Survey of gain-scheduling analysis and design

The gain-scheduling approach is perhaps one of the most popular non-linear control design approaches which has been widely and successfully applied in fields ranging from aerospace to process control. Despite the wide application of gain-scheduling controllers and a diverse academic literature relating to gain-scheduling extending back nearly thirty years, there is a notable lack of a formal review of the literature. Moreover, whilst much of the classical gain-scheduling theory originates from the 1960s, there has recently been a considerable increase in interest in gain-scheduling in the literature with many new results obtained. An extended review of the gain-scheduling literature therefore seems both timely and appropriate. The scope of this paper includes the main theoretical results and design procedures relating to continuous gain-scheduling (in the sense of decomposition of non-linear design into linear sub-problems) control with the aim of providing both a critical overview and a useful entry point into the relevant literature.