Notes for week 10: Steady-state Response

by Altuğ İftar
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Steady-state Errors
Next, we will look at how much steady-state error would result in a closed-loop system.
We may have zero steady-state error, which means that asymptotic tracking takes place;
a finite non-zero steady-state error, which means that the output can track the reference
with some error (in which case it is of interest to know how much the error is); or infinite
steady-state error, which means that the output can not track the reference.
We will consider these errors for the unity feedback configuration:

+
m
e
r - - GOL (s) - y
−
6

where GOL (s) is the open-loop TFM, which is assumed to be rational and proper. Note
that this configuration is equivalent to the standad control-loop shown on page 2 with
GOL (s) = G(s)C(s). Thus, GOL (s) may include the plant, the actuator(s), and the
controller; the sensor is assumed to be ideal with unity gain.
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We will consider only polynomial references of the form:

0, t<0
r(t) = am m am−1 m−1
m! t + (m−1)! t + . . . + a1!1 t + a0 , t≥0

where m is a non-negative integer and ai ’s are real coefficients with am 6= 0. Note that
the Laplace transform of r(t) is
nr (s)
r̂(s) = m+1
s
where nr (s) = am + am−1 s + . . . + a1 sm−1 + a0 sm .
The most common of such references are step (or constant), which corresponds to m =
0; ramp (or constant-velocity), which corresponds to m = 1; and quadratic (or constant-
acceleration), which corresponds to m = 2.
We will also assume that either there is no disturbance or the disturbances are all rejected
at the steady-state (e.g., constant disturbances may be rejected by a controller with a pole
at the origin (such as a PI controller), as we saw above).
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Without loss of generality, we can represent the open-loop TFM as follows:

Kn(s)
GOL (s) =
sN d(s)
where K is a constant gain, called the open-loop gain and N is an integer indicating the
number of poles/zeros of GOL (s) at the origin (if GOL (s) has M zeros at the origin, then
N = −M ; if GOL (s) has no poles or zeros at the origin, then N = 0; otherwise N is the
number of poles of GOL (s) at the origin). Furthermore, n(s) and d(s) are polynomials
satisfying deg (n(s)) ≤ N + deg (d(s)) (which means that GOL (s) is proper) and

n(0) = d(0) = 1

which can be achieved by choosing K appropriately, since n(s) and d(s) have no roots
at the origin (since any pole/zero at the origin of GOL (s) is represented in the term sN ).
We note that a system with the above open-loop TFM is called a type-N system.
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Recall that if GOL (s) has any zeros at the origin, it can neither track any polynomial
reference nor can reject any polynomial disturbance. Therefore, from now on, we will
consider only non-negative type systems, i.e., we will assume that N ≥ 0.
Now, note that
1 sN d(s) nr (s)
ê(s) = r̂(s) − ŷ(s) = r̂(s) =
1 + GOL (s) p(s) sm+1
where p(s) = sN d(s) + Kn(s) is the closed-loop characteristic polynomial. Thus, a
necessary condition to have finite error is that p(s) should have no unstable roots, which
is equivalent to the stability of the closed-loop system. Then, under the assumption that
the closed-loop system is stable, the steady-state error is:

1 am
 1 + K s→0 sm if N = 0
lim



ess := lim e(t) = lim sê(s) =
t→∞ s→0 
 1 am

 lim m−N if N > 0
K s→0 s
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Therefore, a type-0 system (i.e., a system with no open-loop poles or zeros at the origin)
a0
can track a step reference with a finite steady-state error of 1+K and can not track (i.e.,
the error goes to infinity as t → ∞) any polynomial reference of degree m > 0.
A type-N system with N > 0 (i.e., a system with at least one open-loop pole at the
origin), on the other hand, can track any polynomial reference of degree m < N with
no steady-state error, can track a polynomial reference of degree m = N with a finite
steady-state error of aKm and can not track any polynomial reference of degree m > N .
The steady-state errors are sometimes given in terms of so-called position, velocity, and
acceleration error coefficients, which are respectively defined as:

Kp := lim GOL (s) , Kv := lim sGOL (s) , Ka := lim s2 GOL (s)

s→0 s→0 s→0
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Therefore, for a type-N system:
 
 0, N =0 0, N <2
K, N =0
Kp = , Kv = K, N =1 , Ka = K, N =2
∞, N >0
∞, N >1 ∞, N >2
 

and
N =0 N = 1 N =2
0, m=0 0, m<2
(
a0
, m=0
1+Kp a1 a2
ess = ess = K , m=1 ess = K , m=2
∞, m>0  v  a
∞, m>1 ∞, m>2
Note that, in general, larger the open-loop gain K is smaller the steady-state error. Thus,
making the open-loop gain large, would reduce the steady-state error, in general. How-
ever, a large open-loop gain may cause instability or may reduce stability robustness
of the closed-loop system. Even if it does not cause instability, a large open-loop gain
would amplify input noise. Therefore, unnecessarily high gains should be avoided.
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This completes our discussion of steady-state response. Next week we will consider

Transient Response
 Exercises
(Links available from the course web site under `Exercises’ and `Matlab Exercises’)

• Questions 2 & 3 of 2002-2003 Homework 6

• Questions 4, 5, 6 & Extra Exercise 3 of 2019-2020 Homework 2
• Questions 1 & 2 of 2001-2002 2nd Midterm Exam
• Question 2 of 2002-2003 2nd Midterm Exam
• Question 2 of 2003-2004 2nd Midterm Exam
• Questions 1 & 2 of 2004-2005 2nd Midterm Exam
• Question 1 of 2005-2006 2nd Midterm Exam
• Question 2 of 2006-2007 2nd Midterm Exam
• Question 2 of 2007-2008 2nd Midterm Exam
• Questions 6 & 7 of 2008-2009 2nd Midterm Exam
• Questions 6 & 7 of 2009-2010 2nd Midterm Exam
 Exercises
(continued)

• Questions 1 & 2 of 2010-2011 2nd Midterm Exam

• Questions 1 & 2 of 2011-2012 2nd Midterm Exam
• Questions 6, 7, & 8 of 2012-2013 2nd Midterm Exam
• Question 1 of 2013-2014 2nd Midterm Exam
• Questions 5, 6, & 7 of 2014-2015 2nd Midterm Exam
• Questions 5, 6, 7, & 8 of 2018-2019 2nd Midterm Exam
• Part I of MATLAB Exercises # 4: Steady-state and Transient Response
• Part II of MATLAB Exercises # 5: Controller Design