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SKEE 3133

Q.1 (a) Robots are widely used in industry for pick and place operations, in which a robot
arm is required to move to a desired angle for loading and unloading. Figure
Q.1a(i) shows a block diagram of a robotic arm system used to insert an electronic
component into a printed circuit board (PCB). For the open-loop system, R(s) is
an input (desired arm angle) and !(#) is an output (actual angle).
The robot arm is required to move 2 radians to fulfil the task. Furthermore,
in industry, the robot should have a fast response as this will provide higher
productivity. Figure Q.1a(ii) shows the time response of the robotic arm to a step
input of 2 radians.

(i) In control systems engineering, three important control objectives relate to

stability, transient response and steady-state error. Discuss the performance
of the robot arm in terms of the three objectives.
(2 marks)
(ii) One approach to improve the performance of the robotic arm is by changing
the control structure into a closed-loop system.
a. Propose a block diagram of a new control system. Label all the blocks
and signals.
(3 marks)
b. Propose appropriate sensors required to implement the control system.
(1 mark)
c. What is the purpose of using input and output transducers?
(1 mark)
d. Propose a suitable controller to achieve the objectives.
(1 mark)
(iii) It is an engineering approach that before a real-time installation and
implementation of the proposed closed-loop controller, simulations based
on the transfer function and state-space models of the robotic arm are
carried out using MATLAB. Give 2 advantages of carrying out simulation
before the actual implementation.
(2 marks)
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SKEE 3133

R(s) !(#)
Motor Robot arm

Figure Q.1a(i)

Figure Q.1a(ii)

(b) An open loop system of another robotic arm is shown in Figure Q.1b.

R(s) 1 !(#)
&
#+'

Figure Q.1b

in which R(s) is an input, K is gain and !(#) is an output.

(i) For a unit step input (1 radian), determine the output expression in time
domain, !(%), in terms of & and '.
(3 marks)
(ii) With & = 4 and ' = 2, plot the output system response.
(2 marks)
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SKEE 3133

(iii) In a control system, it is desirable to have a system pole far from the origin.
Explain this statement by observing the effects of changing the value of a
on the time response.
(2 marks)
(iv) By referring to the output expression, discuss why a pole on the right half
plane of s-plane is undesirable.
(1 mark)
(c) The robotic arm sub-system is combined with another sub-systems to generate a
complete control system for the whole manufacturing plant. Connections of all the
subsystems are shown in the block diagram in Figure Q.1c. For the purpose of
analysis, a single transfer function representing the manufacturing plant is
required. Obtain the required single transfer function, C ( s) .
R( s)

(7 marks)

Figure Q.1c
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SKEE 3133

Q.2 (a) Explain the relationship between transfer function and mathematical model of
a control system. Why mathematical modeling is important in control system?
(3 marks)
(b) A quarter model of a bus passive suspension system is illustrated in Figure Q.2b.
The suspension system is responsible in providing steering ability and good road
handing of the vehicle. Both spring k1 and damper fv1 are connected to the vehicle
mass, M1 and the suspension mass M2. Spring k2 and damper fv2 are connected to
the tire and M2. An external force f(t) is applied to the mass M1.
Gravitational effect is neglected.

Figure Q.2b

(i) Draw the free body diagrams and derive the differential equations for a
passive suspension system related to Figure Q.2b.
(5 marks)
(ii) Given the value of mass, damping coefficient and spring constant as:
M1 : 10 kg fv1 : 5 N-s/m k1 : 7 N/m
M2 : 20 kg fv2 : 5 N-s/m k2 : 15 N/m
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SKEE 3133

Assume all initial conditions are zero and no road disturbance affecting
the suspension system. Determine the following transfer functions;
Y1 ( s )
a.
F (s)
(3 marks)
Y2 ( s )
b.
F (s)
(3 marks)
Y1 ( s) - Y2 ( s)
c. G( s) =
F ( s)
(1 marks)

(c) A physical system of a DC motor driving a load is shown in Figure Q.2c(i). The
schematic diagram of the system is given as figure Q.2c(ii) where ea(t), ia(t), Ra

and La are the input voltage, armature current, resistance and inductance of the

electrical circuit that are incorporated inside the motor, while qm(t) and qL(t) are

the angular displacement of motor and system’s load, respectively.

The rotational voltage (back electromotive force), vb(t), is proportional to
-./ (0)
a rotor speed, and the output torque, Tm(t) developed by the motor is
-0
proportional to the armature current, ia(t).

