Non-Linear Control Systems

Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad Rana

Recommended Books
• Nonlinear Systems
by Hassan Khalil
• Applied Nonlinear Control
by Jean-Jacques E. Slotine &Weiping Li
http://web.mit.edu/nsl/www/videos/lectures.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONshHl6J__I
 Introduction
• Deals with analysis and design nonlinear control
systems i.e. of control systems having at least one
nonlinear component.
• It is assumed that a nonlinear closed-loop system is
given, and we wish to determine the characteristics
of system’s behavior.
• In the design, we are given a nonlinear plant to be
controlled and some specifications of closed-loop
system behavior, and our task is to construct a
controller so that the closed-loop system meets the
desired characteristics
 Why Nonlinear Control
• Linear control is a mature subject with a
variety of powerful methods
• Why researchers from aircraft and spacecraft
control, robotics, process control, and
biomedical Engg. have recently shown interest
in development and application of nonlinear
control methodologies.
Many reasons for this are:
 Improving in existing control systems
Linear control methods
• Rely on key assumption of small range operation
for linear model to be valid.
• For large range poor performance/unstable
(because nonlinearities not compensated)
• In Robot motion: Nonlinear forces (Coriolis and
Centripetal vary as square of speed) been
neglected. Controller’s accuracy quickly degrades
as speed increase.
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/
fw/crls.rxml
• So to achieve pre-specified accuracy in robot tasks
(pick-and-place, arc welding, laser cutting) the speed
of motion, thus productivity, has to be kept low.

In Nonlinear Controllers:
May handle large range operations directly
(a large workspace), highly accurate for a very large
range of robot speed,
Simple NLC (computed torque controller) can fully
compensate the nonlinear forces in robot motion
 Analysis of Hard Nonlinearities
• Supposition in LC: System model is linearizable
• But discontinuous nature of some NLties
(Coulomb friction, saturation, backlash,
hysteresis) does not allow lin. approx called
HNLties. Their effects can’t be derived from linear
methods- they cause undesirable behavior like
instabilities, spurious(bastard) limit cycles
• Their effect must be predicted and compensated,
by using NL methods.
 Dealing with model uncertainties
• Supposed: model parameters are well-known
• But many control probs involve uncertainties, may be
due to slow time varying parameters (ambient air
pressure during flying aircraft) or abrupt change of
parameter (in inertial parameter of robot due to
grasping new object)
• LC based on inaccurate model parameters may
exhibit performance degradation, even instability
• Nonlinearities can be intentionally introduced in
controller part so that model uncertainties may be
tolerated
E.g. Robust and adaptive controllers for this purpose
 Design simplicity
• Good NLC designs may be simpler (than their linear
counterparts) as they are deeply rooted in the physics of the
plant.
• E.g. Swinging Pendulum, attached to a hing in vertical plane
• Starting from some arbitrary initial angle, it oscillates, then
stops along vertical. Its beh. could be analyzed by
linearizing the system, but physically its stability has very
little to do with the e-values of some linearized system
matrix:
• Actually, total mech energy of the system is progressively
dissipated by various friction forces (e.g at hing) so that
the pendulum comes to rest at a position of min energy
 Cost and performance optimality
• LCs may require high quality actuators and
sensors to produce linear behavior in the
specified operation range
• But NLC may permit the use of less expensive
components with NL characteristics
• As the performance optimality, we can cite
bang-bang type controllers which can
produce fast response and are inherently NL.
 Nonlinear Control
• Area of automatic control
• Learning techniques of its analysis can
enhance the ability of control engg to deal
with practical control probs effectively
• Provides sharper understanding of real world
viz inherently NL.
• In past computational difficulty associated
with NLC analysis, now computer tech.
• NLC for large range operations ….attracted,
and powerful microprocessors has made
implementation of NLCs simple matter
• Demand of high-speed high-accuracy robots,
high performance aircrafts
• Importance of NLC theory, clear from ever
increasing no. of papers, reports on NLC
research & applications
 Nonlinear System Behavior
• Physical systems are inherently NL which are
represented by NL DEqs.
• But if operating range of control system is
small and involved nonlinearities are smooth,
then the control systems may reasonably
approximated by a linearized system whose
dynamics is defined by a set of linear DEqs.
 Nonlinearities
• Inherent/natural: come with system’s
hardware and motion, e.g. centripetal forces
in rotational motion, Coulomb friction bet
contacting surfaces. They have undesirable
effects and control systems have to be
properly compensated for them.
• Intentional/artificial NLties: e.g. Adaptive
control laws and bang-bang optimal control
laws
 Continuous and discontinuous NLties
• Discontinuous NLties can’t be locally
approximated by linear funs, they are called
Hard NLties
 Linear Systems
LC theory predominantly deals with the study of
LTI control system of form 𝑥ሶ = 𝐴𝑥, 𝑥 being
state vector, 𝐴 system matrix
• A linear system has a unique eq pt, if 𝐴 is sing.
• Eq pt is stable if all e-values of 𝐴 have –ve real
parts, regardless of ICs.
• General solution can be solved analytically
 In the presence of external input u(t)
i.e. 𝑥ሶ = 𝐴𝑥 + 𝐵𝑢
The system response has properties:
• It satisfies principle of superposition
In electrical engineering, in a linear circuit, the input (an applied time-varying
voltage signal) is related to the output (a current or voltage anywhere in the circuit)
by a linear transformation. Thus, a superposition (i.e., sum) of input signals will
yield the superposition of the responses.

