Control of serial sampling systems

In industrial multivariable plants, it is often the case that the plant outputs are detected not simultaneously but serially. The problem of estimating the state vector of the plant based on the data obtained from such a detecting scheme is considered, and a special type of observer (referred to as a 'serial-sampling' type observer) which renews its internal states whenever new data are obtained is proposed. It is proved that such an observer can be constructed for almost every sampling period if the plant is observable as a continuous-time multivariable system, and that the poles of the closed-loop system using the serial-sampling type observer consist of the poles of the observer and those of the state feedback system. The behaviors of the observer and the closed-loop system are studied by simulation. The results of simulation indicate that a serial-sampling type observer can estimate the state of the plant more accurately than the ordinary type observer and improve the closed-loop performance.<>