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Linear system theory and design, by Chi-Tsong Chen

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1360 BOOK REVIEWS
LINEAR SYSTEM THEORY AND DESIGN, by
Chi-Tsong Chen, Oxford University Press, New
York, 1999, 334pages, ISBN 0-19-511777-8.
Linear System Theory and Design by Chi-Tsong
Chen is a major revision of the 1984 edition of the
book with proper trimming and appending new
#esh. The "rst edition of the book entitled &&Intro-
duction to Linear System Theory'' published in
1970 was a real inspiration to graduate students
and research workers who wanted to delve into the
intricacies of linear multivariable control systems.
The 1984 edition was an expanded version of the
"rst edition. Whenever there is new book in the
area of Control Systems, I turn over the pages to
get a bird's eye view of the subject, sometimes I feel
attracted, otherwise there is a repulsion. Chen's
present volume belongs to the former category.
This is some kind of love at "rst sight.
According to the author the study and design of
physical systems can be done in two ways: empiri-
cal or trial-and-error method and analytical
method. For complex physical systems or those on
which experimentation is expensive or dangerous
the author's analytical methods in this book may
be pursued. This consists of four parts: modelling,
development of mathematical descriptions, analy-
sis and design. Continuous- and discrete-time
systems are developed simultaneously although
putting much less emphasis on the latter. The
book is meant to introduce brie#y each of these
topics.
Modelling and mathematical descriptions have
to share the apartments in Chapters 2, 4 and 7
sometimes with separation and sometimes with
rapprochement. The analysis has taken the centre
stage in this book in Chapters 4}6 with design
relegated to Chapters 8 and 9. An overview of the
book is given in Chapter 1 and linear algebra, the
basic mathematics needed to master this book, is
treated in Chapter 3.
The contents of the present edition are: 1. Intro-
duction, 2. Mathematical Description of Systems,
3. Linear Algebra, 4. State Space Solution and
Realization, 5. Stability, 6. Controllability and
Observability, 7. Minimal Realization and Cop-
rime Factors, 8. State Feedback and State Estima-
tion, 9. Pole Placement and Model Matching.
These topics remained almost the same as those in
the "rst two editions. The development of linear
Copyright  2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
multivariable theory in the 1970 edition veers
round state-variable approach while in the 1984
edition the scope of the study has been expanded
by inducting polynomial matrix fraction descrip-
tion and using it to determine irreducible state-
space description to design compensators for
MIMO systems for unity feedback systems and
input}output feedback systems. This has been
done by refurbishing and appending to the struc-
ture of the "rst edition the new materials. In the
study of linear control systems, various kinds of
algorithms are used to study the stability, control-
lability, and observability of the system, to deter-
mine state-feedback laws for assigning eigenvalues
in desired locations, and to design an observer all
based on the solution of a Lyapunov equation, and
"nally to obtain a minimal state-space realization.
The computational aspects encountered in this re-
spect are emphasized and the importance of em-
ploying orthogonal transformations is highlighted
in the last edition but is completely banished from
the present edition. Although MATLAB威R is intro-
duced to carry out various computations, it is
never justi"ed why MATLAB威? What numerical
advantages do accrue by adopting MATLAB威?
A proper place to do this is Chapter 3 where how
the norm invariance of a vector under orthogonal
transformation may sustain good numerically stable
algorithms may be incorporated. MATLAB威 and
MATHEMATICA威S are two very important soft-
wares available to study control systems and the
readers can take advantage of these softwares to
verify the results worked out in the book thereby
accentuating his interest and motivation for rapid
progress in the subject. It is not true that the
computation based on series expansion of ex-
ponential function of a matrix A may converge
rapidly to its correct value. A typical example
frequently cited is that for the matrix
 
!49 24
A"
!64 31
using series expansion exp A does converge
but not to the actual value of exp A. These two
RMATLAB and SIMULINK are registered trademarks
of The Mathworks, Inc.
SMATHEMATICA is a registered trade mark of Wolf-
ram Research, Inc.
Int. J. Robust Nonlinear Control 2000; 10:1359}1366
 BOOK REVIEWS
matrices are, respectively
 
22.2588 !1.43277
exp A" ,
!61.4993 !3.47428
 
!0.735759 0.551819
(exp A) " of a periodic system. This loss of satisfaction may
 !1.47152 1.10364
where exp A is computed using series expansion
while (exp A) is the true value.

