Successive approximation procedure of optimal tracking control for nonlinear similar composite systems

The optimal tracking control (OTC) problem for a class of affine nonlinear composite systems with similar structure is considered. By using a modeling technique, the nonlinear similar composite system is first transformed into some quasi-decoupled subsystems. Then the high-order, strongly coupled, nonlinear two-point boundary value (TPBV) problem is transformed into a sequence of linear decoupled TPBV problems through a successive approximation procedure. The obtained OTC law consists of an accurate linear term and a nonlinear compensation term which is the limit of the adjoint vector sequence. A suboptimal tracking control law is obtained by truncating a finite iterative result of the adjoint vector sequence as its nonlinear compensation term.