A Review of Proper Modeling Techniques

A dynamic system model is proper for a particular application if it achieves the accuracy required by the application with minimal complexity. Because model complexity often – but not always – correlates inversely with simulation speed, a proper model is often alternatively defined as one balancing accuracy and speed. Such balancing is crucial for applications requiring both model accuracy and speed, such as system optimization and hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Furthermore, the simplicity of proper models conduces to control system analysis and design, particularly given the ease with which lower-order controllers can be implemented compared to higher-order ones. The literature presents many algorithms for deducing proper models from simpler ones or reducing complex models until they become proper. This paper presents a broad survey of the proper modeling literature. To simplify the presentation, the algorithms are classified into frequency-, projection-, optimization-, and energy-based, based on the metrics they use for obtaining proper models. The basic mechanics, properties, advantages and limitations of the methods are discussed, along with the relationships between different techniques, with the intention of helping the modeler to identify the most suitable proper modeling method for their application.