SIMULINK威 is one of the important Control
System Tools in MATLAB威 and extremely useful
to determine and compute responses of estimated
and actual states in the design of systems with and
without observer-based compensators. Its
omission is striking vis-a-vis the main objective of
the book.
The concept of state is presented in this text as:
¹he state x(t ) of a system at time t is the informa-
 
tion at t that together with the input u(t), for t*t ,
 
determines uniquely the output y(t) for all t*t .
 stable way is not practical. On the other hand,
The age old concept of a state gets a rude shock as
one starts wondering what is information. It can-
not be settled as the minimum number of variables to
be speci,ed at time t"t to predict the behavior of
 the reduced order state estimators viz., (i) using
the system completely at all future time with a given
input immediately sets in whirling in one's mind.
The linearization of a nonlinear system is a crucial
topic as the linear control theory is known much
better than a nonlinear system, very often one
resorts to linearization to study the system and
design a controller based on the linearized model.
In the areas of power systems, power electronics
and machine drives, aeronautics, and space launch
vehicles and others this approach is very common.
This should not deemphasize the study of nonlin-
ear systems as a separate discipline because there
are a host of nonlinear systems where the behav-
iour of the linearized model will di!er from the
actual system characteristics. On the platform of
a linear system theory such issues should be
brought to the fore to prevent unpleasant contro-
versies which may lead to abolition of nonlinear
control theory from the curriculum of a graduate
course of Control Systems. In Chapter 2, the op-
amp implementation of the state variable descrip-
tion is a very encouraging addition.
In many places of the book the solution of
a problem is assumed to be given by some expres-
sion and then it is shown to satisfy the given
problem. This is a standard practice but sometimes
Copyright  2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
1361
the beginners may wonder how such a solution
might be dreamt of. Some instances are the state-
space solution of time-varying systems, state-
transition matrix, proof of the main theorem of
controllability criteria and the fundamental matrix
throw him out of gear and his motivation may be
impaired. The solution of vector matrix di!erential
equation known as the variation of parameter for-
mula if derived using variation of parameter method
may be much more appreciated as it proceeds
without knowing the solution a priori.
The stability of a continuous time-system
xR "Ax(t) can be determined by "nding the (i) the
eigenvalues of A, (ii) the characteristic polynomial
of A and then applying the Routh}Hurwitz cri-
terion, (iii) solving the matrix Lyapunov's equa-
tion and (iv) by computing the inertia of A.
Method (ii) is not numerically stable, while solving
matrix Lyapunov's equation (iii) in a numerically
method (iv) is three times faster than that of (i) and
in practice works quite well [5].
There are two methods discussed in designing
transformations to reduce the system matrix to
a canonical form and (ii) by solving Sylvester's
equation. The structure of Sylvester's equation ad-
mits of an extension to an observer's design for
a time-varying multivariable system in an
obvious way while canonical form based method
does not. A comparison of the estimated states
obtained by these two methods and reference to
any other merits and demerits could have set the
readers on a "rm footing which one is to be of his
choice.
In the Preface, the author wished the book to be
useful to practicing engineers because it contains
many design procedures. Had there been an
example taken from an industrial process repre-
sented by a reasonably simpli"ed mathematical
model in the book and a controller design done
with the design methodologies developed in the
book, whatever doubt one might have in his mind
would have been vanished seeing the success of the
illustration. Otherwise in the industry, the entre-
preneurs will still favor the PID controllers and the
classical design procedure using gain and phase
margin and Bode plots. In this new edition, exam-
