In view of the importance of system identification, the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) and the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS) hold symposia on this topic every three years. Interest in continuous time approaches to system identification has been growing in recent years. This is evident from the fact that the of invited sessions on continuous time systems has increased from one in the 8th number Symposium that was held in Beijing in 1988 to three in the 9th Symposium in Budapest in 1991. It was during the 8th Symposium in August 1988 that the idea of bringing together important results on the topic of Identification of continuous time systems was conceived. Several distinguished colleagues, who were with us in Beijing at that time, encouraged us by promising on the spot to contribute to a comprehensive volume of collective work. Subsequently, we contacted colleagues all over the world, known for their work in this area, with a formal request to contribute to the proposed volume. The response was prompt and overwhelmingly encouraging. We sincerely thank all the authors for their valuable contributions covering various aspects of identification of continuous time systems.

This is the first book dedicated to direct continuous-time model identification for 15 years. It cuts down on time spent hunting through journals by providing an overview of much recent research in an increasingly busy field. The CONTSID toolbox discussed in the final chapter gives an overview of developments and practical examples in which MATLAB® can be used for direct time-domain identification of continuous-time systems. This is a valuable reference for a broad audience.

Models of dynamical systems are required for various purposes in the field of systems and control. The models are handled either in discrete time (DT) or in continuous time (CT). Physical systems give rise to models only in CT because they are based on physical laws which are invariably in CT. In system identification, indirect methods provide DT models which are then converted into CT. Methods of directly identifying CT models are preferred to the indirect methods for various reasons. The direct methods involve a primary stage of signal processing, followed by a secondary stage of parameter estimation. In the primary stage, the measured signals are processed by a general linear dynamic operation—computational or realized through prefilters, to preserve the system parameters in their native CT form—and the literature is rich on this aspect. In this book: Identification of Continuous-Time Systems-Linear and Robust Parameter Estimation, Allamaraju Subrahmanyam and Ganti Prasada Rao consider CT system models that are linear in their unknown parameters and propose robust methods of estimation. This book complements the existing literature on the identification of CT systems by enhancing the secondary stage through linear and robust estimation. In this book, the authors provide an overview of CT system identification, consider Markov-parameter models and time-moment models as simple linear-in-parameters models for CT system identification, bring them into mainstream model parameterization via basis functions, present a methodology to robustify the recursive least squares algorithm for parameter estimation of linear regression models, suggest a simple off-line error quantification scheme to show that it is possible to quantify error even in the absence of informative priors, and indicate some directions for further research. This modest volume is intended to be a useful addition to the literature on identifying CT systems.

Bringing together important advances in the field of continuous system identification, this book deals with both parametric and nonparametric methods. It pays special attention to the problem of retaining continuous model parameters in the estimation equations, to which all the existing techniques used in estimating discrete models may be applied. It is aimed at both the academic researcher and the control engineer in industry. The techniques covered range from certain simple numerical or graphical methods applicable to some of the frequently encountered model forms, to attractive recursive algorithms for continuous model identification suitable for real time implementation. These include the recent methods based on orthogonal functions such as those of Walsh and Poisson moment functionals. Some techniques based on stable model adaptation principles are also presented and illustrated.

In view of the importance of system identification, the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) and the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS) hold symposia on this topic every three years. Interest in continuous time approaches to system identification has been growing in recent years. This is evident from the fact that the of invited sessions on continuous time systems has increased from one in the 8th number Symposium that was held in Beijing in 1988 to three in the 9th Symposium in Budapest in 1991. It was during the 8th Symposium in August 1988 that the idea of bringing together important results on the topic of Identification of continuous time systems was conceived. Several distinguished colleagues, who were with us in Beijing at that time, encouraged us by promising on the spot to contribute to a comprehensive volume of collective work. Subsequently, we contacted colleagues all over the world, known for their work in this area, with a formal request to contribute to the proposed volume. The response was prompt and overwhelmingly encouraging. We sincerely thank all the authors for their valuable contributions covering various aspects of identification of continuous time systems.

This book concentrates on the problem of accurate modeling of linear systems. It presents a thorough description of a method of modeling a linear dynamic invariant system by its transfer function. The first two chapters provide a general introduction and review for those readers who are unfamiliar with identification theory so that they have a sufficient background knowledge for understanding the methods described later. The main body of the book looks at the basic method used by the authors to estimate the parameter of the transfer function, how it is possible to optimize the excitation signals. Further chapters extend the estimation method proposed. Applications are then discussed and the book concludes with practical guidelines which illustrate the method and offer some rules-of-thumb.

This book is intended for use in teaching undergraduate courses on continuous-time signals and systems in engineering (and related) disciplines. It has been used for several years for teaching purposes in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Victoria and has been very well received by students. This book provides a detailed introduction to continuous-time signals and systems, with a focus on both theory and applications. The mathematics underlying signals and systems is presented, including topics such as: properties of signals, properties of systems, convolution, Fourier series, the Fourier transform, frequency spectra, and the bilateral and unilateral Laplace transforms. Applications of the theory are also explored, including: filtering, equalization, amplitude modulation, sampling, feedback control systems, circuit analysis, and Laplace-domain techniques for solving differential equations. Other supplemental material is also included, such as: a detailed introduction to MATLAB, a review of complex analysis, and an exploration of time-domain techniques for solving differential equations. Throughout the book, many worked-through examples are provided. Problem sets are also provided for each major topic covered.