Solutions: Homework 2

Biomedical Signal, Systems and Control (BME 580.222)

Instructor: René Vidal, E-mail: rvidal@cis.jhu.edu
TA: Donavan Cheng, E-mail: donavan.cheng@gmail.com
TA: Ertan Cetingül, E-mail: ertan@cis.jhu.edu
April 4, 2008

1. (20 points) One of the simplest and most fundamental of all physiological control systems is the muscle stretch
reflex. The most notable example of this kind of reflex is the knee jerk, which is used in routine medical
examinations as an assessment of the state of the nervous system. A sharp tap to the patellar tendon in the
knee leads to an abrupt stretching of the extensor muscle in the thigh to which the tendon is attached. This
activates the muscle spindles, which are stretch receptors. Neural impulses, which encode information about
the magnitude of the stretch, are sent along afferent nerve fibers to the spinal cord. Since each afferent nerve
is synaptically connected with one motorneuron in the spinal cord, the motorneurons get activated and, in turn,
send efferent neural impulses back to the same thigh muscle. These produce a contraction of the muscle, which
acts to straighten the lower leg. Figure 1(a) shows the basic components of this reflex.
Construct a block diagram similar to the one shown in Figure 1(b) to represent the major control mechanisms
involved in the muscle stretch reflex. Clearly identify the physiological correlates of the controller, the plant,
and the feedback element, as well as the controlling, controlled, and feedback variables.

(a) Schematic illustration of the (b) Closed-loop control system

muscle stretch reflex

Figure 1: The muscle stretch reflect as a control system

Answer: Consider the block diagram representation of this reflex, as shown in Figure 2. Comparing this con-
figuration with the general closed-loop control system of Figure 1(b), one can see that the thigh muscle now
corresponds to the plant or controlled system. The disturbance, x, is the amount of initial stretch produced by
the tap to the knee. This produces a proportionate amount of stretch, y, in the muscle spindles, which act as
the feedback sensor. The spindles translate this mechanical quantity into an increase in afferent neural traffic
(z) sent back to the reflex center in the spinal cord, which corresponds to our controller. In turn, the controller
action is an increase in efferent neural traffic (u) directed back to the thigh muscle, which subsequently contracts
in order to offset the initial stretch. Although this closed-loop control system differs in some details from the
canonical structure shown in Figure 1(b), it is indeed a negative feedback system, since the initial disturbance
(tap-induced stretch) leads to a controller action that is aimed at reducing the effect of the disturbance.

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 Figure 2: Block diagram of the reflex

2. (20 points) A two-input, single-output system is described by the equation

ÿ(t) + sin(y(t))ẏ(t) + u2 (t)y(t) = u1 (t) + u2 (t). (1)

Compute the linearized state equation that describes this system about the constant operating point correspond-
ing to u01 = 0 and u02 = 1.
Answer: Let x1 = y and x2 = ẏ =⇒ x˙1 = ẏ = x2 and x˙2 = ÿ. Replacing the state variables into the
nonlinear 2nd order differential equation (1), we get x˙2 (t) + sin(x1 (t))x2 (t) + u2 (t)x1 (t) = u1 (t) + u2 (t).
Then the nonlinear state equations are written as:

x˙1 (t) = f1 (x, u, t) = x2 (t),

x˙2 (t) = f2 (x, u, t) = − sin(x1 (t))x2 (t) − u2 (t)x1 (t) + u1 (t) + u2 (t).

At the constant operating point, we are given u01 = 0 and u02 = 1. Now let’s find x01 and x02 that vanish, together
with {u01 , u02 }, the nonlinear state
 equations,
  f1 (x,u) = 0 and f2 (x, u) = 0, where we omit t for brevity,
i.e.,
and x and u denote the vectors x1 x2 and u1 u2 , respectively.

f1 (x, u, t)|x01 ,x02 ,u01 ,u02 = 0 ⇒ x02 = 0,

f2 (x, u, t)|x01 ,x02 ,u01 ,u02 = 0 ⇒ x01 = 1.

The linearized state equation can then be written by computing the Jacobians and evaluating them at the con-
stant operating point, i.e.,
" #
∂f1 ∂f1    
∂x1 ∂x2 0 1 0 1
A = ∂f2 ∂f2 = = ,
∂x ∂x
− cos(x1 )x2 − u2 − sin(x1 ) x0 ,x0 ,u0 ,u0 −1 − sin(1)
1 2 1 2 1 2

" #
∂f1 ∂f1    
∂u1 ∂u2 0 0 0 0
B = ∂f2 ∂f2 = = .
∂u1 ∂u2
1 1 − x1 x01 ,x02 ,u01 ,u02
1 0

.  > .  >
By defining the residuals ∆x = x1 − x01 x2 − x02 and ∆u = u1 − u01 u2 − u02 , the linearized state
equation has the following form
   
˙ 0 1 0 0
∆x = A∆x + B∆u = ∆x + ∆u.
−1 − sin(1) 1 0

3. (20 points) Write the equations of motion for the double-pendulum system shown in Figure 3(a). Assume the
displacement angles of the pendulums are small enough to ensure that the spring is always horizontal. The
pendulum rods are taken to be massless, of length l, and the springs are attached 3/4 of the way down.

