On recursive computation of coprime factorizations of rational matrices

Abstract

General computational methods based on descriptor state-space realizations are proposed to compute coprime factorizations of rational matrices with minimum degree denominators. The new methods rely on recursive pole dislocation techniques, which allow to successively place all poles of the factors into a “good” region of the complex plane. The resulting McMillan degree of the denominator factor is equal to the number of poles lying in the complementary “bad” region and therefore is minimal. The developed pole dislocation techniques are instrumental for devising numerically reliable procedures for the computation of coprime factorizations with proper and stable factors of arbitrary improper rational matrices and coprime factorizations with inner denominators. Implementation aspects of the proposed algorithms are discussed and illustrative examples are given.