An Algorithm for Nonlinear Process Stabilization and Control

Automized stabilization and control of computer-controlled nonlinear processes is considered. A new algorithm which constitutes a combination of Popov's and of Jury and Lee's stability criteria with a nonlinear programming approach is proposed. The algorithm is applied to a digitally controlled antenna tracking system and the operation is simulated on an IBM 360/91 computer. The solution involves a novel application of nonlinear programming algorithms to problems with complex variables. A comparative study of various unconstrained minimization methods used by the proposed algorithm was performed.