This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject. Please help improve the article by providing more context for the reader. (September 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. Please help improve it to make it understandable to non-experts, without removing the technical details. (September 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Smith predictor (invented by O. J. M. Smith in 1957) is a type of predictive controller designed to control systems with a significant feedback time delay. The idea can be illustrated as follows.

Suppose the plant consists of ${\displaystyle G(z)}$ followed by a pure time delay ${\displaystyle z^{-k}}$. ${\displaystyle z}$ refers to the Z-transform of the transfer function relating the inputs and outputs of the plant ${\displaystyle G}$.

As a first step, suppose we only consider ${\displaystyle G(z)}$ (the plant without a delay) and design a controller ${\displaystyle C(z)}$ with a closed-loop transfer function ${\displaystyle H(z)={\frac {C(z)G(z)}{1+C(z)G(z)}}}$ that we consider satisfactory.

Next, our objective is to design a controller ${\displaystyle {\bar {C}}(z)}$ for the plant ${\displaystyle G(z)z^{-k}}$ so that the closed loop transfer function ${\displaystyle {\bar {H}}(z)}$ equals ${\displaystyle H(z)z^{-k}}$.

Solving ${\displaystyle {\frac {{\bar {C}}Gz^{-k}}{1+{\bar {C}}Gz^{-k}}}=z^{-k}{\frac {CG}{1+CG}}}$, we obtain ${\displaystyle {\bar {C}}={\frac {C}{1+CG(1-z^{-k})}}}$. The controller is implemented as shown in the following figure, where ${\displaystyle G(z)}$ has been changed to ${\displaystyle {\hat {G}}(z)}$ to indicate that it is a model used by the controller.

Note that there are two feedback loops. The outer control loop feeds the output back to the input, as usual. However, this loop alone would not provide satisfactory control, because of the delay; this loop is feeding back outdated information. Intuitively, for the k sample intervals during which no fresh information is available, the system is controlled by the inner loop which contains a predictor of what the (unobservable) output of the plant G currently is.

To check that this works, a re-arrangement can be made as follows:

Here we can see that if the model used in the controller, ${\displaystyle {\hat {G}}(z)z^{-k}}$, matches the plant ${\displaystyle G(z)z^{-k}}$ perfectly, then the outer and middle feedback loops cancel each other, and the controller generates the "correct" control action. In reality, however, it is impossible for the model to perfectly match the plant.

• Feed-forward control
• Non-minimum phase

• O. J. Smith, Closer control of loops with dead time, Chemical Engineering Progress, 53 (1957), pp. 217–219
• K. Warwick and D. Rees, Industrial Digital Control Systems, IET, 1988. [1]

• "Overcoming process deadtime with a Smith Predictor". www.controleng.com. 17 February 2015.
• "Control of Processes with Long Dead Time: The Smith Predictor - MATLAB & Simulink Example". www.mathworks.com.

This systems-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

• v
• t
• e