ABSTRACT
In Chapter 16 it is shown that an advantage of a state-feedback control system operating with high forward gain (hfg) is the insensitivity of the system output to gain variations in the forward path [1,2]. The design method of Chapter 16 assumes that all states are accessible. This chapter investigates in depth the insensitive property of hfg operation of a state-feedback control system. This is followed by a treatment of inaccessible states. In order for the reader to develop a better feel for the kinds of transient responses of a system, this chapter includes an introduction to state-space trajectories. This includes the determination of the steady-state, or equilibrium, values of a system response. While linear time-invariant (LTI) systems have only one equilibrium value, a nonlinear system may have a number of equilibrium solutions. These can be determined from the state equations. They lead to the development of the Jacobian matrix, which is used to represent a nonlinear system by approximate linear equations in the region close to the singular points.
