Mason's Rule
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Adarsh BandiMason's Rule
Uploaded by
Adarsh BandiSignal Flow Graphs
February 18, 2019
1 Signal Flow Graphs
1. Signal flow graphs are alternative to block diagrams
2. A signal flow graphs consists of branches and nodes
3. Node represents conjunction of signals. It represents a system variable which is equal to the sum of all incoming
signals
4. Outgoing signals do not affect the variable at the node
5. Branch represents a system or subsystem.
6. A branch has a line with an arrow associated it. The arrow indicates the direction of signal flow through the system
7. Each branch has a gain associated with it and it is nothing but the transfer function
8. A signal passing through a branch gets multiplied by its gain.
9. The gain can be positive or negative.
10. Input Node has only outgoing branches
11. Output Node has only outgoing branches. If this condition is not met, an additional branch with unit gain may
be introduced
12. Path is the traversal of connected branches in the direction of branch arrows such that no node is traversed more
than once.
13. Forward path is a path from input node to the output node
14. Loop is a path that originates and terminates at the same node
15. Non touching loops are loops with no common nodes
16. Path/loop gain is the product of the gains encountered in traversing a path/loop.
2 Mason’s rule
17. Mason rule is used for reducing signal flow graphs and deriving the transfer function
18. The over gain or transfer function is given by
N
X Tk ∆k
TF = (1)
∆
k=1
19. where
• TF - Overall transfer function of the system
• Tk : path gain of the k th forward path
• N: Number of forward paths in the graph
• ∆ - Detereminant of the graph
• ∆k - Detereminant of the part of the graph not touching the kth forward path
20. Determinant ∆
P P P
21. ∆ = 1 - ( individual loop gains) + ( gain products of all combinations of two non-touching loops) - (
gain products of all combinations of three non-touching loops) + ....
