Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Control, Instrumentation, and Design

Instructor: Le Hoa Nguyen, Ph.D.
Objective of control
Make a dynamic system behave in a desired manner, according to some

performance specifications
Note that for real dynamic systems
▪ Complex system (many inputs and many outputs, dynamic coupling,
nonlinear, etc.)
▪ Unknown excitations
▪ Unknown dynamic
Sensors and Actuators in Control Systems @ Le Hoa Nguyen, DUT 2/56

Applications of control engineering

Basic definitions
A system is a combination of elements that acts together and perform a

certain function not possible with any of the individual parts. There are
various systems, e.g., physical, biological, economical, technical systems
Signal is a function of time that conveys information about the behavior

or attributes of some phenomenon

Basic definitions
Examples of dynamic systems

Basic definitions
▪ Inputs: Excitations (know, unknown) to the system
▪ Outputs: Responses of the system
▪ Disturbances: unwanted input that tends to adversely affect the system’s output

Basic definitions
▪ Plant or Process: Physical object, system or process that is to be controlled (e.g.,
vehicle suspension, elevator, motor, hydraulic system, ect.)
▪ Controller: Device that generates control signals (according to control law/algorithm)

to drive the process to be controlled (plant) in a desired manner.

Basic definitions
▪ Sensors/transducers: They measure output signals (system responses) for feedback
control, input signals for feedforward control, process variables for mornitoring,
diagnosis, ect.
▪ Actuators: They are used to perform control actions as well as to directly drive or
operate the plant (e.g., motor, valve, relays, solenoids, ect.)
▪ Signal conditioning:
Convert one type of signal
to another suitable signal
for next state of operation.
It may include:
amplification, filtering,
analog to digital
conversion (ADC), Zener
& photo isolation
(protection), linearization,
etc.

Instrumentation and design
▪ Each function/operation within a control system can be associated with one
or more physical devices (hardware)
▪ One hardware unit may serve several of the control system functions
▪ Instrumentation mean the identification of these instruments or hardware
components w.r.t. their functions, operation, and interaction with each other
and the proper selection, interfacing and tuning of these components for a
given application

Sensor
▪ A sensor is a device that when exposed to a physical phenomenon
(temperature, displacement, force, etc.), produces a proportional output
electrical signal
Temperature sensor (RTD)

Sensor
EEG (Electroencephalography) sensor

Sensor
Integrated sensor (transducer): incorporate sensing element, signal conditioning
(amplification, filtering, etc.), and ADC, as well as capabilities for transmitting
information

Sensor
Smart sensor: incorporate microcontroller for converting signal from analog to
digital, processing (e.g., filtering), calculation, and interfacing with outside
world => able to self-diagnosis, self-identification, and self-adaptation

Sensor
Common sensors in IoT applications

Classification of sensors
Sensor
Connection Power Reference

type requirement Complexity
value
Contact Active Absolute Simple
1 sensors 1 sensors 1 sensors 1 sensors
Non-
2 2 Passive Relative Complex
contact 2 2
sensors sensors sensors
sensors

Contact sensor: require physical contact with the parameter to be measured
Temperature sensor Pressure sensor
Non contact sensor: require no physical contact with the parameter to be

measured
Infrared thermometer
Optical sensor

Passive sensor: Do not require a power supply for the electronic circuit where
they are inserted, examples: electrodynamic microphones, thermocouples,
photodiodes, piezoelectric sensors
Advantage: not require power supply
Disadvantage: Output signals are typically
weak and open require amplication using an
active electronic circuit
Active sensor: Get their power from the electronic circuit where they are placed,
examples: capacitive sensors, image sensors, displacement sensors, etc.
Advantage: Allow a signal gain from input
to output
Disadvantage: require an external source of
energy

Absolute sensors are responsive to a quantity relative to an absolute scale which
is independent of the measurement condition
Example: Thermistor sensor – its resistance depends directly to Kelvin
temperature scale
Relative sensors produce a signal which is proportional to the difference

between the value of the measured quantity and the reference value used for that
quantity, which is, in general, dependent on the conditions of measurement.
Example: Thermocouple – the value of output voltage denpends on the
temperature difference between two points