• Asmp stability of 𝑥ሶ = 𝐴𝑥 implies bounded-input

bounded-output stability in presence of 𝑢
• A sinusoidal input leads to sinusoidal output of
same freq.
 NL system behavior
Behavior of NL system is much more complex.
Due to lack of linearity and associated
superposition property, NL response to external
inputs is quite different
Example: A simplified model of the motion of an
underwater vehicle can be written
𝑣ሶ + 𝑣 𝑣 = 𝑢
𝑣 is vehicle velocity, 𝑢 is control input (thrust
provided by a propeller). The Nlty 𝑣 𝑣
corresponds to a typical “square” law drag.
 • If we apply unit step input in thrust u from motors for 5 sec (and then we remove) to see
what happens (as we normally do with the linear systems), 5 sec later by –ve unit step input
• The velocity increases to the extent of becoming constant where the square drag & the thrust
exactly balance each other
• After 5 sec when you remove the thrust (u=0), you are left with the drag which decreases the
velocity

Initially v=0
1
1

Thrust u Velocity v

t
0 5 sec 10 sec 0 5 sec 10 sec
• We see that the system settles much faster in response to +ve unit step than it does
to the subsequent –ve unit step, very sluggish behavior
i.e. “apparent damping” coefficient 𝑣 is larger at high speeds than at low speeds.
 Now if we use larger step input of amplitude u=10

10
10

Thrust u Velocity v

0 5 sec 10 sec 0 5 sec 10 sec

The settling speed 𝒗𝒔 in response to the first step is not 10 times that obtained in
response to the first unit step in previous experiment as it would be in a linear system.
 This can again be seen as follows

𝒖 = 𝟏, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 0 + 𝑣𝑠 𝑣𝑠 = 1, 𝒗𝒔 = 𝟏

𝒖 = 𝟏𝟎, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 0 + 𝑣𝑠 𝑣𝑠 = 10, 𝒗𝒔 = 𝟏𝟎 = 𝟑. 𝟐

Carefully understanding and effectively controlling this

nonlinear behavior is important if the vehicle is to move
in a large dynamical range and change speeds continually,
as is typical of industrial remotely operated underwater vehicle.
 Some Common NL System Behaviors
1-Multiple Equilibrium Points
NL systems frequently have more than one Eq. point
(where the system can stay forever without moving)
Example: Consider the first order system
𝑥ሶ = −𝑥 + 𝑥 2 , 𝑥 0 = 𝑥0
Its linearization is
𝑥ሶ = −𝑥
And its solution is
𝑥 𝑡 = 𝑥0 𝑒 −𝑡
 𝒙ሶ = −𝒙 + 𝒙𝟐 , can be written as
Integrating
𝒅𝒙
= 𝒅𝒕
−𝒙+𝒙𝟐
Gives the actual response of given system, which
is
𝒙𝟎 𝒆−𝒕
𝒙 𝒕 =
𝟏−𝒙𝟎 +𝒙𝟎 𝒆−𝒕
This response is plotted for various Ics.
System has two eq. points 𝒙 = 𝟎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒙 = 𝟏
Its qualitative behavior strongly depends on its
Ics.

𝑥 𝑡
𝑥 𝑡

0 0
𝑡 𝑡

Response of Linearized system Response of Nonlinearized system

 Motion Stability
• For linearized system, the motion always
converges to eq. point 𝒙 = 𝟎 for any IC.
• But for actual NL system, the motion starting
from 𝑥0 < 1 will converge to eq. point 𝒙 = 𝟎
• And those starting from 𝑥0 > 1 will converge
to infinity (actually in finite time called finite
escape time)
• This means that stability of NL system
depends on ICs
In the presence of bounded external input

The stability may also be dependent on the input value.

