Feedback control methodologies for nonlinear systems

A number of computational methods have been proposed in the literature to d esign and synthesize feedback controls when the plant is modeled by nonline ar dynamics. However, it is not immediately clear which is the best method for a given problem; this may depend on the nature of the nonlinearities, s ize of the system, whether the amount of control used or time needed for th e method is a concern, and other factors. In this paper, a comprehensive co mparison study of five methods for the synthesis of nonlinear control syste ms is carried out. The performance of the methods on several test problems are studied, and some recommendations are made as to which feedback control method is best to use under various conditions.