{"id":21918,"date":"2025-01-04T00:30:50","date_gmt":"2025-01-04T00:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/?p=21918"},"modified":"2025-08-29T04:40:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:40:58","slug":"understanding-actuator-saturation-in-control-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/application-notes\/understanding-actuator-saturation-in-control-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding actuator saturation in control systems","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column]\n    <div data-component='call_to_action' class='vc_row-fluid cta w-full mx-auto cta-outline'>\n      <div class='flex w-full gap-4 flex-col items-center'>\n      \n        <div class='max-w-prose wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12'>\n          <div class='vc_column-inner'>\n            \n            <p>In this series, we provide a practical reference for designing and debugging loops by presenting a short introduction to feedback control as encountered in the frequency domain.<\/p>\n\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=' flex flex-row gap-4 xs:flex-col'>\n          <a class=\"button relative gap-2 items-center blue filled medium  \" href=\"https:\/\/cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com\/web-interactives\/public\/v1\/track\/click?encryptedPayload=AVxigLL53H1g5u5G%2BWdrdEyA8UnIGHoMphgPd6RS891o0xbtMcFdDmpN7gOBMFuO4jn7aQi0hH1H0jODE36DYY5czQIRK90a5RwmQwJHMZz%2B1cp8fBK62k5NWMzaLXj43OjxToPNJGSX7sMb1l9Bww51ahIlOA%2F%2Fj5pHGosXb1MmBcZOOkljIYVsNLprUntC1boukdjGDrNfYSyzVRLmLSu0DaI7FWlg0Kvp%2Fgso142%2BQ8BTRlzPoFEuWF7oRjJOpkk%3D&#038;portalId=3954510\" title=\"Get the frequency control guide\" target=\"\"><span class=\"flex-1\">Get the frequency control guide<\/span><\/a>\n  <a class=\"button relative gap-2 items-center blue filled medium  \" href=\"https:\/\/cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com\/web-interactives\/public\/v1\/track\/click?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJkWgTRNoIXu%2BUpVr%2F3gV1SakKkDtzdPLFT3D6%2B9zOHpAqrEbsY4tuSIV8t4J2KKSZwbV9gB0N0NsbopmrpB3sR%2FEqdBZvZ3ruerNTXPltixWtl8cAyI1Q7XRKFk7hAAWpdl1WvuQln6quCTJpQMjJwU9I4LSjXAIi6ky3n%2B9qZGb5Myi4JtcyceXURphMi9BOgcycD0vux3Xjo&#038;portalId=3954510\" title=\"Control systems solutions\" target=\"\"><span class=\"flex-1\">Control systems solutions<\/span><\/a>\n  \n  \n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>[vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2><b>5.1<\/b> <b>Introduction<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It often occurs that a loop can be closed and the required performance realized only for control to be lost after a short period of time. A common culprit in such situations is actuator saturation. In these cases, the actuator is \u2018fast\u2019 enough to mitigate the highest-frequency elements of the disturbance but it does not have the requisite absolute range to cope with its lowest-frequency components.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, when locking a laser to a cavity, the laser\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/xeryon.com\/technology\/how-do-piezo-motors-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">piezoelectric motor<\/a> (PZT) is initially able to hold the laser on resonance. However, environmental thermal effects cause the length of the cavity to increase (say) with time. As a result, the \u2018DC\u2019 component of the PZT control signal increases monotonically until either the electronics or the PZT itself \u2018rail\u2019 and lock is lost. In this part of our series on frequency-domain control we consider how to solve this problem through the addition of a second actuator.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/application-notes\/defining-a-transfer-function\/\">Part 1<\/a> establishes the definition of a transfer function and provides the components from which one can construct control loop block diagrams to model elaborate systems. In <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/application-notes\/constructing-feedback-control-loops\/\">Part 2<\/a> we demonstrate how feedback control systems can be used to suppress disturbances or track a process set point. The complications associated with noisy sensors are also discussed. Unlike open-loop systems, devices under feedback control have the potential to become unstable and there is tension between performance and robustness. Ultimately, delays in signal propagation can impose the most stringent limit. These issues are treated in <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/application-notes\/assessing-stability-in-feedback-control-loops\/\">Part 3<\/a>. In the frequency domain, most parameters of a feedback system can be linked to its open-loop transfer function. In <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/application-notes\/loop-shaping-frequency-domain-tuning\/\">Part 4<\/a> we explain how to measure this important quantity and provide a list of functions often used in shaping it. Here, Part 5 describes one method of avoiding actuator saturation and, in doing so, introduces ideas useful to the treatment of multiple actuators. Our series concludes in <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/application-notes\/digital-pid-controller-analysis\/\">Part 6<\/a> with the study of the <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/products\/integrated-instruments\/pid-controller\/\">PID controller<\/a>. This common control architecture is generally considered from a time-domain point-of-view; we illustrate the complementary frequency-domain representation.<\/p>\n<h2><b>5.2<\/b> <b>An additional actuator<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The obvious option in this scenario is to replace the saturating actuator with one offering a larger range. Generally, this strategy fails, as increasing range results in a commensurate reduction in speed. This knowledge, nevertheless, points to another solution: we can augment the system with a second actuator providing larger range which, although slow, is capable of counteracting the disturbances at the lowest frequencies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This approach is illustrated in Figure <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5.1<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The uppermost diagram represents the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">initial loop where only the fast actuator, with transfer function \\(H_F\\)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is included. The fast controller and system sensor have transfer functions <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">F <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, respectively. This loop is stable with OLTF \\(SFH_F\\)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21930 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.30.14\u202fAM-883x1024.png\" alt=\"Top: Initial \u2018fast loop\u2019. Middle: Fast loop augmented with slow loop to avoid saturation. Bottom: Equivalent loop considering the fast loop as the plant\" width=\"883\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.30.14\u202fAM-883x1024.png 883w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.30.14\u202fAM-259x300.png 259w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.30.14\u202fAM-768x891.png 768w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.30.14\u202fAM-300x348.png 300w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.30.14\u202fAM-600x696.png 600w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.30.14\u202fAM.png 889w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 883px) 100vw, 883px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 5.1: Top: Initial \u2018fast loop\u2019. Middle: Fast loop augmented with slow loop to avoid saturation. Bottom: Equivalent loop considering the fast loop as the plant. