reducible to the problem of deciding the weaker notion of controllability. Therefore, removing the requirement that K ⊆ L from the original definition of controllability does not help the situation from a decidability viewpoint. This observation is then used to identify modeling formalisms that are not viable for supervisory control of the untimed behaviors of discrete-event dynamic systems     

The consistent comparison problem in N-version software

The authors have identified a difficulty in the implementation of N-version programming. The problem, called the consistent comparison problem, arises for applications in which decisions are based on the results of comparing finite-precision numbers. It is shown that when versions make comparisons involving the results of finite-precision calculations, it is impossible to guarantee the consistency of their results. It is therefore possible that correct versions may arrive at completely different outputs for an application that does not apparently have multiple correct solutions. If this problem is not dealt with explicitly, an N-version system may be unable to reach consensus even when none of its component versions falls     

Correction of the FI result in H∞ controland parameterization of H∞ state feedbackcontrollers

The authors correct the parameterization of the H_∞ controller of the full-information (FI) problem derived by J.C. Doyle et al. (1989). Then they parameterize the H_m0 state feedback controller and explain how dynamical free parameters implied in it are related to constant feedback gains different from the central solution F_∞