Linear conditioning for systems containing saturating actuators

A system composed of a linear controller and plant can exhibit strange beha viour when the actuators linking the controller to the plant are subject to saturation, or other nonlinear effects. Linear conditioning means augmenti ng the system with a linear transfer function to change the system's behavi our during, and immediately following, saturation. In this paper, the behav iour of linear conditioning schemes is interpreted in terms of a single tra nsfer function M(s). This transfer function not only facilitates the unders tanding and comparison of conditioning schemes, but also leads to a new fra mework for conditioning design. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r eserved.