Special issue on: advances in multidimensional systems and signal processing

Abstract

The past five decades, in particular, have seen a continually growing interest in so-called two-dimensional (2D) or, more generally, multidimensional (nD) systems. This is clearly related to the wide variety of applications of both practical and/or theoretical interest. The key unique feature of an nD system is that the plant or process dynamics (input, output and state variables) depend on more than one indeterminate and hence information is propagated in several independent directions. Many physical processes have a clear nD structure. Also, the nD approach is frequently used as an analysis tool to assist, or in some cases enable, the solution of a wide variety of problems. A key point is that the applications areas for nD systems theory/engineering can be found within the general areas of Circuits, Control (with particular emphasis for Repetitive Processes and Iterative Learning Control) and Signal Processing (and many others). There are also still many unsolved problems in this area, solving of which requires new sophisticated mathematical methods and hence mathematical nD systems theory is still hot and developing extensively. The objective of this special issue is to report some recent advances in multidimensional systems and signal processing, in both theoretical development and practical applications. The contributions in this special issue can be grouped into three thematic areas: