An experimental study of nonlinear dynamic system identification

A technique for robust identification of nonlinear dynamic systems is developed and illustrated using both simulations and analog experiments. The technique is based on the Minimum Model Error optimal estimation approach. A detailed literature review is included in which fundamental differences between the current approach and previous work is described. The most significant feature of the current work is the ability to identify nonlinear dynamic systems without prior assumptions regarding the form of the nonlinearities, in constrast to existing nonlinear identification approaches which usually require detailed assumptions of the nonlinearities. The example illustrations indicate that the method is robust with respect to prior ignorance of the model, and with respect to measurement noise, measurement frequency, and measurement record length.