CACSD software and man-machine interfaces of modern control environments

Abstract

Recent work on Computer Aided Control Systems Design (CACSD) tools has put an increased emphasis on the design of good man-machine interfaces. This paper will survey the properties of an increasingly popular group of user-interfaces, the so-called matrix (control) environments, with comparisons to other approaches. In the first section, the progress of CACSD is compared to general advancements in computer-science. Thereafter, the unique characteristics of CACSD software as opposed to related application software are defined. In the third section, the use of interactive command languages as found in the matrix (control) environments will be evaluated. Finally, the advantages of integrated, all-encompassing packages versus special-purpose programs are discussed.

Towards a Document Centred Computer-Aided Control System Design Environment

“…Matlab itself was rapidly adopted and adapted by the control systems design community and several forerunners of modern Matlab appeared in the mid 1980s. Indeed, Rimvall (1987) makes an extremely convincing case for the command language interface and the matrix data structures in control systems design software.…”