GUI Tool for Analysis of Nonlinear Control System

Abstract

In practice, all systems can be classified either as linear or nonlinear systems. However, linear, time-invariant system if examined in detail is always found to be nonlinear to some extent. Powerful and user-friendly mathematical tools are available for linear system analysis, whereas no such tool is available for nonlinear analysis. This paper presents a useful GUI tool ‘nonlintools’, based on MATLAB. It helps to study, analysis and design of nonlinear control systems. The simulation software tool discussed in this paper aims to provide control engineers a tool that simplify the design steps for nonlinear control systems. The package can also be used as a teaching aid at both under and postgraduate level of control engineering education. The tool comprises of two sections – study of describing functions and stability analysis using describing function method.