Figure Q.2c(i)
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SKEE 3133

Figure Q.2c(ii)

By assuming the value of La is much lower than the value of Ra, the
./ (2)
transfer function of the system, ;
34 (2)

&0
!5 (#) 87 95
=
67 (#) #[# + 1 ;< + &0 &= >]
9 5 8 5 7
where:
Jm and Dm are equivalent inertia and damping at the armature and the load
respectively

(i) The motor develops a 185 N-m of torque at a speed of 20 rad/s when 75
volts are applied. With this armature voltage, if the torque stalls at 370 N-
@A
m, determine the electrical constants and Kb.
B4

(4 marks)
(ii) If the inertia J1 and vicious damper D1 of the armature are 2 kg-m2 and 100
N-m-s/rad respectively while inertia and vicious damper of the load J2 and
D2 are 10 kg-m2 and 200 N-m-s/rad respectively with a gear ratio 1:20,
.D (2)
determine the transfer function of C (# ) = .
34 (2)

(6 marks)
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SKEE 3133

Q.3 (a) The state equation and the output equation of a control system are given below.
−6 −2 EL 2
Ė = G K GE K + G K O
4 3 M 0
EL
P = [2 7.45] GE K
M

Find the transfer function of the system.

(5 marks)

(b) Consider an electrical circuit in Figure Q.3b. Find the state space representation
of the circuit with the state vector, E = [TU VW TM ]X and the voltage input,
VU (%). The outputs are the current that pass through the capacitor, TY and the
voltage across the resistor R2, VZ (%).

Figure Q.3b
(10 marks)

(c) Consider the disk–shaft system shown in Figure Q.3c. The mass moments of
inertia of the two disks about their longitudinal axes are 9L and 9M , respectively.
The massless torsional springs represent the elasticity of the shafts and the
torsional viscous dampers represent the fluid coupling.
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SKEE 3133

(i) Draw the necessary free-body diagrams and derive the differential
equations of motion.
(5 marks)
(ii) Determine the state space representation of the system, where the state
variables are [!L (%) [L (%) !M (%) [M (%)]X , input torque is \(%) and
the output as [!L (%) !M (%)], where !(%) is angular displacement and
[(%) is angular speed.
(5 marks)

Figure Q.3c
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SKEE 3133

Q.4 (a) From an experiment done on a translational mechanical system in Figure Q.4a,
it is found that the open-loop system, G(s), has open-loop poles located at -1.2
and -26.8, on the real axis.

Controller Plant
R(s) + C(s)
K C(#)

Figure Q.4a
(i) Identify the system order and examine the value of K if the system in
Figure Q.4a operates at a critically damped condition.
(5 marks)
(ii) It is known that the controller K can be used to provide some desired
responses to the system. The system is desired to maintain a steady
damping ratio of 0.5. Determine the required value of K and the respective
settling time, Ts, and the peak time, Tp.
(5 marks)
(iii) Determine the steady state error, ess, to a unit step input for the system
using the value of K obtained in part (ii).
(3 marks)

(b) A unity feedback system in Figure Q.4b has an open loop transfer function:
(s +10)
G(s) =
s(s + 3)(s + 5)

Figure Q.4b
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SKEE 3133

(i) Find the system closed-loop transfer function.

(2 marks)
(ii) Using the Routh-Hurwitz criterion, determine the range of values of K to
enable the system to be stable.
(3 marks)
(iii) What is the marginal value of K for stability? Find the frequency of
oscillations if it exists.
(4 marks)
(iv) Determine the system’s steady state error if K = 10 for the following input
signals:
a) Step input, r(%) = 5, t ³ 0
b) Ramp input, r(%) = 5%, t ³ 0
(3 marks)
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SKEE 3133

Table 1. Basic Laplace Transform Table

No. f(t) F(s)

1. d (t ) 1
1
2. u (t )
s
1
3. tu (t )
s2
n!
4. t n u (t )
s n +1
1
5. e - at u (t )
s+a
w
6. sin wt u (t )
s +w2
2

s
7. cos wt u (t )
s +w2
2

Table 2. Laplace Transform Theorems

No. Theorem Description

¥
1. L[ f (t )] = ò e -st f (t )dt = F ( s) Laplace definition
0
2. L[kf (t )] = kF ( s) Linearity theorem
3. L[ f1 (t ) + f 2 (t )] = F1 (s) + F2 (s) Linearity theorem
4. L[e - at f (t )] = F ( s + a) Frequency shift theorem
1 s
5. L[ f (at )] = F( ) Scaling theorem
a a
é df ù
6. L ê ú = sF ( s ) - f (0) Differentiation theorem
ë dt û
éd 2 f ù
7. L ê 2 ú = s 2 F ( s) - sf (0) - f ' (0) Differentiation theorem
ë dt û
éd n f ù n
8. L ê n ú = s n F ( s) - å s n-k f k -1 (0) Differentiation theorem (in general)
ë dt û k =1

9. f (¥) = lim sF (s) Final value theorem

s®0
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SKEE 3133

Table 3. Relationships basic electrical linear components

Component Voltage-Current Current-Voltage Voltage-Charge

t
1 dv (t ) 1
v(t ) = ò i(t )dt i (t ) = C v(t ) = q(t )
Capacitor C0 dt C
1 dq (t )
v(t ) = Ri (t ) i (t ) = v(t ) v(t ) = R
Resistor R dt
t
di (t ) 1 d 2 q(t )
L ò0
v(t ) = L i(t ) = v(t )dt v(t ) = L 2
Inductor dt dt

Plot Percentage Overshoots (%OS) versus Damping Ratio (ζ)

100
90
Percentage Overshoots (%OS)

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Damping ratio