Dynamic Systems and Control Engineering

In this chapter we will discuss an important graphical tool in feedback system design known as the . As the name suggests, this technique allows us to graph the closed-loop pole locations (i.e., the roots of the characteristic equation) on the complex plane as a function of a selected parameter (e.g., as the value of a resistor is varied or as controller gains are changed). Thus, not only does this technique allow us to extend our concept of stability analysis from the more mathematical Routh–Hurwitz approach in Ch. 8 but it also allows us to visualize the stability of a system and select its parameters to achieve desired system characteristics.