State-Space Representation of LTI Systems

The classical control theory and methods (such as root locus) that we have been using in class to date are based on a simple input-output description of the plant, usually expressed as a transfer function. These methods do not use any knowledge of the interior structure of the plant, and limit us to single-input single-output (SISO) systems, and as we have seen allows only limited control of the closed-loop behavior when feedback control is used. Modern control theory solves many of the limitations by using a much “richer” description of the plant dynamics. The so-called state-space description provide the dynamics as a set of coupled first-order differential equations in a set of internal variables known as state variables, together with a set of algebraic equations that combine the state variables into physical output variables.