Automatic Loop Shaping of Structured Controllers Satisfying QFT Performance

Abstract

This paper presents a robust noniterative algorithm for the design of controllers of a given structure satisfying frequency-dependent sensitivity specifications. The method is well suited for automatic loop shaping, particularly in the context of Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT), and offers several advantages, including (i) it can be applied to unstructured uncertain plants, be they stable, unstable or nonminimum phase, (ii) it can be used to design a satisfactory controller of a given structure for plants which are typically difficult to control, such as highly underdamped plants, and (iii) it is suited for design problems incorporating hard restrictions such as bounds on the high-frequency gain or damping of a notch filter. It is assumed that the designer has some idea of the controller structure appropriate for the loop shaping problem.