Automatic Control Theory
Tutorial 2
Systems Representation
Dr. Abusabah I. A. Ahmed
abusabah22@[Link]
Block Diagram
❑ Block diagrams consist of :
✓ Blocks – these represent subsystems – typically modeled
by, and labeled with, a transfer function
✓ Signals – inputs and outputs of blocks – signal direction
indicated by arrows – could be voltage, velocity, force, etc.
✓ Summing junctions – points were signals are
algebraically summed – subtraction indicated by a negative
sign near where the signal joins the summing junction
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Block Diagram
Find the closed-loop transfer function of the following
system through block-diagram simplification
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Block Diagram
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Block Diagram
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Block Diagram
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Block Diagram
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Block Diagram
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Block Diagram
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Block Diagram
Multiple Input Systems
Systems often have more than one input
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Block Diagram
Multiple Input Systems
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Block Diagram
Multiple Input Systems
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Block Diagram
Multiple Input Systems
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Signal Flow Graphs
❑ Signal flow graphs consist of:
✓ Nodes –represent signals
✓ Branches –represent system blocks
✓ Branches labeled with system transfer functions
✓ Nodes (sometimes) labeled with signal names
✓ Arrows indicate signal flow direction
✓ Implicit summation at nodes
✓ Always a positive sum
✓ Negative signs associated with branch transfer functions
❑ Signal flow graphs – more often used when dealing with
state-space system models.
❑ Block diagrams – more often used when dealing with
transfer function system models.
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Signal Flow Graphs
Convert to a signal flow graph
Label all signals, then place a node for each as follows
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Signal Flow Graphs
Convert to a signal flow graph
Connect nodes with branches
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule
❑ We’ve seen how to reduce a complicated block diagram to a
single input-to-output transfer function
✓ Many successive simplifications
❑ Mason’s rule provides a formula to calculate the same overall
transfer function:
✓ Single application of the formula
✓ Can get complicated
❑ Before presenting the Mason’s rule formula, we need to
define some terminology
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule
Loop Gain
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule
Forward Path Gain
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule
Non-Touching Loops
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule
Non-Touching Loop Gains
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule Example
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule Example
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule Example
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Signal Flow Graphs
Mason’s Rule Example
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Signal Flow Graphs
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Signal Flow Graphs
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Thank You
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