Interactive graphical tools for controller design

With the growth of embedded systems, controllers are becoming both increasingly complex and increasingly common presenting two related challenges. Making control system design techniques accessible to non-controls experts, and designing complex control systems with many variables, operating modes and design requirements. Further complexities are introduced when closed loop compensator design includes various forms of event driven or supervisory control logic. An approach to address these problems is to provide an integrated design environment that supports a flexible workflow covering the complete design process. Such an environment would include facilities for system modeling, controller structure selection, controller requirement specification, compensator tuning, controller testing and verification, and interactive assistance at each step of the process.