Abstract

This paper addresses the design of full order linear dynamic output feedback controllers for flexible structures. Unstructured H∞ uncertainty models are introduced for systems in modal coordinates and in reduced order form. Then a controller is designed in order to minimize a given H2 performance function while keeping the maximum supported H∞ perturbation below some appropriate level. To solve this problem we develop an algorithm able to provide local optimal solutions to optimization problems with convex constraints and non-convex but differentiable objective functions. A controller design procedure based on a trade-off curve is proposed and a simple example is solved, providing a comparison between the proposed method and the usual minimization of an upper bound H2 to the norm. The method is applied to two different flexible structure theoretical models and the properties of the resulting controllers are shown in several simulations.