A general design philosophy for self-adaptive control systems is outlined. The selection of a suitable self-adaptive performance criterion (SAPC) for a given system application is considered. The relationship between the SAPC chosen for a particular system and the resulting system complexity is discussed. Problems of measuring the SAPC and adjusting the parameters to achieve desired performance are illustrated by examples.
Stability of self-adaptive control system is considered from a general point of view. A method for considering the stability-in-the-small for the general self-adaptive control system by a method of perturbation is described. This method also determines the dynamic performance of the self-adaptive controller when the system is subjected to a changing environment.