Optimal Design and Multicriteria Control

Abstract

The efficiency with which the majority of engineering systems function, be it an automobile, an aircraft, or their engines, to a considerable extent depends on how close to perfect is the system design and how high is the quality of control of the regulated parts of the system. It should be noted that by quality of control we imply the operating efficiency of an automatic control system rather than the quality of the controlling actions of a person. The traditional approach to creating controlled engineering systems involves the solution of two optimization problems: the problem of optimal design and the problem of optimal control. These problems are solved successively and independently of each other. As a rule, the requirements for the efficiency of the automatic control system are not taken into account at the design stage. This philosophy is reflected even in the structure of organizations dealing with the development of complex engineering systems; in such organizations, design and control problems are solved in different departments.