Digital correlation techniques for identifying dynamic systems

A frequent problem in physics and engineering is that of determining a mathematical model for the dynamic performance of a system. It is particularly useful to be able to make measurements which enable such a model to follow changes in the system dynamics in the course of normal operation. Linear control theory, although now being replaced by a more general approach, can still form the basis for such system analysis. Cross correlating signals from a linear process can give a great deal of information about the process dynamics without injecting any test disturbances, or, when test signals are possible, cross correlation can be used to recover dynamic information in the presence of considerable background noise. The use of specially constructed test signals can make cross correlation a powerful technique in the identification of dynamic systems.