Simpe sensors use a single energy transformation
Example: Thermistor sensor transforms heat energy into electrical energy
Complex sensors use more than one transformation of energy

Example: Displacement sensor utilizing optical fiber
electrical energy => photons
Photons => electrical energy

Characteristics of sensors
▪ The choice of sensors for an application depends on the requirements of that
application and the characteristics of the sensors that are provided by the
manufacturers’ datasheets
General information in datasheets
▪ A short list of the most important features and capabilities
▪ General description of how the sensor works
▪ A functional block diagram of the sensor
▪ A table with the specifications of the sensor
▪ A table with maximum values of some characteristics
▪ Information on the packaging of the sensor
▪ Indication of the different variants of the sensor

Datasheet of humidity sensor




1. Transfer function
▪ The transfer function shows the
functional relationship between the
input quantity and the output
electrical signal
▪ This relationship is generally
described by a graph, table, or
mathematic equation

2. Sensitivity
▪ Sensitivity specifies how large is the variation of the output signal w.r.t. a
variation of the input quatity
Output
Sensitivity =
Input
▪ If the transfer function is linear, the sensitivity is a single value. However,
when the parameters of the sensor change, the sensitivity change

2. Sensitivity
▪ The sensitivity may depends on various parameters
Example: The sensitivity of photodiodes depends on wavelength and the
direction of incidence of the light

3. Range
▪ The range specifies the range of values of the quantity being measured that
can be converted into electrical signal
▪ Values outside this range usually lead to large measurement error
▪ The range of values depends on

other characteristics (e.g., the
sensitivity)

4. Accuracy
▪ Accuracy specifies the maximum error with which the sensor is supposed to
make measurement. The error is the different between the actual value and
the measure value
▪ The accuracy can be expressed either as a percentage of full scale or in
absolute terms
Example: Huminity sensor (SCH-UGS)

5. Precision
▪ Precision refers to the degree of reproductivity of a measurement.
▪ When a sensor performs several measurements of the same quantity under
the same conditions, the results obtained are not necessarily the same. This
is due to the inevitable presence of noise in the sensor and/or the electronic
circuit that accompanies it.
Precise Precise Not precise

Accurate Not accurate Not accurate

5. Precision
Precision vs accuracy
Probability actual
value More accurate
density sensor
accuracy
More precise
sensor
value
precision
Precision and accuracy can increase or

decrease independently

6. Resolution
▪ The resolution is defined as the minimum detectable variation of the quantity
to be measured
▪ The resolution depends on the amount of noise or the number of bits of ADC
(in the case of smart or integrated sensors)
Example: resolution of displacement sensor

6. Resolution Resolution vs accuracy
▪ A higher resolution sensor
can provide more precise
measurement, allowing for
better discrimination
between different quantity
level
▪ Resolution is different from
sensitivity. Sensitivity
refers to the sensor’ability
to detect small quantity
changes, resolution relates
to smallest difference that
can be measured and
displayed by sensor

7. Hysteresis
▪ Hysteresis refers to the different in output readings at a specific input value
over multiple cycles of increasing and decreasing input value.
▪ This value depends on the derivative of the transfer function.
Ideal sensor

7. Hysteresis
Output
max Output
Hysterisis = 100%
Full Scale Max{ΔOutput}
Input
Full Scale

8. Nonlinearity
▪ Ideally, the transfer function of a sensor is linear => straight line. This means
the sensor has the same sensitivity for all values of magnitude in its range
▪ Nonlinearity is the biggest difference between the transfer function and an
straight line, devided by the range and generally expressed in %

9. Noise
▪ All sensors produce some noise along with the output signal
▪ The noise is usually distributed along with different frequencies

10. Bandwidth
▪ Sensor bandwidth (sometimes referred to as frequency response) is the
sensor’s ability to response to instantaneous changes in the physical quantity
being measured

11. Repeatability
▪ Repeatability is defined as how constant a sensor is against itself. It can be
used to describe the ability of a sensor to provide the same result under the
same circumstances over and over again
▪ The repeatability error reflects the inability of the sensor
▪ It is expressed as the maximum difference between the values of the
measured quantity obtained at different calibrations

