摘要：This paper surveys the results of observer design for linear time-invariant(L-T-I) deterministic irreducible open-loop systems(OLS), the most basic type of OLS. An observer estimates Kxx(t) signal where K is a constant and x(t) is the state vector of the OLS. Thus, an observer can be used as a feedback controller that implements state feedback control(SFC) or Kxx(t)-control,and observer design is therefore utterly important in all feedback control designs of state space theory. In this survey, the observer design results are divided into three categories and for three respective main purposes. The first category of observers estimate signal Kxx(t) only with a given K, and this survey has four conclusions: 1) Function observer that estimates Kxx(t) directly is more general than state observer that estimates x(t), and may be designed with order lower than that of state observer, and the additional design objective is to minimize observer order; 2) The function observer design problem has already been simplified to the solving of a single set of linear equations only while seeking the lowest possible number of rows of the solution matrix, and an apparently most effective and general algorithm of solving such a problem can guarantee unified upper and lower bounds of the observer order; 3) Because such a single set of linear equations is the simplest possible theoretical formulation of the design problem and such theoretical observer order bounds are the lowest possible, and because the general, simple, and explicit theoretical formula for the function observer order itself do not exist, the theoretical part of this design problem is solved; 4) Because the function observer order is generically near its upper bound, further improvement on the computational design algorithm so that the corresponding observer order can be further reduced,is generically not worthwhile. The second category of observers further realize the loop transfer function and robustness properties of t

摘要：Recently, the conditions of observers that can estimate directly Kx（t） for an arbitrarily given K, and that are free of the effect of time delayed states of the system, are formulated. This paper points out that, because of the equivalence in formulation, the existing conditions for unknown input observers can be used to establish directly a new set of sufficient conditions for that recent observer. This new set of sufficient conditions is much simpler, and therefore much more useful and significant, than the sufficient conditions derived in that recent paper. This new set of sufficient conditions also reveals some basic mistakes of that recent paper. In addition, this paper reveals the severe restrictiveness of this new set of conditions and proposes a fundamentally new observer design formulation that can relax that set of conditions significantly.

摘要：最小阶线性函数观测器直接估测Kx(t)信号,其中K是任意给定的.这个观测器的极点在设计时也是任意给定的.1986年发表的一个设计程序所要解的公式是将这一设计问题简化成的一组线性方程组,保证设计出来的观测器阶数的上下限也是至今为止最低的.自1986年以来,上述的这一线性方程组已被宣称定性为这一设计问题的最可能简单的公式,上述的观测器阶数的上下限也已被宣称定性为最可能低的上下限.本文进一步证明和宣称定性这一1986年的结果是这一设计问题的最可能好的理论结果.这一宣称定性的重大意义可由以下两个事实来说明.首先这一明确而决定性的宣称定性是该结果发表26年后才作出的.其次相比最近发表的一篇相关论文,该文只是将整个设计问题推导成复杂得多的公式,没能提出真正系统地计算该复杂公式的解的计算程序,却宣称只有该文才得到了整个设计问题的解!