DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Subject Title : Control System Engineering Title :Notes

Subject Code : ME T65 Unit :I
Dept/Year/Semester : ME/III /6 Type : 100% Theory

UNIT I
Introduction to Control Engineering –Examples – as part of life - Basic
Components of Control System –Different tools for Control Engineer - Open loop and
Closed loop system –Introduction to Mathematical Modeling - Transfer Functions.

CONTROL SYSTEM

Control system theory evolved as an engineering discipline and due to universality of the
principles involved, it is extended to various fields like economy, sociology, biology, medicine, etc.
Control theory has played a vital role in the advance of engineering and science. The automatic control
has become an integral part of modern manufacturing and industrial processes. For example, numerical
control of machine tools in manufacturing industries, controlling pressure, temperature, humidity,
viscosity and flow in process industry. When a number of elements or components are connected in a
sequence to perform a specific function, the group thus formed is called a system. In a system when the
output quantity is controlled by varying the input quantity, the system is called control system. The
output quantity is called controlled variable or response and input quantity is called command signal or
excitation.

Open Loop Control System

A control system in which the control action is totally independent of output of the system then
it is called open loop control system. Manual control system is also an open loop control system. Fig - 1
shows the block diagram of open loop control system in which process output is totally independent of
controller action.

Practical Examples of Open Loop Control System

1. Electric Hand Drier – Hot air (output) comes out as long as you keep your hand under the machine,
irrespective of how much your hand is dried.
2. Automatic Washing Machine – This machine runs according to the pre-set time irrespective of
washing is completed or not.
3. Bread Toaster - This machine runs as per adjusted time irrespective of toasting is completed or not.
4. Automatic Tea/Coffee Maker – These machines also function for pre adjusted time only.
5. Timer Based Clothes Drier – This machine dries wet clothes for pre – adjusted time, it does not
matter how much the clothes are dried.
6. Light Switch – lamps glow whenever light switch is on irrespective of light is required or not.
7. Volume on Stereo System – Volume is adjusted manually irrespective of output volume level.

Closed Loop Control System

Control system in which the output has an effect on the input quantity in such a manner that the
input quantity will adjust itself based on the output generated is called closed loop control system. Open
loop control system can be converted in to closed loop control system by providing a feedback. This
feedback automatically makes the suitable changes in the output due to external disturbance. In this way
closed loop control system is called automatic control system. Figure below shows the block diagram of
closed loop control system in which feedback is taken from output and fed in to input.

Practical Examples of Closed Loop Control System

1. Automatic Electric Iron – Heating elements are controlled by output temperature of the iron.
2. Servo Voltage Stabilizer – Voltage controller operates depending upon output voltageof the system.
3. Water Level Controller– Input water is controlled by water level of the reservoir.
4. Missile Launched & Auto Tracked by Radar – The direction of missile is controlled by comparing
the target and position of the missile.
5. An Air Conditioner – An air conditioner functions depending upon the temperature of the room.
6. Cooling System in Car – It operates depending upon the temperature which it controls.

Advantages of open loop systems:

The open loop systems are simple and economical
The open loop systems are easier to construct
Generally the open loop systems are stable
Disadvantage of open loop systems
The open loop systems are inaccurate and unreliable.
The changes in the output due to external disturbances are not correctedautomatically.
Advantages of closed loop systems
The closed loop systems are accurate
The closed loop systems are accurate even in the presence of non-linearity
The sensitivity of the systems may be made small to make the system morestable.
The closed loop systems are less affected by noise.
Disadvantages of closed loop systems:
The closed loop systems are complex and costlier
The feedback in closed loop system may lead to oscillatory response
The feedback reduces the overall gain of the system
Stability is a major problem in closed loop system and more care is neededdesign a stable closed loop
system.
MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF CONTROL SYSTEMS

A control system is a collection of physical objects connected together to serve an objective. The
input output relations of various physical components of a system are governed by differential equations.
The mathematical model of a control system constitutes a set of differential equations for various input
conditions. The mathematical model of a system is linear if it obeys the principle ofsuperposition and
homogeneity. The principle implies that if a system model has responses y1(t) and y2(t) to any inputs
x1(t) and x2(t) respectively, then the system response to the linear combination of these inputs
a1x1(t)+a2x2(t) is given by linear combination of the individual outputs a1y1(t)+a2y2(t), where a1 and a2
are constants. The principle of superposition can be explained diagrammatically as shown in fig below.

A mathematical model will be linear if the differential equations describing the system have
constant coefficients. If the coefficients of the differential equation describing the system are constants
then the model is linear time invariant. If the coefficients of differential equations governing the system
are functions of time then the model is linear time varying. The differential equations of a linear time
invariant system can be reshaped into different form for the convenience of analysis. One such model for
single input and single output system analysis is transfer function of the system. The transfer function of a
system is defined as the ratio of Laplace transform of output to the Laplace transform of input with zero
initial conditions.
Transfer function = Laplace Transform of input
------------------------------------
Laplace Transform of output
With zero initial condition
The transfer function can be obtained by taking Laplace transform of the differential equations
governing the system with zero initial conditions and rearranging the resulting algebraic equations to get
the ratio of output to input.

