Unfolding the zero structure of a linear control system (Q1359171)

The system is multi-input, multi-output \(\dot x=A(\mu)x+ B(\mu)u\), \(y=C(\mu)x+ D(\mu)\), where the parameter \(\mu\) is scalar. As the control design may depend on zeros (e.g. it may be different for minimum and nonminimum phase systems) or on relative degree of the system, the authors are concerned with zero structure under the small change of the parameter. The bifurcation of the system structure are studied via unfolding canonical forms of the system in the frequency domain. The notion of miniversal deformation is introduced and applied to the parametrization of the Thorp-Morse form. This form is more appropriate for control then the Kronecker form and leads to the decomposition of the system into five decoupled subsystems. Three simple systems with two inputs, two outputs and two states and scalar parameter are considered as examples; bifurcation diagrams are given too. Rather surprising is that the paper concerned with linear control systems parametrized by a scalar parameter never mentions the classical tool for such an analysis -- the Root Locus Method by Bode and Evans.