New approach to hierarchical decomposition of large scale systems

A technique for the hierarchical decomposition of large-scale systems is proposed. It results in a noniterative scheme for near-optimal control of both linear and nonlinear large-scale systems. In this approach, the role of the coordinator module is that of a supervisory controller whose task is to establish the strategy for distributing the overall system demands among each of the subsystems according to their performance and plant status. Each subsystem's controller relays in optimal control algorithms based on uncertain dynamics methods. The solution to each subsystem's optimal control problem is based on Pontryagin's maximum principle and the time-reversal paradigm for free-terminal-time problems. This approach transforms the two-point boundary value problem into an initial value problem which permits integration of both the state and adjoint equations forward in time. For those control problems for which the two-point boundary value formulation can be transformed into an initial value case, this approach will permit online implementation of nonlinear hierarchical controllers for large-scale systems.