Unit 2

MCB3013 Control System

Transfer function, Block diagram and Signal flow graph
Lec04: Objectives

At the end of the lecture, I should be able to:

Define the transfer function and determine the response of
systems to simple inputs by its mean, using Laplace transform
Reduce a block diagram of multiple subsystems to a single
block representing the transfer function from input to output
Transfer Function

The Laplace transform G(s) is called the

Transfer function.
It is the operator describing the system that
converts inputs to outputs - in Laplace
domain.

C ( s)
R(s) G(s) C(s) G(s)
R( s)
Example 3

dx
The D.E. of 1st-order system: a1 a0 x b0 y
dt

The Laplace transform: a1sX (s) a0 X (s) b0Y (s)

X ( s) b0
The transfer function, G(s): G( s)
Y ( s) a1s a0
Block Diagram

Example 4: Form the block diagram model for

the system in Example 3.

Answer in transparency
Systems in Series/Cascades

G' (s) G1 (s) G2 (s) G3 (s)

Systems in Parallel

G' (s) G1 (s) G2 (s) G3 (s)

Systems with feedback loops

C ( s) C ( s)
G( s)
E ( s) R( s) H ( s)C ( s)

This can be rearranged to:

C ( s) G( s)
G' ( s)
R( s ) 1 G ( s ) H ( s )
Block Diagram Reduction
Example 5
Calculate the overall transfer function for the system
below and represent the system with a single block
diagram.

R(s) + + C(s)
G1(s) G2(s) G3(s) G4(s)
_ _

H1(s)

H2(s) H3(s)
Block Diagram Reduction
Example 5
Step 1: Find the overall transfer function for the
inner closed-loop and the outer feedback path.

R(s) + G2 ( s) C(s)
G1(s) G3(s) G4(s)
_ 1 G2 ( s) H1 ( s)

H 2 ( s) H 3 ( s)
Block Diagram Reduction
Example 5
Step 2: Reduce the inner closed-loop in step 1 to
an overall transfer function.

G2G3
R(s)
G1(s) 1 G2 H1 G4(s)
C(s)

G2G3 H 2 H 3
1
1 G2 H1
Block Diagram Reduction
Example 5
Step 3: Reduce the three blocks to a single
block. The overall transfer function is thus;
G1G2G3G4
R(s) 1 G2 H1 C(s)
G2G3 H 2 H 3
1
1 G2 H1

G1G2G3G4
C ( s) 1 G2 H1 G1G2G3G4
G' ( s)
R( s) 1 G2G3 H 2 H 3 1 G2 H1 G2G3 H 2 H 3
1 G2 H1