Automatic Control

The summary of:

Study unit 1: Introduction to Control system

What is a system?

• A system is a collection of components that are coordinated together to perform a

function.
• Systems interact with the environment across a separation boundary.
• The interaction is defined in terms of variables System inputs, System outputs, and
environmental disturbance.
• A system may have many inputs and outputs (Multi-variable system).
• A typical system is shown in Figure 1.

Fugure.1 Components of a system.

What is a control system?

A control system consists of subsystems arranged in a way that they serve the purpose of
obtaining a DESIRED output with DESIRED performance, given a specific input. A typical
control system is shown in Figure 2.
 Figure.2 Simplified description of a control system.

A typical example of a multi-variable system approach to the motor vehicle is shown in Figure
3.

Figure.3 Systems approach to the motor vehicle.

Please go through the elevator example as we did in the introductory session. Use Figure 3
and 4 for references.
 Figure.4 Elevator response

The time taken for the circuit to change from one steady-state to another steady state is called
the transient time.

There are two types of control system Namely: Open-loop system and Closed-loop system.

Open-Loop System

• They do not monitor (measure) or correct for disturbances and are simply commanded
by the input.
• It cannot compensate for disturbance 1 and 2 according to Figure 5.
• There is not any feedback to the system.
• Examples of the real application of open-loop systems are in the toaster, washing
machine, fan, etc.
• An example of an open-loop system block diagram control system is shown in Figure
5.

Figure.5 Block diagram of a control system, open-loop system.

Closed-Loop System

• They monitor the output and compare it to the input.

• If an error is detected, the system corrects the output and hence corrects the effects of
disturbances.
• Examples of the real application of closed-loop systems are in the air conditioner,
microwave oven, etc.
• An example of a closed-loop system block diagram control system is shown in Figure
6.

Figure.6 Block diagram of a control system, Closed-loop system.

Open-loop system versus Closed-loop system

Open-Loop System Closed-Loop System

• They do not monitor (measure) or
correct for the disturbances and are
simply commanded by the input.
• They are simple.
• They are less expensive.
• They are sensitive to disturbances.
• Inability to correct for the
disturbances
• They monitor the output and
compare it to the input.
• If an error is detected, the system
corrects the output and hence correct
the effects of disturbances.
• They are of greater accuracy.
• They are less sensitive to noise,
disturbances, and changes in the
environment.
• They are more complex and
expensive.
Performance Specifications

Analysis and design objectives of a control system.

• A control system is dynamic.

• It responds to an input by undergoing a transient response before reaching a steady-
state response. Refer to Figure 4.
• A control system should be designed with the following objectives.
1. It should produce the desired transient response.
2. It should reduce steady-state errors.
3. It should achieve stability.

Important control system performance specifications

• Transient response.
• Steady-state error.
• Stability.
• Other considerations.

Other design considerations

• Finance: budget allocation and competitive price

• Robustness: the system will not be sensitive to parameter changes

Control System Design Process

There are six steps followed in the control system design process. Figure 7 demonstrates all
six steps of the control system design process.

Figure. 7 The control system design process.

Step 1: Determine a physical system and specifications from the requirements.

Step 2: Draw a functional block diagram.

Step 3: Transform the physical system into a schematic.

Step 4: Use the schematic to obtain a block diagram, signal-flow diagram, or state-space
representation.

• For mathematical modelling we can use:

1. Differential equations.
2. Transfer functions/block diagrams
3. State-space model

Step 5: If the multiple blocks, reduce the block diagram to a single or closed-loop system.

Step 6: Analyse, design and test to see that requirements and specifications are met.

Figure.8 illustrates the test inputs that could be used for step 6.

Figure.8 Test inputs [1].

This document summarises study unit 1 according to the tutorial letter. Please use the prescribed
textbook and the slides titled chapter 1 (introduction) to study. Do not rely on this summary
while studying however, you can use it to recap what was highlighted in the introduction to the
control system session.

The link below is for the Introduction to control system session recording.

https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/8c94ae35-abf8-4009-9a9d-40155e1b02a1

Examples to work on: Please work on examples 1 and 2 also ensure you can compute their
solutions on your own.

This summary was conducted using the reference below.

References

[1] N. NIse, Control systems engineering, John Wiley & Sons, 2020.