On the Analysis of Qualitative Nyquist Plots

A powerful tool in control and systems engineering is represented by Nyquist plots, for which a qualitative representation often gives a clearer visualization of the frequency response function that is typically not given by computer programs, especially if portions of the Nyquist plot extend to infinity. This letter addresses the graphical analysis of the frequency response function, with the objective of enhancing the procedure for the qualitative construction of Nyquist plots. Several results supported by analytical proofs are derived for what concerns the low and high frequency behavior, which enable to improve the qualitative construction of Nyquist plots in the vicinity of the initial and final points.