This volume represents most aspects of the rich and growing field of nonlinear control. These proceedings contain 78 papers, including six plenary lectures, striking a balance between theory and applications. Subjects covered include feedback stabilization, nonlinear and adaptive control of electromechanical systems, nonholonomic systems. Generalized state space systems, algebraic computing in nonlinear systems theory, decoupling, linearization and model-matching and robust control are also covered.

The purpose of this book is to present a self-contained description of the fun damentals of the theory of nonlinear control systems, with special emphasis on the differential geometric approach. The book is intended as a graduate text as weil as a reference to scientists and engineers involved in the analysis and design of feedback systems. The first version of this book was written in 1983, while I was teach ing at the Department of Systems Science and Mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis. This new edition integrates my subsequent teaching experience gained at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 1987, at the Carl-Cranz Gesellschaft in Oberpfaffenhofen in 1987, at the University of California in Berkeley in 1988. In addition to a major rearrangement of the last two Chapters of the first version, this new edition incorporates two additional Chapters at a more elementary level and an exposition of some relevant research findings which have occurred since 1985.

In the last two decades, the development of specific methodologies for the control of systems described by nonlinear mathematical models has attracted an ever increasing interest. New breakthroughs have occurred which have aided the design of nonlinear control systems. However there are still limitations which must be understood, some of which were addressed at the IFAC Symposium in Capri. The emphasis was on the methodological developments, although a number of the papers were concerned with the presentation of applications of nonlinear design philosophies to actual control problems in chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering.

The series of IFAC Symposia on Nonlinear Control Systems provides the ideal forum for leading researchers and practitioners who work in the field to discuss and evaluate the latest research and developments. This publication contains the papers presented at the 3rd IFAC Symposium in the series which was held in Tahoe City, California, USA.

The purpose of this book is to present a self-contained description of the fundamentals of the theory of nonlinear control systems, with special emphasis on the differential geometric approach. The book is intended as a graduate text as well as a reference to scientists and engineers involved in the analysis and design of feedback systems. The first version of this book was written in 1983, while I was teaching at the Department of Systems Science and Mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis. This new edition integrates my subsequent teaching experience gained at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 1987, at the Carl Cranz Gesellschaft in Oberpfaffenhofen in 1987, at the University of California in Berkeley in 1988. In addition to a major rearrangement of the last two Chapters of the first version, this new edition incorporates two additional Chapters at a more elementary level and an exposition of some relevant research findings which have occurred since 1985. In the past few years differential geometry has proved to be an effective means of analysis and design of nonlinear control systems as it was in the past for the Laplace transform, complex variable theory and linear algebra in relation to linear systems. Synthesis problems of longstanding interest like disturbance decoupling, noninteracting control, output regulation, and the shaping of the input-output response, can be dealt with relative ease, on the basis of mathematical concepts that can be easily acquired by a control scientist.

"Analysis and Design of Nonlinear Control Systems" provides a comprehensive and up to date introduction to nonlinear control systems, including system analysis and major control design techniques. The book is self-contained, providing sufficient mathematical foundations for understanding the contents of each chapter. Scientists and engineers engaged in the field of Nonlinear Control Systems will find it an extremely useful handy reference book. Dr. Daizhan Cheng, a professor at Institute of Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been working on the control of nonlinear systems for over 30 years and is currently a Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of IFAC, he is also the chairman of Technical Committee on Control Theory, Chinese Association of Automation.