Consider the bilinear system
𝑥ሶ = 𝑥𝑢
If 𝑢 = −1, then state
𝑥→0
If 𝑢 = 1, then state
𝑥 →∞
 2-Limit Cycles
NL systems can display oscillations of fixed amplitude and fixed
period without external excitation called Limit Cycles (self-
excited oscillations)
Example: Van der Pol Equation
The 2nd order NL D.Eq.
𝒎𝒙ሷ + 𝟐𝒄 𝒙𝟐 − 𝟏 𝒙ሶ + 𝒌𝒙 = 𝟎
𝑚, 𝑐, and 𝑘 are +ve constants. Mass spring damper system with
a position dependent damping co-efficient 2𝑐ሺ𝑥 2 −
• For large values of 𝒙, the damping co-eff. is +ve which
removes energy from the system, so the system motion is cgt,
• For small values of 𝒙, the damping co-eff. is -ve which adds
energy to the system, so the system motion has dgt tendency,
• Shows sustained oscillations independent of Ics.
• This limit cycle is sustained by releasing energy into and
absorbing energy from the environment, through the
damping term.
Sustained oscillations can also be seen in marginally
stable linear systems (such as mass spring system
without damping or in response to sinusoidal inputs)
Difference
• In NL systems, the amplitude of self-sustained excitation is indep of Ics while
oscillations of marginally stable linear systems has its amplitude determinted by
its Ics
• Marginally stable linear systems are very sensitive to changes in system
parameters (slight change lead to stable convergence or to instability) while limit
cycles are not easily affected by parameter changes.
 LIMIT CYCLES can be found in many areas of engineering

• Aircraft wing fluttering: Limit cycle caused by

interaction of aerodynamic forces and structural
vibrations, frequently encountered, sometimes
dangerous.
• Hopping motion of a legged robot, is another instance
of limit cycle,
• In electrical circuits: they occur in laboratory electronic
oscillators
They are Desirable/Undesirable, an engg has to know how to eliminate them when
Undesirable.
Conversly how to generate or amplify them when desirable
It requires an understanding of properties of limit cycles and a familiarity with the
Tools for manupulating them
 3- Bifurcation
• Stability of eq. points or the no. of eq. points can change on changing the
parameters of NL dynamical system
• Values of these parameters at which qualitative nature of system’s motion
change are critical/bifurcation values. Phenomenon called bifurcation
theory.
• E.g. smoke rising from cigarette first accelerates upwards (as is lighter than
ambient air) but beyond some critical velocity breaks into swirls.
 Example: Undamped Diffusion Equation
𝒙ሷ + 𝜶𝒙 + 𝒙𝟑 = 𝟎
Damped Diffusion Equation is 𝒙ሷ + 𝒄𝒙ሶ + 𝜶𝒙 + 𝜷𝒙𝟑 = 𝟎
In plot eq. points as function of 𝜶, we see as 𝜶 varies from +ve to –ve,
One eq. point splits into 3, (𝒙𝒆 = 𝟎, 𝜶, − 𝜶) representing qualitative
change in dynamics, so 𝜶 = 𝟎 is critical bifurcation value called PITCHFORK

𝒙𝒆
𝒙𝒆 = 𝜶, Stable

Stable 0 Unstable
𝜶 No Eq. pt for 𝜶 < 𝟎

𝒙𝒆 = − 𝜶, Stable
 Another kind of bifurcation involves the emergence of limit cycles

• In this case, a pair of complex conjugate e-values

𝑝 = 𝛾 ± 𝑗𝜔 cross the left-half plane into the right-
half plane
• And response of the unstable system diverges to a
limit cycle. Plot for state trajectories (𝒙 and 𝒙)ሶ as 𝜶
is varied
𝒙ሶ 𝒙 Called
Hopf Bifurcation
Bifurcation value

𝜶
Limit cycle
Stable eq. point
 4-CHAOS

• For stable linear systems, small difference in

Ics can cause only small difference in output.
• NL systems show chaos, i.e. system output is
extremely sensitive to ICs, so that output of
the systems becomes unpredictable (even if
exact model or extremely accurate computer)
• Steady state behavior is highly unpredictable
Example showing chaotic behavior:
Consider a simple NL system which may represent lightly-damped,
sinusiodally forced mechanical structure undergoing large elastic
deflections
𝒙ሷ + 𝟎. 𝟏𝒙ሶ + 𝒙𝟓 = 𝟔 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒕
Ics taken for plot are 𝑥 0 = 2, 𝑥ሶ 0 = 3 (thick line)
𝑥 0 = 2.01, 𝑥ሶ 0 = 3.01 (thin line)
Due to presence of strong Nlty 𝒙𝟓 , the two responses are radically different after
some time.

3
𝑥 𝑡 2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Time/Sec