State-space H_∞ controller design for descriptor systems

Abstract This paper proposes a new linear matrix inequality (LMI) method to design state-space H_∞ controllers for linear time-invariant descriptor systems. Unlike preceding studies, where descriptor-type controllers are first computed and then numerically transformed to state-space controllers, the proposed method carries out the transformation analytically in the parameter domain. We derive a necessary and sufficient LMI condition for the existence of a state-space controller with the same dynamic order of the descriptor system to be controlled, which makes the closed-loop system regular, impulse-free, stable, and guarantees the H_∞ norm bound imposed on the closed-loop transfer function. Furthermore, we present parameterization of all such state-space controllers by variables satisfying the LMI condition and an arbitrary nonsingular matrix. The LMIs utilized in this paper are strict ones, that is, those containing no equality, while LMIs with equality constraints have been extensively used in the analysis and design for descriptor systems. The strict LMIs play key roles in deriving the results of this paper.