This book is an introduction to linear continuous-time finite-dimensional control system design. It “started as lecture notes for a course in feedback control offered to engineering and mathematics students at the University of Waterloo”. The following topics are dealt with: Basics of systems theory (state-space concepts, frequency domain concepts, connections between these two areas, design aspects), stability (one introduces expressions in the frequency domain leading to the Nyquist criterion, the root locus, robust stability), loopshaping (important design considerations are presented like the PID controller, performance-robustness trade-offs, design constraints), the LQR design method including observations, the parametrization of stabilizing controllers and the criterion via coprime factorization, generalized plants (with measured output, uncontrolled input, controlled input and output) and stabilization criterion in terms of linear fractional transformations, $H_\infty$ control and finally model matching. The appendices provide functional analytic and algebraic basics. There are 54 references and an index. The chapters end with exercises. Let us observe that chapter one asks: What is feedback control? One finds examples, properties, goals but no definition or a clear answer. This vagueness is not specific to this textbook. This volume might be of interest as a complement for an introductory course on automatic control systems design.
Reviewer: A.Akutowicz (Berlin)