11. Repeatability
Repeatability vs precision
▪ Repeatability is focused on finding out how much you can trust measurement
▪ Precision attempts to determine how much products differ from one another
Repeatability vs accuracy

12. Dead zone
The dead zone is a range of values of the measurand for which the sensor output
varies very little in comparison to the rest of the measuring range
Dead zone around 0

13. Saturation
The sensor saturation occurs when the measured values are over the sensors'
dynamic ranges

Type of sensors in IoT system

Actuators
▪ An actuator is a device that receives a command, usually in the form of an
electrical signal, and makes a change in Nature, producing, for example, a
force, a sound, heat, etc.
▪ Actuators (or sensors) are transducers (i.e., convert one type of energy to
another)
Typical control system

Classification of actuators
Actuator
Based on motion Source of energy
Linear Pneumatic Electrohydraulic Magnetic

1 actuators 1 actuators 3 actuators 5 actuators
2 Rotary 2 Electric Hydraulic Thermal

4 6
actuators actuators actuators actuators
Typical control system

Linear actuator. Used to turn electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, etc., energy into a
push-and-pull motion or linear motion. A linear actuator can create both a
forward and backward movement on a set linear plane
electric linear actuator Hydraulic linear actuator

Rotary actuator transform pneumatic, hydraulic, electric, etc. energy to
mechanical rotation
DC motor Pneumatic motor

Pneumatic actuators are devices that convert the energy of compressed air or gas
into mechanical motion
Pneumatic actuators are preferred because they are safe, generally fast, cost-
effective and can produce large amounts of torque with small pressure changes
Pneumatic motor

Electric actuators are devices that convert the electrical into mechanical motion
Most popular electric actuators are motors

Electrohydraulic actuators These actuators are powered electrically, but give
movement to a hydraulic accumulator, which in turn provides the force for the
movement

▪ Hydraulic actuators have a cylinder, or a fluid motor with a piston, that uses
hydraulic power to generate mechanical motion. The mechanical motion in
turn is converted to linear, rotatory, or oscillatory motion as per the
application
▪ Liquids are almost incompressible; the density changes caused by pressure
and temperature are negligible. For this reason, the amount of torque
generated from a hydraulic actuator valve is high, making it very powerful

▪ Magnetic actuators make use of magnetic effects to generate mechanical
force, a rotary or linear motion, continuous or limited motion
▪ Magnetic actuators make use of magnetic effects to

generate mechanical force, a rotary or linear
motion, continuous or limited motion

Examples
Identification components (plant/process, controller, sensor, actuator, signal
conditioning, etc.) and signals (input, output, control signal, disturbance) in the
following systems
Control system #1. Level control

Examples
following systems
Control system #2. Tunable table

Examples
following systems
Control system #3. Level control

Assignment
1) Give two examples of a control system
a) Describe the system (working principle,…)
b) Identify elements, signals of the system
c) Draw a block diagram of the system
2) Search for a datasheet of a sensor provided by the manufacturer (can

be any sensor) and describe given information (as much as possible)

Chapter 1 - Control, Instrumentation, and Design

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Control, Instrumentation, and Design

Make a dynamic system behave in a desired manner, according to some

Sensors and Actuators in Control Systems @ Le Hoa Nguyen, DUT 2/56

Sensors and Actuators in Control Systems @ Le Hoa Nguyen, DUT 3/56

A system is a combination of elements that acts together and perform a

Signal is a function of time that conveys information about the behavior

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▪ Controller: Device that generates control signals (according to control law/algorithm)

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Common sensors in IoT applications

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Connection Power Reference

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Non contact sensor: require no physical contact with the parameter to be

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Relative sensors produce a signal which is proportional to the difference

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Complex sensors use more than one transformation of energy

electrical energy => photons

Photons => electrical energy

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▪ The range of values depends on

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Example: Huminity sensor (SCH-UGS)

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Precise Precise Not precise

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Precision and accuracy can increase or

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Example: resolution of displacement sensor

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Dead zone around 0

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Typical control system

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