Continuous-time approach of sampled-data systems

Abstract

This paper studies the continuous-time behavior of sampled-data control systems. In these systems, a discrete-time control law is applied to a continuous-time system model using sampling and zero-order hold. Traditionally, sampled-data systems are modeled in discrete-time, and thus, the intersample dynamics cannot be examined. This paper shows that the classical methods (such as the d2c function of MATLAB) for obtaining continuous-time models can be inaccurate between the sampling instants, even when Shannon’s sampling theorem is satisfied. In this paper, a new method is also presented which can be used to characterize the continuous-time dynamics of sampled-data control systems. The new continuous-time system model including the intersample behavior is derived analytically from the discrete-time model, and the results are verified by simulations.