D(s)

U(s) +
Y(s)
+
-
Controller + Plant

MP3001: Dynamics and Control

Topic 14: Steady State Errors in
Unity-Feedback Control Systems

Prof. Jaspreet Singh Dhupia

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Unity feedback systems

• Consider the system shown below

R(s) + E(s) C(s)

G(s)
-

• Closed loop transfer function is

C ( s) G( s)

R( s ) 1  G ( s )

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System Type

• Let open-loop TF for unity feedback system be:

K  Ta s  1  Tb s  1   Tm s  1
G  s 
s N  T1s  1  T2 s  1   Tp s  1
• sN term in denominator, represents pole of
multiplicity N at origin
• The system is said to be of “Type N”
• As system type increases, the system accuracy
increases, however stability aggravates

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Steady State Error

• TF between error signal e(t) and input signal r(t):

E ( s) C ( s) 1
 1 
R( s ) R( s) 1  G ( s )

• Using FVT
ess  lim e(t )  lim sE ( s )
t  s 0

sR( s )
 lim
s 0 1  G ( s )
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Static position error constant Kp

• Steady state error for unit step input:

s 1 1
ess  lim  
s  0 1  G ( s ) s 1  G ( 0)
• Static position error const. Kp is defined as
K p  lim G ( s )  G (0)
s 0
• Steady state error in terms of Kp is
1
ess 
1 K p
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Kp vs System Type

• for a type 0 system

K (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1) 
K p  lim K
s 0 (T1s  1)(T2 s  1) 

• for a type 1 or higher system,

K (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1)
K p  lim N  , for N  1
s 0 s (T s  1)(T s  1) 
1 2

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Summary

 For a type 0 system:

Static position error constant Kp is finite
1
 ess 
1 K

 For a type 1 or higher system:

Static position error constant Kp is 
 e ss  0

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Conclusion

 From the given analysis,

 Step response of feedback control system will
have steady state error if there is no
integration in forward path
 If zero steady state error is desired, the type
of the system must be one or higher

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Static velocity error constant Kv

• Steady state error of the system with unit ramp

input is
s 1 1
ess  lim  2  lim
s 0 1  G ( s ) s s 0 sG ( s )

• Static velocity error constant is

K v  lim sG ( s )
s 0

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Steady state error

• Steady state error in terms of Kv is

1
ess 
Kv
• The term velocity error is used to express the
steady state error for a ramp input, it is not an
error in velocity but an error in position due to a
ramp input

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Kv vs System type

• For a type 0 system,

sK (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1)
K v  lim 0
s 0 (T1s  1)(T2 s  1) 
• For a type 1 system,
sK (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1)
K v  lim K
s0 s (T1s  1)(T2 s  1) 
• For a type 2 or higher system
sK (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1)
K v  lim N  , for N  2
s 0 s (T s  1)(T s  1) 
1 2
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Steady state error ess due to unit
ramp input

1
ess   , for type 0 system
Kv
1 1
ess   , for type 1 system
Kv K
1
ess   0, for type 2 or higher systems
Kv
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Conclusion

 Type 0 system is incapable of following ramp

input
 Type 1 systems can follow the ramp input with
finite positional error. This error is proportional to
the magnitude of the input and inversely
proportional to the gain K
 Type 2 or higher systems can follow the ramp
input with zero steady state error in the steady
state

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Steady state error to parabolic
input
• Unit parabolic (acceleration) input, is defined by
2
t
r (t )  , for t  0
2
 0, for t  0
• The steady state error for parabolic input is
given by
s 1 1
ess  lim  3  lim 2
s 0 1  G ( s ) s s 0 s G ( s )

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Static acceleration error constant
Ka
• Static acceleration error const. Ka is

K a  lim s 2G ( s )
s 0
• Steady state error in terms of Ka is
1
ess 
Ka
• Acceleration error, i.e., the steady state error
due to a parabolic input, is an error in position

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Ka vs System Type

• For a type 0 system,

s 2 K (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1)
K a  lim 0
s 0 (T1s  1)(T2 s  1)
• For a type 1 system,

s 2 K (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1)

K a  lim 0
s 0 s (T1s  1)(T2 s  1) 

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• For a type 2 system
s 2 K (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1)
K a  lim 2 K
s 0 s (T s  1)(T s  1) 
1 2
• For a type 3 or higher system

2
s K (Ta s  1)(Tb s  1)
K a  lim N  , for N  3
s 0 s (T s  1)(T s  1) 
1 2

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Steady state error ess due to unit
parabolic input

ess  , for type 0 & type 1 systems

1
ess  , for type 2 system
K
ess  0, for type 3 or higher systems

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Conclusion

 Both type 0 and type 1 systems are unable to

follow a parabolic input in the steady state

 Type 2 system with unity feedback can follow a

parabolic input with finite position error

 Type 3 or higher system with unity feedback

follows a parabolic input with zero error at
steady state

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Parabolic response of type 2 unity
feedback system

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Steady state error in terms of
static error constant

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Summary

 Kp, Kv, and Ka describe ability of unity feedback

system to reduce steady state error and are
indicative of steady state performance
 It is generally desirable to increase error
constants, while maintaining transient response
within an acceptable range
 In order to improve steady state performance, it
is desirable to increase system type through
addition of integrator in the forward path
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• Introduction of an integrator in the forward path
can have destabilizing effect
• Design of a satisfactory system with more than
two integrators in the forward path is generally
difficult

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Reading Assignment

• Modern Control
Engineering, 5th Ed.
Ch. 5: Section 5.8

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