Report Assignment Instructions

EGH445 Modern Control - 2021

General Instructions

Your task is to design a complete output-feedback control system, for one dynamic system of your choice
from the options listed in Section 2.

Important: The models in the references will need to be converted to an appropriate state
space model with the parameters and inputs/outputs specified below. Determining system
states is part of the design process.

You are to submit a written report, of the continuous-time domain only, detailing the control
system modelling, design and analysis. Note you will also have to conduct a demonstration which
will involve both continuous-time and discrete-time systems.

Please consider the instructions in this guide to prepare your written report.

Submission Instructions

Please submit your report and final MATLAB/SIMULINK files via Turnitin on Blackboard in
two separate submissions:
• Report Assignment: PDF Submission
In this Turnitin submission link, you need to submit only the report on your output-feedback
control of the chosen system as a single text-searchable PDF file.

• Report Assignment: MATLAB/SIMULINK Submission

In this Turnitin submission link, you need to submit all relevant MATLAB scripts and SIMULINK
models for your output-feedback control of the system of choice, in one zip folder named
Simulator_yourstudentnumber.zip including all the necessary files to run your simulation. Make
sure to append _yourstudentnumber to all your files’ names.

Important: Make sure to create a main_yourstudentnumber.m file which, when run, produces all plots
used in the report automatically.

Task Objectives
The objective of the assessment is to provide a technical report of the development of the complete output-
feedback controller for one dynamic system. You may choose a system from Section 2 or propose another
system subject to approval from the teaching team.
The report should detail all aspects of control system design, including modelling, analysis, control and
observer design, through to simulations and results. A brief overview of the tasks is

• Dynamics (modelling and linearisation)

• State-feedback control design
• Output-feedback controller

• Performance analysis

1 Report Structure
• Abstract: The abstract is a short summary (100-150 words) of the major aspects of the work described
in the report. It should allow readers to decide if the report is relevant to their interests.

• Introduction. Briefly motivate and describe the problem then outline the focus of the work. You may
consider including non-technical details and illustrations aiming a broader audience.

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 • Main Body: Describe what you have done in a logically consistent manner. Show and explain:
– The mathematical model of the chosen system (keep the presentation of the model short but
self-contained – inclusive of key steps/derivations).
– The design of the state-feedback controller, observer, and output-feedback control system
(i.e. key system components and system synthesis).
– The MATLAB/SIMULINK implementation of the control system. Provide relevant diagrams, sim-
ulation results, and analysis. Use your control system design knowledge to determine the most
useful/interesting simulation studies, results, comparisons, and analysis to include. Make sure to
state relevant parameters (initial conditions, etc.).

• Conclusion: Briefly summarise the work, inclusing any conclusions you have drawn and potential future
work.

1.1 Style and Format

Consider this report as a technical deliverable to a client who has access to the material of the unit. Please be
specific, use technical terminology, and avoid vague statements (or statements that cannot be supported with
the theory developed in this unit or results presented in the report).

• Format: The report should have a maximum of 6 A4 pages (note that only the first 6 pages will be
marked), in the provided format. You can find two templates in Blackboard: Word and LATEX.
• References: If needed, use references and provide a references list at the end of the report. Note you
can use material from the lecture slides and this intruction sheet, but you may not copy them word-
for-word.

2 Nonlinear Systems
Below you will find the suggested systems from which you can choose one. Since you are required to illustrate
the use of observers for feedback control, it is important that you make appropriate choices of outputs, such
that the system is observable, but not all states are directly measured. Note that some of the models suggested
below, may not be observable. In that case, you will need to make, and justify, appropriate design choices.
Optionally, you may select a different system, as long as it is approved by the teaching team (written approval
is necessary). We have provided a few examples of student-suggested systems, but there are requirements for
new systems:

• The system should have at least three states.

• The system should have nonlinear dynamics.
• The output vector y should be of smaller dimension than the state vector x.

2.1 Suggested Systems

You can access all references from within QUT. For outside access, find instructions at https://qutvirtual4.
qut.edu.au/group/student/it-and-printing/wi-fi-and-internet-access/accessing-resources-off-campus.
For the books in Springer Link [1, 2], it may be needed to log in (use the link “Access via your institution”).
Relevant pages of reference [3] are available in Blackboard.

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 Translational Oscillator with Rotating Actuator (TORA)
Use the model in [3, Appendix A.12].

The TORA system consists of a platform connected

to a fixed frame by a linear spring. The platform
moves in the horizontal plane through the move-
ment of a rotating proof mass actuated by a DC
motor.

Take θ̇ and ẋc as outputs, and u as the control

input.

Like in [3], use parameters M = 1.3608 kg, m =

Translational Oscillator with Rotating Actuator [3].
0.096 kg, J = 0.0002175 kg m2 , and k = 186.3
N/m.