2
 3 3
θ1 l = ml2 θ̈1
M = −mgl sin θ1 − k l (sin θ1 − sin θ2 ) cos2006 CHAPTER 2. DYNAMIC MODELS

4 4
3. Write the equations of motion for the double-pendulum system shown in
2016 CHAPTER 2.theDYNAMIC
Fig. 2.35. Assume displacement angles MODELS
of the pendulums are small
enough to ensure that the spring is always horizontal. The pendulum
rods are taken to be massless, of length l, and the springs are attached
3/4 of the way down.
8. InFigure
many 2.35:
mechanical
Doublepositioning
pendulumsystems there is flexibility between one
Solution:
part of the system and another. An example is shown in Figure 2.6
where there is flexibility of the solar panels. Figure 2.36 depicts such a
situation, where a force u is applied to the mass M and another 3 mass
l
θ1 θ 4
m is connected to it. The coupling between the objects is often modeled 2

by a spring constant k with a damping coefficient b, although the actual

situation is usually much more complicated than this. k

m m
(a) Write the equations of motion governing this system.
(b) Find the transfer function between the control input, u, and the
output, y. 3
l sin θ
3
l sin θ 1 2
4 4
Solution: (a) Double pendulum If we write the moment equilibrium about the pivot point of the left pen-
(b)
dulem from the free body diagram,

(a) The FBDFigure

for the system isof the double pendulum 3
3: Analysis 3
M = −mgl sin θ − k l (sin θ 1 1 − sin θ2 ) cos θ1 l = ml2 θ̈1
4 4

Answer: By analyzing Figure 3(b), the equations of motion can be written as Double pendulum
Figure 2.35:

3 3
ml2 θ¨1 = −mgl sin(θ1 ) − k l(sin(θ1 ) − sin(θ2 )) cos(θ1 ) l,
4 4
2¨ 3 3
ml θ2 = −mgl sin(θ2 ) + k l(sin(θ1 ) − sin(θ2 )) cos(θ2 ) l.
4 4
which results in the equations
For small θ, sin(θ) ≈ θ and cos(θ) ≈ 1. Thus the equations of motion become
mẍ = −k (x − y) − b (ẋ − ẏ)
9
mlMθ¨1ÿ= −mgθ
= u 1+−k k(x −l(θ − bθ2(),
y)1 + ẋ − ẏ)
16
9
or mlθ¨2 = −mgθ2 + k l(θ1 − θ2 ).
16

4. (20 points) In many mechanical positioningksystems b therekis flexibility

b between one part of the system and
ẍ + where
another. Figure 4 depicts such a situation, x +a force
ẋ − u isy applied
− ẏ to=the 0mass M and another mass m is
m m m m
connected to it. The coupling between k the objects
b is often
k modeled 1 constant k with a damping
b by a spring
− xis−usually
coefficient b, although the actual situation ẋ +much
ÿ + more
y +complicated
ẏ = thanuthis.
M M M M M
a) Write the equations of motion governing this system and put them in state space form.
b) Find the transfer function
Figurebetween the control of
2.36: Schematic input u and the
a system output
with y.
flexibility

Figure 4: Schematic of a system with flexibility

Answer:
a) The equations of motion of the system in Figure 4 are

M ÿ = u − k(y − x) − b(ẏ − ẋ), (2)

mẍ = k(y − x) + b(ẏ − ẋ). (3)

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 .  >  >
Let us define the state vector x as x = x1 x2 x3 x4 = x ẋ y ẏ . Then the state space
representation of the system is
      
ẋ1 0 1 0 0 x1 0
 −k −b k b  
m   2  +  0  u,
ẋ2  x  
  = m m m
ẋ3   0 0 0 1  x3   0 
k b −k −b 1
ẋ4 M M M M
x4 M
 
x1
  x2 
y = 0 0 1 0 x3  .


x4

b) Assuming y(0) = 0, ẏ(0) = 0, x(0) = 0, ẋ(0) = 0, the Laplace transforms of the equations of motion
Eqns. (2),(3) are
s2 M Y (s) = U (s) − k(Y (s) − X(s)) − bs(Y (s) − X(s)), (4)
s2 mX(s) = k(Y (s) − X(s)) + bs(Y (s) − X(s)). (5)
(k+bs)Y (s)
From Eqn. (5), we get X(s) = ms2 +bs+k , and replace it into Eqn. (4) to obtain the transfer function

Y (s) ms2 + bs + k
H(s) = = .
U (s) M ms + (M + m)bs3 + (M + m)ks2
4

5. (20 points) Consider the block diagram shown in Figure 5. Note that ai and bi are constants. Compute the
transfer function for this system. Put also the equations in state space form.

Figure 5: Block diagram for Problem 4

Answer: From the block diagram, we can write the following equations
sX1 (s) = U (s) − a1 X1 (s) − a2 X2 (s) − a3 X3 (s),
sX2 (s) = X1 (s),
sX3 (s) = X2 (s),
Y (s) = b1 X1 (s) + b2 X2 (s) + b3 X3 (s).

By putting the first two equations above into the last two and writing in terms of X3 (s), we get
U (s) = (s + a1 )s2 X3 (s) + a2 sX3 (s) + a3 X3 (s),
Y (s) = b1 s2 X3 (s) + b2 sX3 (s) + b3 X3 (s).

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Then the transfer function H(s) can be written as

Y (s) b1 s2 + b2 s + b3
H(s) = = 3 . (6)
U (s) s + a1 s2 + a2 s + a3

To obtain the state space representation, take the inverse Laplace transform of the equations

ẋ1 = u − a1 x1 − a2 x2 − a3 x3 ,
ẋ2 = x1 ,
ẋ3 = x2 ,
y = b1 x1 + b2 x2 + b3 x3 ,

and put into the following form

      
ẋ1 −a1 −a2 −a3 x1 1
ẋ2  =  1 0 0  x2  + 0 u,
ẋ3 0 1 0 x3 0
 
  x1
y = b1 b2 b3 x2  .
x3