Flatness approach and its application to distributed parameter systems

Flatness approach is a straightforward method to solve the control problems of flat systems which are a class of systems whose states and control inputs can be expressed by the so-called flat outputs. Some results about flatness of systems and the advantages of studying flatness approach are presented in this paper. By using flatness approach, the controllability and other control problems for some distributed parameter systems are solved. Taking parabolic and hyperbolic systems for instances, this paper summarizes the application of flatness approach in the controllability and motion planning.