TWO MARKS ANSWER

1. Define System
 A system is a combination of components that act together and perform a certain objective. A
system is not limited to physical ones. The concept of the system can be applied to abstract,
dynamic phenomena such as those encountered in economics. The word system should, therefore,
be interpreted to imply physical, biological, economic, and the like, systems.

2. State the major advantages of open-loop control system

a) Simple construction and ease of maintenance.
b) Less expensive than a corresponding closed-loop system.
c) There is no stability problem.
d) Convenient when output is hard to measure or measuring the output precisely is economically
not feasible.

3. Define Transfer Function

It is defined as the Laplace transforms of the output signal to the Laplace transforms of the
input signal.
C(s)/R(s) = M(s)
Where,
C(s) = Laplace transforms of the output signal
R(s) = Laplace transforms of the input signal.
M(s) = system

4. What are the types of system

a) Based on time response
i) Linear system
ii) Non- Linear system
b) Based on component
i) Electrical system
ii) Mechanical system
iii) Hydraulic system
iv) Pneumatic system

5. What are the two major types of control system?

The two major types of control system are open loop and closed loop system.Closed loop system
is more advanced when compared to open loop system due toless noise and high efficiency.

6. Define open loop control system.

The control system in which the output quantity has no effect upon theinput quantity is called
open loop control system. This means that the output isnot feedback to the input for correction.

7. Define closed loop control system.

 The control system in which the output has an effect upon the inputquantity so as to maintain the
desired output values are called closed loop controlsystem.

8. What are the components of feedback control system?

The components of feedback control system are plant, feedback pathelements, error detector and
controller.

9. Why negative feedback is invariably preferred in closed loop system?

The negative feedback results in better stability in steady state and rejects any disturbance signals.
It low has low sensitivity to parameter variation.

10. What are the characteristics of negative feedback

(i) Accuracy in tracking steady state value
(ii) Rejection of disturbance signals
(iii) Low sensitivity to parameter variation
(iv) Reduction in gain at the expense of better stability

11. What is the effect of positive feedback on stability

The positive feedback increases the error signal and drives the output to instability

12. Distinguish open and close loop system

Open loop Closed loop
1. Inaccurate & unreliable 1. Accurate & reliable
2. Simple &economical 2. Complex &costly
3. Change in output due to external 3. Change in output due to external
disturbance are not corrected automatically disturbance are corrected automatically
4. They are generally stable 4. Great effort are needed to design a stable
system

13. State the principle of homogenity

The principle implies that if a system model has responses y1(t) and y2(t) to any inputs x1(t) and
x2(t) respectively, then the system response to the linear combination of these inputs
a1x1(t)+a2x2(t) is given by linear combination of the individual outputs a1y1(t)+a2y2(t), where a1
and a2 are constants

14. Define linear System

A system is said to be linear if it obeys the principle of homogenity, which states that the response
of a system to a weighted sum of signal is equal to the corresponding weighed sum of the response
of the system of the individual input signals
 15. What is time invariant system?
A system is said to be a time invariant if its input –output characteristics do not changes with time.

16. Disadvantages of Transfer Function

i) Only applicable to linear time invariant systems
ii) It does not provide any information containing the physical structure of system
iii) Effect arising due to initial condition are totally neglected

2 Marks

1. Define open loop system& close loop system. (May 2015, Nov 2014)
2. What are the basic elements used for modeling mechanical linear and translation system?(May 2015,Nov 2016)
3. What do you mean by transfer function (May 2015,Nov 2016, May 2017, April 2016)
4. What is time invariant system (May 2015)
5. What is feed back? (May 2015)
6. What type of feedback is employed in control system and what are the components? (May 2015, Nov 2014)
7. What is automatic controller? (Nov 2015)
8. Mention the basic components of control system. (May 2015, Nov 2016, April 2016)
9. Write the difference between closeloop and open loop system? ( April 2016)
10. Give example for Position control and Hydraulic control system ( Nov 2016)
11. List out the merits of close loop control system (May 2017)
12. What is the function of a pneumatic actuating valve ( May 2017)
13. How will you obtain transfer function of a system ( Nov 2014)
14. Define linear system ( Nov 2014)
15. What are the basic farming rules of block diagram reduction technique ( April 2016)
16. What is need of controller ( April 2016)
17. What do you mean by control system and what its main two types? (May2017)

11 Marks

1. Explain with neat sketch components of automatic control system ( Nov 2016,
2. What is feedback? Explain the effect of feedback? (Nov 2016
3. Differentiate close loop and open loop systems. (Nov 2016, May 2017
4. Explain generalized feedback control system. (Nov 2016
5. State briefly the various controllers components in a control system. (May 2017 April 2016