Patent ID: 7920929

Claim:
A method comprising: selecting a target loop transfer function for at least one plant subsystem in response to an input excitation, wherein the plant subsystem produces an output for an automated sub-process of the plant; auto-tuning the plant subsystem transfer function to the target loop transfer function using a controller device, wherein the auto-tuning by the controller device includes: the controller device selecting and setting a bandwidth of the plant subsystem transfer function selected from a plurality of bandwidths, the plurality of bandwidths determined by the controller device in accordance with a target settling time of the plant subsystem; the controller device running the plant subsystem and inputting an input excitation signal to the plant subsystem; the controller device adjusting the plant subsystem transfer function to the target loop transfer function according to a fit error criterion to obtain a transfer function solution for the bandwidth; the controller device continuing the selecting and setting of the bandwidth to obtain a plurality of transfer function solutions in accordance with the fit-error criterion; the controller device ranking at least a portion of the resulting transfer functions for the selected bandwidths according to an associated calculated fit error; and the controller device controlling the plant subsystem using the adjusted transfer function.