Advanced Nonlinear and Hybrid Systems Control Technology

This small business innovative research phase I project from Sagent Corporation addresses the need to develop and demonstrate high-performance nonlinear, adaptive, and hybrid systems cdontrol technology for precision multi-target, multi-platform fire-on-the-move applications including armor, air defense and aircraft system applications. Reliance on incremental improvements in linear, fixed-point controllers as the means of implementing control of real-time systems has been a primary source of ever-increasing software costs associated with fielding new weapon systems. Recent developments in adaptive control and robust multivariable control also fall short of the need for flexible integration of safety constraings and performance constraints for futrue combat systems. Fuzzy logic and neural net controllers do not provide a means of integrating command and control logic with real-time control software. This project will further develo9 the Multiple-Agent Hybrid Control Architecture (MAHCA) as a means to synchronize operation of the diverse system components being developed for future multi-platform, fire-on-the-move applications. This will result i the integration of previous results for single-agent precision stabilizatio and tracking control of a highly nonlinear plant with other results for multiple-agent modeling of the multi-platform engagement problem.