Stability analysis of a phase plane control system

Abstract

Many aerospace attitude control systems utilize a phase plane control scheme which includes nonlinear elements such as dead zone and ideal relay. Nonlinear control techniques such as pulse width modulation (PWM), describing functions, and absolute stability are implemented to determine stability. To evaluate phase plane control robustness, stability margin prediction methods must be developed. While PWM has been used to predict stability margins, in this research, describing functions and absolute stability are extended to predict stability margins. Time domain simulations demonstrate all techniques yield conservative gain margin results. A constrained optimization approach is also used to design flex filters for roll control. The design goal is to optimize vehicle tracking performance while maintaining adequate stability margins. Two filters are designed in this thesis; one meets PWM stability margin specifications and the other holds for Popov stability.