Time-invariant system
In control theory, a time-invariant (TI) system has a time-dependent system function that is not a direct function of time. Such systems are regarded as a class of systems in the field of system analysis. The time-dependent system function is a function of the time-dependent input function. If this function depends only indirectly on the time-domain (via the input function, for example), then that is a system that would be considered time-invariant. Conversely, any direct dependence on the time-domain of the system function could be considered as a "time-varying system".
Mathematically speaking, "time-invariance" of a system is the following property:[4]: p. 50
In the language of signal processing, this property can be satisfied if the transfer function of the system is not a direct function of time except as expressed by the input and output.
In the context of a system schematic, this property can also be stated as follows, as shown in the figure to the right:
If a time-invariant system is also linear, it is the subject of linear time-invariant theory (linear time-invariant) with direct applications in NMR spectroscopy, seismology, circuits, signal processing, control theory, and other technical areas. Nonlinear time-invariant systems lack a comprehensive, governing theory. Discrete time-invariant systems are known as shift-invariant systems. Systems which lack the time-invariant property are studied as time-variant systems.
System A:
System B:
To demonstrate how to determine if a system is time-invariant, consider the two systems:
Since the System Function for system A explicitly depends on t outside of , it is not time-invariant because the time-dependence is not explicitly a function of the input function.
In contrast, system B's time-dependence is only a function of the time-varying input . This makes system B time-invariant.
The Formal Example below shows in more detail that while System B is a Shift-Invariant System as a function of time, t, System A is not.
