System Transfer Function

Mechatronics

December 4, 2020
Introduction

• For an amplifier , the gain factor is an important parameter. The gain

states the mathematical relationship between the output and the input
for the block.
• Let a signal is in the time domain, say function of time f (t). If y (t)
is the input of the block and x (t) is the output of block. The gain of
the block can be defined as
ouput x (t)
Gain = =
input y (t)

• However, for many systems the relationship between output and the
input is in the form of a differential equation. In such cases simply
defining gain with some numerical value is not possible.
• Laplace transform can transform a differential equation (in time do-
main) in to an algebraic equation (in s-domain).

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• A function in s-domain is represented by F (s), time domain function
is referred by f (t).
• Transfer function states the relationship between the Laplace transform
of the output and the Laplace transform of the input.
• Suppose the input to a linear system has a Laplace transform of Y (s)
for input and the Laplace transform of the output is X (s). The transfer
function G(s) of the system is then defined as
Laplace transform of output
transferfunction =
Laplace transform of input
X (s)
G(s) =
Y (s)

with all the initial conditions being zero, i.e. we assume zero output
when zero input and zero rate of change of output with time when zero
rate of input with time.
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• Thus, the output of the transform is X (s) = G(s)Y (s), i.e. the product
of the input transform and product of the transfer function.

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Laplace Transforms

• Laplace transform are helpful tool for dealing with linear systems, i.e.
when the system equation is a linear differential equation then Laplace
transform can be applied.
• Laplace transform technique cannot be applied for nonlinear systems,
i.e. systems with nonlinear differential equations.
• Laplace transform convert a function in time domain to s domain. For
the function f (t), the Laplace transform is obtained by multiplying it
with e −st and integrate from 0 to ∞.
Z ∞
L{f (t)} = e −st f (t)dt
0

• Laplace transform of a function in times give a function in s-domain,

i.e. L{f (t)} = F (s)
• Generally transfer function method is applied for single input and single
output (SISO) type systems.

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Laplace Transforms of common inputs

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General principles in working with Laplace transforms

• af (t) has the transform aF (s)

• f (t) + g(t) has the transform F (s) + G(s)
• Laplace transform of first derivative

df (t)
L{ } = sF (s) − f (0)
dt
• Laplace transform of second derivative

d 2 f (t) df (0)
L{ 2
} = s 2 F (s) − sf (0) −
dt dt
• The Laplace transform of an integral of a function is
Z t
F (s)
L{ f (t)dt} =
0 s
• All initial conditions for transfer function are zero.
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First order systems
• Consider a system where the relationship between the input and the
output is in the form of a first-order differential equation.
dx
a1 + a0 x = b0 y
dt
where a1 , a0 , b0 are constants, y is the input and x the output, both
being functions of time.
• Laplace transform of this, with all initial conditions zero, is
a1 sX (s) + a0 X (s) = b0 Y (s)

• The transfer function G(s) is

X (s) b0
G(s) = =
Y (s) a1 s + a0
• The equation is rearranged as
b0 /a0 G
G(s) = =
Mechatronics
(a1 /a0 )sFunction
System Transfer
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First order system with step input
• For the first order system subjected to step input Y (s) = 1/s, the
output transform X (s) is
G
X (s) = G(s)Y (s) =
s(τ s + 1)
where a1 , a0 , b0 are constants, y is the input and x the output, both
being functions of time.
• Laplace transform of this, with all initial conditions zero, is
a1 sX (s) + a0 X (s) = b0 Y (s)

• The transfer function G(s) is

X (s) b0
G(s) = =
Y (s) a1 s + a0
• The equation is rearranged as
b0 /a0 G
G(s) = =
Mechatronics
(a1 /a0 )sFunction
System Transfer
+1 τs + 1 December 4, 2020 10 / 20
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First order system examples
• Consider a circuit which has a resistance R in series with a capacitance
C . The input to the circuit is ν and the output is the potential dif-
ference νC across the capacitor. The differential equation relating the
input and output is
dνC
ν = RC + νC
dt

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Second order systems

• For a second-order system, the relationship between the input y and

the output x is described by a differential equation of the form

d 2x dx
a2 + a1 + a0 x = b0 y
dt 2 dt
where a2 , a1 , a0 , and b0 are constants.
• The Laplace transform of this equation, with all initial conditions zero,
is
a2 s 2 X (s) + a1 sX (s) + a0 X (s) = b0 Y (s)

• The transfer function G(s) is

X (s) b0
G(s) = = 2
Y (s) a2 s + a 1 s + a0

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• Alternative representation of differential equation is

d 2x dx
2
+ 2ζωn + ωn2 x = b0 y
dt dt
where ωn is the natural frequency and ζ is the damping ratio.
• The transfer function is

X (s) b0 ωn2
G(s) = = 2
Y (s) s + 2ζωn s + ωn2

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Second order system subjected to step input

• When a second order system is subject to unit step input,Y (s) = 1

s the
output transform is,

b0 ωn2
X (s) = G(s)Y (s) =
s(s 2 + 2ζωn s + ωn2 )
• The above equation can be written in different form as,

b0 ωn2
X (s) =
s(s + p1 )(s + p2 )
where, p1 and p2 are roots of the equation (s 2 + 2ζωn s + ωn2 ) = 0
• Roots of the quadratic equation are is
q
−2ζωn ± 4ζ 2 ωn2 − 4ωn2
p=
2
p p
• The roots p1 = −ζωn + ωn ζ 2 − 1 and p2 = −ζωn − ωn ζ 2 − 1
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• When ζ > 1 the square root term is real and system is over damped.
• When ζ = 1 the square root term is zero and system is critically
damped. The values of p1 and p2 become p1 = p2 = −ωn . Then
b0 ωn2
X (s) =
s(s + ωn )2
• The above equation is expanded using method of partial fractions
1 1 ωn
X (s) = b0 ( − − )
s s + ωn (s + ωn )2
• upon application of inverse Laplace transform we get,
x = b0 [1 − e −ωn t − ωn te −ωn t ]

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Systems in series

• If the systems are in series as shown in figure below.

• The transfer function G(s) of the system is given by

X (s) X1 (s) X2 (s) X (s)

G(s) = = = G1 (s)G2 (s)G3 (s)
Y (s) Y (s) X1 (s) X2 (s)

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Systems with feed back loop

• Figure shows the systems with negative feedback loop.

• The term forward path is used for the path having the transfer function
G(s) in the figure.
• Feedback path for the one having H(s). The entire system is referred
to as a closed loop system.
• The effective input for the element G(s) is Y (s) − H(s)X (s)

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• The transfer function for element G(s) is

X (s)
G(s) =
Y (s) − H(s)X (s)

• by rearranging the terms, we get

X (s) G(s)
=
Y (s) 1 + G(s)H(s)

• The overall transfer function for the system having a negative feedback
of H(s) is
G(s)
T (s) =
1 + G(s)H(s)

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