Analysis of multivariable Smith predictors using MATLAB containers

Containers are structured m-files which allow 'data' and 'methods' to be stored persistently. Containers have a user-defined class structure, so that one can have several containers of the same class, all structurally similar. Currently, a container is implemented as a pair of MATLAB m-files, but to the user it appears as a single object with a number of properties (attributes). Since the benefits of containers only become apparent with non-trivial examples, this paper describes their use in a particular application: a multivariable Smith predictor controller. The containers described serve to hold definitions of components of feedback system in the form of Smith predictors.