Nonlinear observer design using Lyapunov's auxiliary theorem

The present work proposes a new approach to the nonlinear observer design problem. Based on the early ideas that influenced the development of the linear Luenberger observer theory, the proposed approach develops a nonlinear analogue. The formulation of the observer design problem is realized via a system of first-order linear singular PDEs, and a rather general set of necessary and sufficient conditions for solvability is derived by using Lyapunov's auxiliary theorem. The solution to the above system of PDEs is locally analytic and this enables the development of a series solution method, that is easily programmable with the aid of a symbolic software package. Within the proposed design framework, both full-order and reduced-order observers are studied.