A lead–lag compensator is a component in a control system that improves an undesirable frequency response in a feedback and control system. It is a fundamental building block in classical control theory.
Applications Lead–lag compensators influence disciplines as varied as robotics, satellite control, automobile diagnostics, LCDs and laser frequency stabilisation. They are an important building block in analog control systems, and can also be used in digital control. Given the control plant, desired specifications can be achieved using compensators. I, P, PI, PD, and PID, are optimizing controllers which are used to improve system parameters (such as reducing steady state error, reducing resonant peak, improving system response by reducing rise time). All these operations can be done by compensators as well, used in cascade compensation technique.
Theory Both lead compensators and lag compensators introduce a pole–zero pair into the open loop transfer function. The transfer function can be written in the Laplace domain as
Y X = s − z s − p {\displaystyle {\frac {Y}{X}}={\frac {s-z}{s-p}}}
where X is the input to the compensator, Y is the output, s is the complex Laplace transform variable, z is the zero frequency and p is the pole frequency. The pole and zero are both typically negative, or left of the origin in the complex plane. In a lead compensator, | z | < | p | {\displaystyle |z|<|p|} , while in a lag compensator | z | > | p | {\displaystyle |z|>|p|} . A lead-lag compensator consists of a lead compensator cascaded with a lag compensator. The overall transfer function can be written as
Y X = ( s − z 1 ) ( s − z 2 ) ( s − p 1 ) ( s − p 2 ) . {\displaystyle {\frac {Y}{X}}={\frac {(s-z_{1})(s-z_{2})}{(s-p_{1})(s-p_{2})}}.}
Typically | p 1 | > | z 1 | > | z 2 | > | p 2 | {\displaystyle |p_{1}|>|z_{1}|>|z_{2}|>|p_{2}|} , where z1 and p1 are the zero and pole of the lead compensator and z2 and p2 are the zero and pole of the lag compensator. The lead compensator provides phase lead at high frequencies. This shifts the root locus to the left, which enhances the responsiveness and stability of the system. The lag compensator provides phase lag at low frequencies which reduces the steady state error. The precise locations of the poles and zeros depend on both the desired characteristics of the closed loop response and the characteristics of the system being controlled. However, the pole and zero of the lag compensator should be close together so as not to cause the poles to shift right, which could cause instability or slow convergence. Since their purpose is to affect the low frequency behaviour, they should be near the origin.
Implementation Both analog and digital control systems use lead-lag compensators. The technology used for the implementation is different in each case, but the underlying principles are the same. The transfer function is rearranged so that the output is expressed in terms of sums of terms involving the input, and integrals of the input and output. For example,
Y = X − ( z 1 + z 2 ) X s + z 1 z 2 X s 2 + ( p 1 + p 2 ) Y s − p 1 p 2 Y s 2 . {\displaystyle Y=X-(z_{1}+z_{2}){\frac {X}{s}}+z_{1}z_{2}{\frac {X}{s^{2}}}+(p_{1}+p_{2}){\frac {Y}{s}}-p_{1}p_{2}{\frac {Y}{s^{2}}}.}
In analog control systems, where integrators are expensive, it is common to group terms together to minimize the number of integrators required:
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