Decentralized optimal control with overlapping decompositions

Decentralized optimal output feedback controller design is considered within the framework of extension and overlapping decompositions. It is shown that an overlapping decentralized output feedback control law which stabilizes the system and satisfies the necessary conditions of optimality for the original system can be obtained by simply contracting a decentralized nonoverlapping output feedback control law which achieves stability and satisfies the necessary conditions of optimality for the expanded system. The details of overlapping controller design for a particular pattern of overlapping are presented.