ples using MATLAB威 are given which created an
Int. J. Robust Nonlinear Control 2000; 10:1359}1366
 1362 BOOK REVIEWS
added attraction to the computer crazy students,
but it is a little disappointing not to "nd any
reference to MATLAB威 in the index at the end.
How to select design speci"cations? } an extremely
nontrivial question in the Control Systems par-
lance did not even receive a marginal attention in
the book.
The Jordan's form is introduced because it will
be useful to establish a number of results. The cri-
teria for controllability and observability can be
given in a neat way in terms of Jordan-form state
equations. Also results related to marginal and
asymptotic stability can be provided a sharp proof
using Jordan's form. However this Jordan's form
cannot be derived from a given matrix in a numer-
ically stable way and no MATLAB威 subroutine is
available for it. If the stability is classi"ed as ZIS
(zero input response is stable) and BIBO stable
(bounded input generates a bounded output) then
many de"nitions related to stability may have
a smarter look. The main di!erence between these
two de"nitions is that one refers to the growth of
the outputs and the other to that of the inputs. If
the system is stabilizable and detectable these two
concepts are equivalent for a linear system i.e., ZIS
implies and implied by BIBO stability.
Concluding, I must emphasize that C.T. Chen's
present edition of Linear System Theory and
POLYNOMIAL METHODS FOR CONTROL SYSTEMS
DESIGN, M. J. Grimble and V. Kucera (Eds)
Springer, London, UK, 1996 ISBN 3540760776.
1. INTRODUCTION
Filtering and control theory has often su!ered
a traditional dichotomy between frequency-do-
main and state-space techniques. For instance, en-
gineers working in the "eld of signal processing or
telecommunications have shown to prefer Wiener
"lters which, by their opinion, provides immediate
engineering insight. On the contrary, mathemat-
ically oriented scientists preferred the state-space
Kalman "ltering approach, which has been con-
sidered more #exible and suited for extensions to
time-varying systems or "nite horizon criteria. The
same rationale could be applied to control prob-
lems where frequency-domain-based design and
Copyright  2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Design has a benign attraction which will keep
a self-study reader absorbed till it is completed.
I personally feel that the present edition will turn
out to be an excellent text book for senior/,rst-
year graduate courses on linear systems and multi-
variable system design in electrical, mechanical,
chemical and aeronautical departments. The present
book under review is a welcome addition to other
texts in the "eld [1}5].
KANTI BHUSHAN DATTA
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur-721302, India
REFERENCES
1. Rugh WJ. ¸inear System ¹heory (2nd Edn). Prentice-
Hall: Englewood Cli!s, NJ, 1996.
2. Antsaklis PJ, Michel AN. ¸inear Systems. McGraw-
Hill: New York, 1997.
3. Bay JS. Fundamentals of ¸inear State Space Systems.
McGraw-Hill: New York, 1999.
4. Aplevich JD. ¹he Essentials of ¸inear State Space
Systems. Wiley: New York, 2000.
5. Datta BN. Numerical Methods for ¸inear Control Sys-
tems Design and Analysis. Academic Press: San Diego,
CA, to be published.
optimal control methods in state space have often
been taken as paradigmatic examples of the above
dichotomy.
In H control, at least three di!erent methods

can be taken out from the existing literature. The
"rst refers to state-space solutions, basically in-
herited by the celebrated LQG problem [1}3]. The
second approach, namely the Wiener}Hopf solu-
tion, is an analytical design technique, inherently
open-loop, for systems described by transfer func-
tions [4}6]. Finally, the polynomial (Diophantine
equations) solution is based on proper stable
fractional representations of rational transfer
functions [7}11]. Analogies and di!erences can be
established between these methods, each of them
being an attractive alternative in certain situations.
Spurred by the issue of robustness of stability
and performances at the face of uncertainties, the
theory of H control came to the stage thanks to

the pioneering paper by Zames [12], where the
problem was "rst posed in an input}output setting.
Int. J. Robust Nonlinear Control 2000; 10:1359}1366