VTU e-learning Courseware Control Engineering (ME55)

Prof. S. C.Pilli, Principal, Session: XII ,20/09/06

K.L.E.S. College of Engineering and Technology, Belgaum-590008.
SIGNAL FLOW GRAPHS
The relationship between an input variable and an output variable of a signal flow graph
is given by the net gain between input and output nodes and is known as overall gain of
the system. Masons gain formula is used to obtain the over all gain (transfer function) of
signal flow graphs.
Masons Gain Formula
Gain P is given by
A
A
=
k
k k
P P
1
Where, P
k
is gain of k
th
forward path,
is determinant of graph
=1-(sum of all individual loop gains)+(sum of gain products of all possible
combinations of two nontouching loops sum of gain products of all possible
combination of three nontouching loops) +

k
is cofactor of k
th
forward path determinant of graph with loops touching k
th
forward
path. It is obtained from by removing the loops touching the path P
k
.
Example 1
Obtain the transfer function of C/R of the system whose signal flow graph is shown in
Fig.1
Figure 1 Signal flow graph of example 1
There are two forward paths:
Gain of path 1 : P
1
=G
1
Gain of path 2 : P
2
=G
2
R
G
4
G
2
-G
3
G
1
C 1 1
VTU e-learning Courseware Control Engineering (ME55)
Prof. S. C.Pilli, Principal, Session: XII ,20/09/06
K.L.E.S. College of Engineering and Technology, Belgaum-590008.
There are four loops with loop gains:
L
1
=-G
1
G
3
, L
2
=G
1
G
4
, L
3
= -G
2
G
3
, L
4
= G
2
G
4
There are no non-touching loops.
= 1+G
1
G
3
-G
1
G
4
+G
2
G
3
-G
2
G
4
Forward paths 1 and 2 touch all the loops. Therefore,
1
= 1,
2
= 1
The transfer function T =
, )
, )
4 2 3 2 4 1 3 1
2 1 2 2 1 1
1 G G G G G G G G
G G P P
s R
s C
+ +
+
=
A
A + A
=
Example 2
Obtain the transfer function of C(s)/R(s) of the system whose signal flow graph is shown
in Fig.2.
Figure 2 Signal flow graph of example 2
There is one forward path, whose gain is: P
1
=G
1
G
2
G
3
There are three loops with loop gains:
L
1
=-G
1
G
2
H
1
, L
2
=G
2
G
3
H
2
, L
3
= -G
1
G
2
G
3
There are no non-touching loops.
= 1-G
1
G
2
H
1
+G
2
G
3
H
2
+G
1
G
2
G
3
Forward path 1 touches all the loops. Therefore,
1
= 1.
The transfer function T =
, )
, )
3 2 1 2 3 1 1 2 1
3 2 1 1 1
1 G G G H G G H G G
G G G P
s R
s C
+ +
=
A
A
=
R(s)
C(s)
1
1
1 G
1
G
2 G
3
H
1
-1
-H
2
VTU e-learning Courseware Control Engineering (ME55)
Prof. S. C.Pilli, Principal, Session: XII ,20/09/06
K.L.E.S. College of Engineering and Technology, Belgaum-590008.
Example 3
Obtain the transfer function of C(s)/R(s) of the system whose signal flow graph is shown
in Fig.3.
Figure 3 Signal flow graph of example 3
There are three forward paths.
The gain of the forward path are: P
1
=G
1
G
2
G
3
G
4
G
5
P
2
=G
1
G
6
G
4
G
5
P
3
=G
1
G
2
G
7
There are four loops with loop gains:
L
1
=-G
4
H
1
, L
2
=-G
2
G
7
H
2
, L
3
= -G
6
G
4
G
5
H
2
, L
4
=-G
2
G
3
G
4
G
5
H
2
There is one combination of Loops L
1
and L
2
which are nontouching with loop gain
product L
1
L
2
=G
2
G
7
H
2
G
4
H
1
= 1+G
4
H
1
+G
2
G
7
H
2
+G
6
G
4
G
5
H
2
+G
2
G
3
G
4
G
5
H
2
+ G
2
G
7
H
2
G
4
H
1
Forward path 1 and 2 touch all the four loops. Therefore
1
= 1,
2
= 1.
Forward path 3 is not in touch with loop1. Hence,
3
= 1+G
4
H
1
.
The transfer function T =
, )
, )
, )
2 1 7 4 2 2 5 4 3 2 2 5 4 6 2 7 2 1 4
1 4 7 2 1 6 5 4 1 5 4 3 2 1 3 3 2 2 1 1
1
1
H H G G G H G G G G H G G G H G G H G
H G G G G G G G G G G G G G P P P
s R
s C
+ + + + +
+ + +
=
A
A + A + A
=
G
1
C(s) R(s)
G
7
G
6
-H
1
G
2
G
3
G
4
G
5
-H
2
X
1
X
2
X
3
X
4
X
5
1
VTU e-learning Courseware Control Engineering (ME55)
Prof. S. C.Pilli, Principal, Session: XII ,20/09/06
K.L.E.S. College of Engineering and Technology, Belgaum-590008.
Example 4
Find the gains
1
3
2
5
1
6
, ,
X
X
X
X
X
X
for the signal flow graph shown in Fig.4.
Figure 4 Signal flow graph of MIMO system
Case 1:
1
6
X
X
There are two forward paths.
The gain of the forward path are: P
1
=acdef
P
2
=abef
There are four loops with loop gains:
L
1
=-cg, L
2
=-eh, L
3
= -cdei, L
4
=-bei
There is one combination of Loops L
1
and L
2
which are nontouching with loop gain
product L
1
L
2
=cgeh
= 1+cg+eh+cdei+bei+cgeh
Forward path 1 and 2 touch all the four loops. Therefore
1
= 1,
2
= 1.
The transfer function T =
cgeh bei cdei eh cg
abef cdef P P
X
X
+ + + + +
+
=
A
A + A
=
1
2 2 1 1
1
6
b
a
d
c
f
e
-h
-g
-i
X
1
X
6
X
5
X
4
X
3
X
2
VTU e-learning Courseware Control Engineering (ME55)
Prof. S. C.Pilli, Principal, Session: XII ,20/09/06
K.L.E.S. College of Engineering and Technology, Belgaum-590008.
Case 2:
2
5
X
X
The modified signal flow graph for case 2 is shown in Fig.5.
Figure 5 Signal flow graph of example 4 case 2
The transfer function can directly manipulated from case 1 as branches a and f are
removed which do not form the loops. Hence,
The transfer function T=
cgeh bei cdei eh cg
be cde P P
X
X
+ + + + +
+
=
A
A + A
=
1
2 2 1 1
2
5
Case 3:
1
3
X
X
The signal flow graph is redrawn to obtain the clarity of the functional relation as shown
in Fig.6.
Figure 6 Signal flow graph of example 4 case 3
b
1
d
c
1
e
-h
-g
-i
X
2
X
5
X
5
X
4
X
3
X
2
a e b f
-h
-g
-i
X
1
X
5
X
4 X
3
X
2
c
d
X
3
1
VTU e-learning Courseware Control Engineering (ME55)
Prof. S. C.Pilli, Principal, Session: XII ,20/09/06
K.L.E.S. College of Engineering and Technology, Belgaum-590008.
There are two forward paths.
The gain of the forward path are: P
1
=abcd
P
2
=ac
There are five loops with loop gains:
L
1
=-eh, L
2
=-cg, L
3
= -bei, L
4
=edf, L
5
=-befg
There is one combination of Loops L
1
and L
2
which are nontouching with loop gain
product L
1
L
2
=ehcg
= 1+eh+cg+bei+efd+befg+ehcg
Forward path 1 touches all the five loops. Therefore
1
= 1.
Forward path 2 does not touch loop L
1
. Hence,
2
= 1+ eh
The transfer function T =
, )
ehcg befg efd bei cg eh
eh ac abef P P
X
X
+ + + + + +
+ +
=
A
A + A
=
1
1
2 2 1 1
1
3
Example 5
For the system represented by the following equations find the transfer function X(s)/U(s)
using signal flow graph technique.
-
-
+ =
+ + =
+ =
u X a X
u X X a X
u X X
1 1 2 2
2 2 1 1 1
3 1

