Digital Control and Estimation

Text for a first undergraduate course in digital control, requiring an elementary background in linear algebra, differential equations, calculus and complex numbers. Presents continuous and discrete control and estimation theory in a unified fashion, highlighting the interrelationships between the two cases. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc.One problem with the existing literature is that it emphasizes the differences between discrete and continuous theory. This dichotomy is largely historical in nature and may not be the best approach from a pedagogical viewpoint. For example, shift operators and 2-transforms, which form the basis of most discrete time analyses. are inappropriate when used with fast sampling and have no continuous time counterpart. Our philosophy, as presented in this book, is that the continuous and discrete cases can, and should, be understood under a common framework. We show that ths is facilitated if the shift operator is augmented with alternative forms including one whch we call the delta operator. Using the latter operator, it becomes evident that all discrete time theory converges smoothly to the appropriate continuous results as the sampling rate increases. An additional, and somewhat unexpected, bonus arising from the use of the alternative operators is that numerical properties can be substantially improved relative to the more traditional shift operator.