Automating the simulation of complex discrete-time control systems: a mathematical framework, algorithms, and a software package

With the rapid proliferation of complex control systems, such as adaptive control systems, a need has arisen to automate as much as possible of the time-consuming preparatory work needed to simulate such systems. This burden currently falls on the user. The smaller the user time required and the more effortless the process, the greater, the authors believe, will be the eventual widespread acceptability of these control systems. This paper is aimed at bridging this gap between the theoretical specification of a complex discrete-time control system as described in a typical research paper and the obtaining of a first simulation. It provides a graph theoretical formulation of the issues involved, discrete algorithms to execute these tasks, and finally describes ISIM, an interpretive simulator which incorporates these features. These algorithms automate the simulation process, as seen by the user. The net result is a package which essentially requires only that the user type in a control system more or less verbatim from a technical paper to obtain a simulation output