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The middle diagram depicts the same system with the addition of the slow actuator (transfer function \\(H_L\\)) and slow controller (transfer function <i>L<\/i>). This new path takes as its input the fast actuator\u2019s control signal. Our goal is to reduce this signal to avoid saturation.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>5.3<\/b> <b>A change in point of view<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to determine the stability and performance of the new path we have added we must change our point of view. Since the fast loop is itself stable, we consider it as the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">plant <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for the new path.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By dint of the techniques outlined above, we compute the transfer function between points <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and condense the fast system into a single block, as demonstrated in the lowermost diagram of Figure <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5.1<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Said transfer function is given by<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\\(H = frac{-SF}{1+SFH_F}\\)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and the OLTF of our new \u2018slow\u2019 loop is<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\\(G = frac{LH_L}{H_F}frac{-SFH_F}{1+SFH_F}\\).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The slow loop necessarily has a low UGF relative to the initial fast loop. Below the UGF of the fast loop \\(-SFH_F\/(1+SFH_F) sim -1\\)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Thus at frequencies of interest for the slow loop,<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\\(G sim -frac{LH_L}{H_F}\\),<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this expression can be used to determine the performance and stability of the slow loop as normal, with the caveat that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">L <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">usually requires negative gain to accommodate the phase of the negative feedback loop <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">H<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>5.4<\/b> <b>Desaturation<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recall that the initial goal of the slow loop was to reduce the control burden falling on the fast actuator. With this in mind, we examine the output <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">o <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the fast actuator in response to a frequency disturbance <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">d <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(see Figure <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5.1<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the original fast path acting alone we find<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\\(o = frac{-SFH_F}{1+SFH_F}d sim &#8211; d\\),<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Broadly speaking, inside the fast-loop bandwidth, the fast actuator generates the inverse of the disturbance so that the output remains unperturbed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the addition of the slow path we have<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\\(o = frac{-SFH_F}{1+SFH_F-SFLH_L}d sim &#8211; frac{d}{G}\\),<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where the approximation is valid inside the bandwidth of the slow loop. Therefore, at frequencies where the slow loop is active, the fast path output is reduced by <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">G<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the gain of the slow loop. Should this reduced output fall within the useful range of the fast actuator, saturation will be avoided and closed-loop operation will be possible over long timescales.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Moku <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/products\/integrated-instruments\/laser-lock-box\/\">Laser Lock Box<\/a> implements fast and slow paths using the architecture described above, allowing users to easily deploy actuator desaturation techniques (see Figure <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5.2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21931 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.32.47\u202fAM-1024x447.png\" alt=\"The Moku Laser Lock Box interface showcasing fast and slow feedback paths. The output of the fast controller is routed to the input of the slow controller.\" width=\"900\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.32.47\u202fAM-1024x447.png 1024w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.32.47\u202fAM-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.32.47\u202fAM-768x336.png 768w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.32.47\u202fAM-600x262.png 600w, https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-20-at-11.32.47\u202fAM.png 1046w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Figure 5.2: The Moku <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/products\/integrated-instruments\/laser-lock-box\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Laser Lock Box<\/a> includes fast and slow feedback paths. The output of the fast controller is routed to the input of the slow controller. This architecture can avoid saturation of the fast path.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>5.5<\/b> <b>Summary<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Above we have shown how the combination of two actuators, providing useful performance over different frequency bands, can mitigate the problem of actuator saturation. The key idea is that the mathematical treatment we introduced in earlier parts is flexible; we can change our point of view and consider an entire feedback loop as just another block in a simpler control system diagram. This concept can be applied to situations where we seek to increase bandwidth through the addition of a faster actuator or where we have multiple actuators operating in parallel, as opposed to the cascaded architecture we examined. The new, simpler, diagram also allowed us to easily investigate the stability of the compound configuration with our pre-existing tools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the next, and last, part of our series, <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/application-notes\/digital-pid-controller-analysis\/\">Part 6<\/a>, we shall focus on the ever-present <a href=\"https:\/\/liquidinstruments.com\/products\/integrated-instruments\/pid-controller\/\">PID controller<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] 5.1 Introduction It often occurs that a loop can be closed and the required performance realized only for control to be lost after a short period of time. A common culprit in such situations is actuator saturation. In these cases, the actuator is \u2018fast\u2019 enough to mitigate the highest-frequency elements of the disturbance but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":49,"featured_media":20348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[315],"class_list":["post-21918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-application-notes","tag-controlcharacterization","site-category-laser-lock-box","site-category-pid-controller"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is Actuator Saturation in Control Systems?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to troubleshoot the effects of 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