Control System

Applied Principles of Control

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 Control theory
is used for analysis and design of feedback
systems, such as those that regulate temperature,
fluid flow, motion, force, voltage, pressure, tension,
and current. Skillfully used, control theory can guide
engineers in every phase of the product and
process design cycle. It can help engineers predict
performance, anticipate problems, and provide
solutions.

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 Engineering
is concerned with understanding and
controlling the materials and forces of nature for
the benefit of humankind. Control system
engineers are concerned with understanding and
controlling segments of their environment, often
called systems, to provide useful economic
products for society.

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 Control system
is an interconnection of components forming
a system configuration that will provide a desired
system response. The basis for analysis of a
system is the foundation provided by linear
system theory, which assumes a cause-effect
relationship for the components of a system.

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 The general control system, as shown in
Figure 1-1, can be divided into the controller and
the machine. The controller can be divided into the
control laws and the power converter.
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 The machine may be a temperature bath, a
motor, or, as in the case of a power supply, an
inductor/capacitor circuit. The machine can also
be divided into two parts: the plant and the
feedback device(s).

The plant receives two types of signals: a

controller output from the power converter and
one or more disturbances. Simply put, the goal of
the control system is to drive the plant in response
to the command while overcoming disturbances.

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 The controller incorporates both control laws
and power conversion. Control laws, such as
proportional-integral-differential (PID) control, are
familiar to control engineers.

The process of tuning setting gains to attain

desired performance amounts to adjusting the
parameters of the control laws.

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 The machine is made of two parts: the plant
and the feedback. The plant is the element or
elements that produce the system response. Plants
are generally passive, and they usually dissipate
power.
Examples of plants include a heating
element and a motor coupled to its load.

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 Control systems
need feedback because the plant is rarely
predictable enough to be controlled open loop
that is, without feedback.

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 This is because most plants integrate the
power converter output to produce the system
response.
Voltage is applied to inductors to produce
current; torque is applied to inertia to produce
velocity; pressure is applied to produce fluid flow.
In all these cases, the control system cannot
control the output variable directly but must
provide power to the machine as physics allows
and then monitor the feedback to ensure that the
plant is on track.
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 Therefore, a component or process to be
controlled can be represented by a block

The input-output relationship represents the

cause-and-effect relationship of the process, which
in turn represents a processing of the input signal to
provide an output signal variable, often with a
power amplification.
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 Open Loop and Closed Loop
Control Systems

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Open Loop
A system in which the output has no effect on
the control action is known as an open loop control
system. If there are any disturbances, the output
changes and there is no adjustment of the input to
bring back the output to the original value.
A perfect calibration is required to get good
accuracy and the system should be free from any
external disturbances. No measurements are made
at the output.
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Open Loop
A traffic control system is a good example of
an open loop system. The signals change according
to a preset time and are not affected by the density
of traffic on any road.
A washing machine is another example of an
open loop control system. The quality of wash is not
measured; every cycle like wash, rinse and dry'
cycle goes according to a preset timing.

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Closed Loop Control Systems
These are also known as feedback control systems.
A system which maintains a prescribed
relationship between the controlled variable and
the reference input, and uses the difference
between them as a signal to activate the control, is
known as a feedback control system.
The output or the controlled variable is measured
and compared with the reference input and an
error signal is generated.
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Closed Loop Control Systems
This is the activating signal to the controller
which, by its action, tries to reduce the error. Thus
the controlled variable is continuously feedback
and compared with the input signal. If the error is
reduced to zero, the output is the desired output
and is equal to the reference input signal.

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Open Loop Vs Closed Loop Control Systems
Open Loop Systems
Advantages
1. They are simple and easy to build.
2. They are cheaper, as they use less number of components to
build.
3. They are usually stable.
4. Maintenance is easy.
Disadvantages
1. They are less accurate.
2. If external disturbances are present, output differs
significantly from the desired value.
3. If there are variations in the parameters of the system, the
output changes.
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 Closed Loop Systems
Advantages
1. They are more accurate.

2. The effect of external disturbance signals can be made very

small.

3. The variations in parameters of the system do not affect the

output of the system i.e. the output may be made less sensitive
to variation is parameters. Hence forward path components can
be of less precision. This reduces the cost of the system.

4. Speed of the response can be greatly increased.

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 Closed Loop Systems

Disadvantages
1. They are more complex and expensive

2. They require higher forward path gains.

3. The systems are prone to instability. Oscillations in the output

many occur.

4. Cost of maintenance is high.

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Feedback Control Systems

Feedback Control System is represented as an

interconnection of blocks characterized by an input
output relation. This method of representing a
control system is known as a block diagram
representation.
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Feedback Control Systems
The input to the entire system is called as a
reference input or a command input, r(t). An error
detector senses the difference between the
reference input and the feedback signal equal to or
proportional to the controlled output.
The feedback elements measure the controlled
output and convert or transform it to a suitable value
so that it can be compared with the reference input.
If the feedback signal, b(t), is equal to the
controlled output, c(t), the feedback system is called
as unity feedback system.
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Feedback Control Systems
The difference between the reference input
and the feedback signal is known as the error signal
or actuating signal e(t),. This signal is the input to the
control elements which produce a signal known as
manipulated variable, u(t). This signal manipulates
the system or plant dynamics so that the desired
output is obtained. The controller acts until the error
between the output variable and the reference input
is zero.

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Feedback Control Systems
If the feedback path is absent, the system
becomes an open loop control system and is
represented in Fig.

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