Taking Laplace transform with zero initial conditions

, ) , ) , )
, ) , ) , ) , )
, ) , ) , ) s U s X a s sX
s U s X s X a s sX
s U s X s X
1 1 2 2
2 2 1 1 1
3 1

+ =
+ + =
+ =
Rearrange the above equation
, ) , ) , )
, ) , ) , ) , )
, ) , ) , ) s U
s
s X
s
a
s X
s U
s
s X
s
s X
s
a
s X
s U s X s X
1
1
2
2
2
2 1
1
1
3 1
1

=
+ +

=
+ =
The signal flow graph is shown in Fig.7.
VTU e-learning Courseware Control Engineering (ME55)
Prof. S. C.Pilli, Principal, Session: XII ,20/09/06
K.L.E.S. College of Engineering and Technology, Belgaum-590008.
Figure 7 Signal flow grapgh of example 5
There are three forward paths.
The gain of the forward path are: P
1
=|
3
P
2
=|
1
/ s
2
P
3
=|
2
/ s
There are two loops with loop gains:
2
2
2
1
1
s
a
L
s
a
L

=
L
1
=-eh, L
2
=-cg, L
3
= -bei, L
4
=edf, L
5
=-befg
There are no combination two Loops which are nontouching.
2
2 1
1
s
a
s
a
+ + = A
Forward path 1 does not touch loops L
1
and L
2
. Therefore
2
2 1
1
1
s
a
s
a
+ + = A
Forward path 2 path 3 touch the two loops. Hence,
2
= 1,
2
= 1.
The transfer function T =
, )
2 1
2
1 2 2 1
2
3 3 3 2 2 1 1
1
3
a s a s
s a s a s P P P
X
X
+ +
+ + + +
=
A
A + A + A
=

U
X
1
X
2
|
3
s
a
1

s
1
s

2
s
a
2

1
1
X
X