Control and Estimation With Preview: Differential Games, Geometric & Analytic Constraints

Gilead Tadmor, Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Abstract: In this talk we shall review a series of results pertaining to robust and optimal (i.e., H^\infty and H^2) control and estimation, where a certain level of latency is allowed: In the control context, the common term of reference is "preview control" and in the estimation context, this set of problems is known as "fixed-lag" smoothing. These results represent joint work by the speaker and Prof. Leonid Mirkin (Technion, Israel).

The results will include, as time allows, the first complete solution for both the continuous and the discrete case, of the H^\infty preview control problem, H^2 feed-forward tracking and estimation problems with an FIR design that includes optimization of the preview/smoothing length, and a detailed analysis of limiting factors on achievable performance in the continuous- and discrete-time fixed-lag smoothing problem. What characterizes the technical approach leading to these results is the integration of a geometric, Hilbert-space / operator interpolation perspective, semigroup tools, and classical time domain differential games / variational viewpoint.

Gilead Tadmor received his B.Sc. (1977) from Tel Aviv University and the M.Sc. (1979) and Ph.D. in (1984) degrees from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, all in mathematics. In 1989 he joined Northeastern University where he is a professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and of Mathematics, and currently serves as the Director of the Communications & Digital Signal Processing Center for Research and Graduate Studies. He has also held research, faculty and visiting positions at Tel Aviv University, Brown University, the University of Texas (Dallas), the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems at M.I.T, SatCon Technology Corp., the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Technion. Dr. Tadmor's background is in the areas of robust and optimal control, distributed parameter systems, and mathematical systems theory. His recent active interests include robust and nonlinear control with applications in modeling and control of fluid flow systems, dynamic cardiac imaging and neural systems.