Differentially Flat Systems

Differential flatness is a property of some dynamic systems that allows for the simplification of feedback controller design problems to sets of decoupled linear time invariant systems through the parametrization of system variables in terms of a finite set of independent variables (or flat outputs) and a finite number of their time derivatives. Sira-Ramirez (emeritus, engineering, U. de Los Andes, Venezuela) and Agrawal (mechanical engineering, U. of Delaware, US) describe the use of the flatness property in a variety of controlled dynamical systems, proceeding from elementary to complex systems. Chapters cover, among other topics, time-varying linear systems, discrete-time linear systems, infinite dimensional linear systems, multivariable nonlinear systems, mobile robots, and non- differentially flat systems. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)