The book is devoted to systems with discontinuous control. The study of
discontinuous dynamic systems is a multifacet problem which embraces
mathematical, control theoretic and application aspects. Times and
again, this problem has been approached by mathematicians, physicists
and engineers, each profession treating it from its own positions.
Interestingly, the results obtained by specialists in different
disciplines have almost always had a significant effect upon the
development of the control theory. It suffices to mention works on the
theory of oscillations of discontinuous nonlinear systems, mathematical
studies in ordinary differential equations with discontinuous righthand
parts or variational problems in nonclassic statements. The unremitting
interest to discontinuous control systems enhanced by their effective
application to solution of problems most diverse in their physical
nature and functional purpose is, in the author's opinion, a cogent
argument in favour of the importance of this area of studies. It seems a
useful effort to consider, from a control theoretic viewpoint, the
mathematical and application aspects of the theory of discontinuous
dynamic systems and determine their place within the scope of the
present-day control theory. The first attempt was made by the author in
1975-1976 in his course on "The Theory of Discontinuous Dynamic Systems"
and "The Theory of Variable Structure Systems" read to post-graduates at
the University of Illinois, USA, and then presented in 1978-1979 at the
seminars held in the Laboratory of Systems with Discontinous Control at
the Institute of Control Sciences in Moscow.