Optimal approximation of stable linear systems with a novel and efficient optimization algorithm

Optimal approximation of linear system models is an important task in the controller design and simulation for complex dynamic systems. In this paper, we put forward a novel nature-based meta-heuristic method, called artificial raindrop algorithm, which is inspired from the phenomenon of natural rainfall, and apply it for optimal approximation of a stable linear system. It mimics the changing process of a raindrop, including the generation of raindrop, the descent of raindrop, the collision of raindrop, the flowing of raindrop and the updating of raindrop. Five corresponding operators are designed in the algorithm. Numerical experiment is carried on the optimal approximation of a typical stable linear system in two fixed search intervals. The result demonstrates better performance of the proposed algorithm comparing with that of other five state-of-the-art optimization algorithms.