Karl Johan Åström
Encyclopedia
Karl Johan Åström is a notable Swedish control theorist, who made contributions to the fields of control theory
and control engineering
, computer control and adaptive control
.
, Sweden
, and received his M.Sc. in Engineering Physics (1957) and Ph.D. in Automatic Control and Mathematics (1960) from the Royal Institute of Technology
(KTH) in Stockholm
, where he also taught from 1955-1960 while working on inertial guidance for the Swedish Research Institute of National Defense.
In 1961 Åström joined the IBM Nordic Laboratory to work on computerized process control, with tours at IBM Research
in Yorktown Heights, New York
(1962) and San Jose, California
(1963). After his return he led efforts in the computer control of paper manufacturing machinery. In 1965, Åström was named Chair of the newly founded Department of Automatic Control at Lund University, Sweden.
From 1965 to 2002 he was chair of the Department of Automatic Control at Lund University
, where he is now Professor Emeritus. Since 2002 he has been Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara
.
Åström is a Fellow of the IEEE, member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
, Vice President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
(IVA), and a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Engineering
. He was awarded the ASME Rufus Oldenburger medal (1985) and the International Federation of Automatic Control
Quazza Medal (1987). In 1987 he was also awarded the degree Docteur Honoris Causa from l'Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble
. He received in 1989 the IEEE Donald G. Fink Prize Paper Award, in 1990 the IEEE Control Systems Science and Engineering Award, and in 1993 the IEEE Medal of Honor
for his "fundamental contributions to theory and applications of adaptive control technology".
Papers, a selection:
Control theory
Control theory is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and mathematics that deals with the behavior of dynamical systems. The desired output of a system is called the reference...
and control engineering
Control engineering
Control engineering or Control systems engineering is the engineering discipline that applies control theory to design systems with predictable behaviors...
, computer control and adaptive control
Adaptive control
Adaptive control is the control method used by a controller which must adapt to a controlled system with parameters which vary, or are initially uncertain. For example, as an aircraft flies, its mass will slowly decrease as a result of fuel consumption; a control law is needed that adapts itself...
.
Biography
Åström was born in ÖstersundÖstersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and received his M.Sc. in Engineering Physics (1957) and Ph.D. in Automatic Control and Mathematics (1960) from the Royal Institute of Technology
Royal Institute of Technology
The Royal Institute of Technology is a university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH was founded in 1827 as Sweden's first polytechnic and is one of Scandinavia's largest institutions of higher education in technology. KTH accounts for one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education...
(KTH) in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where he also taught from 1955-1960 while working on inertial guidance for the Swedish Research Institute of National Defense.
In 1961 Åström joined the IBM Nordic Laboratory to work on computerized process control, with tours at IBM Research
IBM Research
IBM Research, a division of IBM, is a research and advanced development organization and currently consists of eight locations throughout the world and hundreds of projects....
in Yorktown Heights, New York
Yorktown Heights, New York
Yorktown Heights is a census-designated place in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Yorktown Heights is located at ....
(1962) and San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
(1963). After his return he led efforts in the computer control of paper manufacturing machinery. In 1965, Åström was named Chair of the newly founded Department of Automatic Control at Lund University, Sweden.
From 1965 to 2002 he was chair of the Department of Automatic Control at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
, where he is now Professor Emeritus. Since 2002 he has been Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
.
Åström is a Fellow of the IEEE, member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
, Vice President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences or Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien , founded in 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
(IVA), and a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
. He was awarded the ASME Rufus Oldenburger medal (1985) and the International Federation of Automatic Control
International Federation of Automatic Control
The International Federation of Automatic Control , founded in September 1957, is a multinational federation of , each one representing the engineering and scientific societies concerned with automatic control in its own country.The aim of the Federation is to promote the science and technology of...
Quazza Medal (1987). In 1987 he was also awarded the degree Docteur Honoris Causa from l'Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble
Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble
The Grenoble Institute of Technology is a French technological university system consisting of six engineering schools....
. He received in 1989 the IEEE Donald G. Fink Prize Paper Award, in 1990 the IEEE Control Systems Science and Engineering Award, and in 1993 the IEEE Medal of Honor
IEEE Medal of Honor
The IEEE Medal of Honor is the highest recognition of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers . It has been awarded since 1917, when its first recipient was Major Edwin H. Armstrong. It is given for an exceptional contribution or an extraordinary career in the IEEE fields of...
for his "fundamental contributions to theory and applications of adaptive control technology".
Publications
- 1970. Introduction to Stochastic Control. Academic Press, 1970; Dover, 2006.
- 1989. Adaptive Control. With B Wittenmark. Addison-Wesley, 1989.
- 1996. Computer-controlled Systems, Theory and Design. With B Wittenmark. Prentice Hall, 1996.
- 2005. Advanced PID Control. With T Hägglund. ISA, 2005.
- 2008. Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers. With R. Murray. Princeton University Press, 2008.
Papers, a selection:
- KJ Åström, B Wittenmark. "On self-tuning regulators," Automatica, vol. 9, pp. 185–199, 1973.