The singular-G method for unstable non-minimum-phase plants†

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Abstract
In linear time-invariant feedback systems with plants which have both poles and zeros in the right half-plane, it is always possible to stabilize the system for a fixed plant. But in the previous optimum techniques, the stability margins might be so small as to render the design wholly impractical. This problem was overcome in the X-29 aircraft in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) setting, by use of a singular-G (compensation) matrix inside the loop. Excellent stability margins were then achievable over a wide plant parameter range, by means of a fixed-G compensation matrix. This paper extends the singular-G technique to the single-input-single-output (SISO) plant. The latter is converted into an equivalent N × N MIMO plant by means of N parallel independent time-varying modulators acting on the plant output, a technique previously used for non-linear network synthesis. The singular-G method is then applicable to the equivalent N × N MIMO plant. The detailed design procedure is presented by means of an example with N = 2.