MathWorks Release 2016a Control System Toolbox apps

MathWorks has announced updated apps for analysis and design of control systems. As part of Release 2016a (R2016a), Control System Toolbox now offers a Control System Tuner app that allows engineers to automatically tune SISO or MIMO control systems in MATLAB and Simulink.

Controls engineers in industries such as aerospace and defence, automotive and industrial automation and machinery can use Control System Tuner to tune the parameters of fixed architecture MIMO control systems that have tunable elements such as gains, PID controllers or low-order filters.  Engineers can specify design requirements such as reference tracking, disturbance rejection and stability margins, and automatically tune control system gains to meet these requirements.

The Model Reducer app helps users to interactively simplify linear time-invariant models while preserving model dynamics important for the application. Engineers can use the app to remove states with low energy contribution, select significant modes and cancel close pole/zero pairs. Furthermore, using the redesigned Control System Designer app, engineers can now combine plots such as Bode, root locus and closed-loop step response in one window and compare multiple controller designs.

The apps are said to be suitable for both experienced engineers and beginners, who can now design complex controllers and simplify complex models without writing complicated scripts.