Vectored Thrust Aircraft

Use the model in [4, Example 2.9, page 53]
A vectored thrust aircraft is an aircraft which can take off vertically, through the rotation of its thrust noz-
zles. Supporting information can be found in at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrier_Jump_Jet.

Take u1 = F1 and u2 = F2 − mg as the control inputs, and the roll angle θ and the velocities ẋ, ẏ as
outputsa . Take the scaled parameters m = 4 kg, J = 0.0475 kg m2 , r = 0.25 m, , g = 9.8 m/s2 , c = 0.05
Ns/m.

Vectored thrust aircraft diagram. Front view [4].

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_
F-35_Lightning_II
a Note: Accelerations are often measured using onboard sensors and velocities can then be inferred.

Biological System – The Balloon model

Use the model in [5, Section II.D].

This model represents the dynamic changes in de-

oxyhemoglobin content during brain activation,
incorporating the conflicting effects of dynamic
changes in both blood oxygenation and volume.

Take fin and the input and the normalised deoxy-

genated haemoglobin concentration q as output.

The system parameters are: τ0 = 2, τv = 30,

E0 = 0.4, and α = 0.4.
Oxygen is extracted form haemoglobing cells during
neuron activation [6].

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 Magnetic Levitation System
Use the model in [3, Eqs. A.30-A.32 of the Appendix].

In this system, a ball of magnetic material is sus-

pended by means of an electromagnet whose cur-
rent is controlled by feedback from the ball’s ve-
locity (optically measured). This type of system is
used in gyroscopes, accelerometers, and fast trains.

Take the coil’s voltage v as the control input, and

the ball’s velocity ẏ as the output.

The system’s parameters are: m = m0 = 0.1 kg,

Magnetic Levitation system [3].
k = 1 Nms, g = 9.8 m/s2 , a = 1 = α = 1 = L0 = 1,
R = 1 Ω.

2.2 Student-suggested examples

Below you will find some examples of systems that fulfil the requirements for student-suggested systems. Feel
free to suggest your own system, but make sure that somebody from the teaching team approves its suitability
for this assignment.
• Pendulums (use the models in [1])
– Inertia Wheel Pendulum [1, Appendix A.1] and [7, 8]
– Furata’s Pendulum [1, Appendix A.3] and [9].
– Acrobot [1, Appendix A.4] and [10, 11, 12, 2]
– Pendubot [1, Appendix A.5]

References
[1] Shubhobrata Rudra, Ranjit Kumar Barai, and Madhubanti Maitra. Block Backstepping Design of Nonlinear
State Feedback Control Law for Underactuated Mechanical Systems. Springer Singapore, 2017. doi:10.1007/
978-981-10-1956-2.
[2] Isabelle Fantoni and Rogelio Lozano. Non-linear Control for Underactuated Mechanical Systems. Springer London,
2002. doi:10.1007/978-1-4471-0177-2.
[3] H.K. Khalil. Nonlinear Control. Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
[4] K.J. Åström and R.M. Murray. Feedback Systems: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers. Princeton Univer-
sity Press, 2008. Available at http://www.cds.caltech.edu/~murray/amwiki/index.php?title=First_Edition.
[5] S. Dong and J. Jeong. Improvement in recovery of hemodynamic responses by extended kalman filter with non-linear
state-space model and short separation measurement. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 66(8):2152–
2162, 2019. doi:10.1109/TBME.2018.2884169.
[6] Stuart Clare. Functional MRI: methods and applications. University of Nottingham, page 155, 1997. Available at
https://users.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/~stuart/thesis/index.html.
[7] Gonzalo Belascuen and Nahuel Aguilar. Design, modeling and control of a reaction wheel balanced inverted pen-
dulum. In 2018 IEEE Biennial Congress of Argentina (ARGENCON). IEEE, June 2018. doi:10.1109/argencon.
2018.8646093.
[8] Oscar Danilo Montoya and Walter Gil-González. Nonlinear analysis and control of a reaction wheel pendulum:
Lyapunov-based approach. Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal, 23(1):21–29, February
2020. doi:10.1016/j.jestch.2019.03.004.
[9] J. Á. Acosta. Furuta’s pendulum: A Conservative Nonlinear model for theory and practise. Mathematical Problems
in Engineering, 2010:1–29, 2010. doi:10.1155/2010/742894.
[10] Russ Tedrake. Underactuated Robotics: Algorithms for Walking, Running, Swimming, Flying, and Manipulation
(Course Notes for MIT 6.832). Available at http://underactuated.mit.edu/acrobot.html.
[11] M. W. Spong. The swing up control problem for the acrobot. IEEE Control Systems Magazine, 15(1):49–55, 1995.
doi:10.1109/37.341864.
[12] R. Jafari, F. B. Mathis, and R. Mukherjee. Swing-up control of the acrobot: An impulse-momentum approach. In
Proceedings of the 2011 American Control Conference, pages 262–267, 2011. doi:10.1109/ACC.2011.5991190.