boundmode

Boundmode is a term used in engineering and computer science to describe a mode of operation in which one or more state variables are constrained to fixed upper and lower bounds. The concept arises when a system includes saturation, limiter, or clipping mechanisms that prevent signals from exceeding predefined limits. In boundmode, the response of the system is often nonlinear, and changes in input may not produce proportionate changes in output once a bound is reached.

Boundmode can occur in various domains. In control theory, saturating actuators or controllers enter boundmode when their outputs hit maximum or minimum actuator limits. In digital signal processing and fixed‑point computing, numeric values that reach representational limits enter a clipping or boundmode to avoid overflow. In computer graphics, color or coordinate values may be clamped to allowable ranges, effectively placing the pipeline in boundmode for those channels.

The transition into boundmode can affect performance and stability. Issues such as integrator windup in control loops or reduced dynamic range in audio processing are common concerns, and several techniques, known as anti‑windup schemes or bias compensation methods, are used to mitigate undesired effects when exiting boundmode.

See also: saturation, clipping, limiter, windup, fixed‑point arithmetic, boundary conditions.