MULTIVARIABLE CONTROL
Analysis and Design
COURSE OUTLINE
i. A brief outline of the design process for control systems.
ii. Linear models and transfer functions.
[Link] scaling of variables.
[Link] most important notation.
v. Introduction to multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems.
[Link] singular value decomposition (SVD), multivariable control, and multivariable right-half
plane (RHP) zeros.
[Link] of the effect of uncertainty in MIMO systems with examples.
viii. A general control configuration that can be used to formulate control problems.
Multivariable Control
Analysis and Design
Multivariable control and design refer to the process of
controlling systems with multiple inputs and multiple
outputs (MIMO).
This is common in engineering systems where multiple
variables need to be controlled simultaneously to
achieve desired performance.
Key Concepts
▪ Multivariable Systems: These are systems with more than one input
and more than one output, which makes their control more complex
compared to single-input single-output (SISO) systems.
▪ Decoupling: In multivariable control, decoupling is the process of
designing controllers to minimize the interactions between different
inputs and outputs, allowing for more independent control.
▪ Multivariable Control Strategies: These include techniques like state-
space control, multivariable PID control, and model predictive control
(MPC), which are used to design controllers for multivariable systems.
▪ Design Considerations: When designing multivariable control
systems, factors such as stability, performance, robustness, and
interaction between variables need to be carefully considered.
▪ Tools and Software: Various software tools like MATLAB, Simulink,
and control system design software are commonly used for the
analysis and design of multivariable control systems.
Applications
Multivariable control and design are widely used in various
engineering fields, including chemical process control, aerospace
systems, automotive control systems, and industrial automation.
In summary, multivariable control and design are essential for
managing complex systems with multiple inputs and outputs, and they
involve advanced control strategies and considerations to achieve
effective and robust control
DESIGN PROCESS
The process of control system design
A step-by-step design procedure for the process of control system design as follows:
1. Study the system (plant) to be controlled and obtain initial information about the control objectives.
2. Model the system and simplify the model, if necessary.
3. Scale the variables and analyze the resulting model; determine its properties.
4. Decide which variables are to be controlled (controlled outputs).
5. Decide on the measurements and manipulated variables: what and where sensors and actuators will be used.
6. Select the control configuration.
7. Decide on the type of controller to be used.
8. Decide on performance specifications, based on the overall control objectives.
9. Design a controller.
10. Analyse the resulting controlled system.
11. Simulate the resulting controlled system, either on a computer or a pilot plant.
12. Choose hardware and software and implement the controller.
13. Test and validate the control system, and tune the controller on-line, if necessary.
GOALS OF FEEDBACK CONTROL
Change dynamic response of a system to have desired properties.
▪ System stabilized, has good transient and steady-state response.
▪ Output of system tracks reference input.
▪ Disturbances are rejected.
MULTIVARIABLE, STATE-SPACE
CONTROL
▪ Use primarily time-domain matrix representations of systems.
▪ Very powerful. Can often place poles anywhere we want!
▪ Same methods work for single-input, single-output (SISO) or multi-input, multi-output
(MIMO or multivariable) systems.
▪ Both regulator poles and estimator poles need to be placed— Where should they go?
THE CONTROL PROBLEM
The objective of a control system is to make the output y behave in a
desired way by manipulating the plant input u. The regulator problem
is to manipulate u to counteract the effect of a disturbance d. The
servo problem is to manipulate u to keep the output close to a given
reference input r.
The control error e = y - r to be small.
The algorithm for adjusting u based on the available
information is the controller K.
Linear models of the form y = Gu + Gdd
MODEL UNCERTAINTY
Instead of a single model G we may study the behaviour of a
class of models,
Gp = G + E,
where the model “uncertainty” or “perturbation” E is bounded,
but otherwise unknown.
WEIGHTING FUNCTIONS
weighting functions, are used to express E = in terms
of normalized perturbations, , where the magnitude (norm)
of is less than or equal to 1. The following terms are useful
•
x = Ax + Bu
MULTI-INPUT MULTI-OUTPUT (MIMO) SYSTEMS
Transfer Functions for MIMO Systems
Block diagrams for the cascade rule and the feedback rule
The following three rules are useful when evaluating transfer functions for
MIMO systems.
Cascade rule. For the cascade (series) interconnection of G1 and G2 in Figure
above, the overall transfer function matrix is G = G2G1
Feedback rule. With reference to the positive feedback system in Figure above,
we have v = ( I − L) − 1u where L = G G is the tranfer function around the loop.
2 1
Push-through rule. For matrices of appropriate dimensions
Example: Find the transfer function from w to z in the block diagram below.
SOLUTION
Negative Feedback Control Systems
Conventional negative feedback control system
The loop transfer function L, a plant G and a feedback controller K
we have
The sensitivity and complementary sensitivity are then defined as
Multivariable Frequency Response Analysis
Obtaining the Frequency Response from G(s)
System G(s) with input d and output y
The frequency domain is ideal for studying directions in multivariable systems at
any given frequency.
NOTE: We here denote the input by d rather than by u to avoid confusion with the matrix U
used below in the singular value decomposition
Example
Directions in multivariable systems
Things are not quite as simple for MIMO systems where the input and output
signals are both vectors, and we need to “sum up” the magnitudes of the elements
in each vector by use of some norm. If we select the vector 2-norm, the usual
measure of length, then at a given frequency w the magnitude of the vector input
signal is the next equation.
▪ The figure below shows a functional plot of the matrix gain as a function of a parameterized
input direction.
▪ It is easy to see that maximum and minimum gains are achieved at distinct input vector
directions
Another way to visualize the singular value decomposition is presented below where the
domain and corresponding image of the input and output map are shown.
Eigenvalues are a poor measure of gain
Let demonstrate that the magnitudes of the eigenvalues
of a transfer function matrix, e.g. i (G ( j )) do not provide
a useful means of generalizing the SISO gain, G ( j ) .
Singular Value Decomposition (SVD)
SVD. Any complex l x m matrix A may be factorized into a singular value
decomposition. Here we are interested in its physical interpretation when applied
to the frequency response of a MIMO system G(s) with m inputs and l outputs.
i (G ( j ))
where the angles 1 and 2 depend on the given matrix. From above we see that the matrices U
and V involve rotations and that their columns are orthonormal. The singular values are
sometimes called the principal values or principal gains, and the associated directions are called
principal directions. In general, the singular values must be computed numerically. For 2 x 2
matrices however, analytic expressions for the singular values.
Some advantages of the SVD over the eigenvalue decomposition for
analyzing gains and directionality of multivariable plants are:
1. The singular values give better information about the gains of the
plant.
2. The plant directions obtained from the SVD are orthogonal.
3. The SVD also applies directly to non-square plants.