This paper presents a fundamental method for modelling transfer functions using the basic performance epecificat.ions and frequency-response data. at the dominant frequencies. A Bet of non-linear equations is constructed from the definitions of the basic performance specifications, the dominant frequency-response data and the unknown coefficients of a transfer function. A Newton-Raphson multidimensional method ia applied to solve the non-linear equations. Four methods are given to construct approximate representations of the desired transfer functions for the estimation of good starting values to ensure rapid convergence of the numerical method. The applications of the proposed method are: (I) developing a standard model and/or a transfer function of a filter or a compensator using the specified dominant frequency-response data; (2) identifying the transfer function of B. system from available experimental frequency-response data; and (3) reducing high-order transfer functions to low-order models using dominant frequency-response data.
IntroductionThe nature of the transient response of a system is often characterized by a set of performance specifications in the time domain such as the settling time and the rising time. In the frequency domain, another set of performance specifications (Gibson and Rekasius 1961) is used to represent the characteristics of the system performance. The bandwidth and the phase margin are typical examples of the frequency domain specifications. In designing compensators and filters, and in predicting the nature of time response of a system, practicing engineers are often interested in the dominant poles. These can be converted to a damping ratio and a natural angular frequency specified in the complex plane. These specifications are often called the complex-domain specifications. The-engineer is also interested in various error constants (for example, the velocity-error constant), which represent the characteristics of system performance in both time and frequency domains (Truxal 1955). The frequency-response data at the frequencies of the frequency-domain specification are considered as the dominant frequency-response data in this paper because these data characterize the nature of the system responses. For example, the phase margin (¢>m) of a system at the gain-crossover frequency (we) is often used as a measure of additional phase lag required to bring the system to the verge of instability. Also, if the phase angle of the open-loop system at the We is near -180 0 , then the response of the closed-loop system .will be oscillatory.