Systems and Control

Engineering I
Lecture 1
Introduction and Basic Concepts of Control

AKANO, Theddeus T. (PhD)

E-mail: akanott@ub.ac.bw
manthez2016@gmail.com
Office: 140 (Building 248)
 Text Books
Recommended Textbooks:
1. Control Systems Engineering, (6th Edition) by Norman S. Nise.

Reference Textbooks:
2. System Dynamics: Modeling, Simulation, and Control of Mechatronic Systems,
5th Edition by Dean C. Karnopp, Donald L. Margolis, Ronald C. Rosenberg, ISBN:
978-0-470-88908-4
3. Feedback Control Systems, 4th Edition by Charles L. Phillips, Royce D. Harbor,
ISBN:0139490906.
4. Feedback Control Systems 3rd Revised ed. Edition by John Van De Vegte, J Vande
Vegte, Vegte Van De John, ISBN: 0130163791
 Marks Distribution
The continuous assessment will account for 50% of the final course grade
as follows:
  Number Percentage
Test 2 20
Quiz/Assignment 2 5
Project 1 10
Attendance   5
Lab work   10
    50

Final Exam 50

Total 100
 Expectations from Students
 Full class attendance is expected, except with prior-notified excuses in
writing.
 On-time arrival.
 Active participation.
 Ask questions.
 Answer questions from the instructor or students.
 Help each other in reviewing notes, and solving complex problems.
 Promptly report/share problems/issues, including typos on slides.
 Cheating is a very serious offence. It will be dealt with in the most
severe manner allowable under University regulations. If caught
cheating, you can expect initiation of a cheating case in the University
system.
 Brief History
 18th Century James Watt’s centrifugal governor for the speed control of a steam engine.
 1920s Minorsky worked on automatic controllers for steering ships.
 1930s Nyquist developed a method for analyzing the stability of controlled systems
 1940s Frequency response methods made it possible to design linear closed-loop control
systems
 1950s Root-locus method due to Evans was fully developed
 1960s State space methods, optimal control, adaptive control and
 1980s Learning controls are begun to investigated and developed.
 Present and on-going research fields. Recent application of modern control theory
includes such non-engineering systems such as biological, biomedical, economic and
socio-economic systems
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 Basic Concept of Control System
Control Engineering is concerned with techniques that are used to solve the
following six problems in the most efficient manner possible.
 The identification problem: to measure the variables and convert data for analysis.
 The representation problem: to describe a system by an analytical form or
mathematical model
 The solution problem: to determine the above system model response.
 The stability problem: general qualitative analysis of the system
 The design problem: modification of an existing system or develop a new one
 The optimization problem: from a variety of design to choose the best.

The two basic approaches to solve these six problems are:

 Classical (conventional) and
 Modern approach.
Classical and Modern Control
 Classical and Modern Control contd.
PID: Proportional-
Integral-Derivative

Classical (Conventional) Control Modern Control

Classical (Conventional) Control Modern Control

 System Modelling  State Space Modelling
 Transfer Function  Eigenvalue Analysis
 Block Diagrams  Observability and Controllability
 Signal Flow Graphs  Solution of State Equations (state Transition Matrix)
 System Analysis  State Space to Transfer Function
 Time Domain Analysis (Test Signals)  Transfer Function to State Space
 Frequency Domain Analysis  Direct Decomposition of Transfer Function
• Bode Plots  Cascade Decomposition of Transfer Function
• Nyquist Plots  Parallel Decomposition of Transfer Function
• Nichol’s Chart
 Prerequisites to Control
 For Classical Control Theory
 Differential Equations
 Laplace Transform
 Basic Physics

 For Modern Control theory

 Linear Algebra
 Matrices
 What is Control System?

 A system Controlling the operation of another system.

 A system that can regulate itself and another system.

 A control System is a device, or set of devices to manage, command, direct

or regulate the behaviour of other device(s) or system(s).
 Definitions
 System: A combination or arrangement of a number of different physical
components to form a whole unit such that the combining unit performs to
achieve a certain goal. In simple terms, it is an interconnection of elements and
devices for a desired purpose.

 Control System: A system that can command, direct or regulate itself or another
system to achieve a certain goal. Simply put, it is an interconnection of
components forming a system configuration that will provide a desired response.

 Plant or process: The device, plant, or system under control. The part or
component of a system that is required to be controlled.

Input Process Output

 Definitions contd.
 Controlled Variable: It is the quantity or condition that is measured and
Controlled. Normally controlled variable is the output of the control
system.

 Manipulated Variable: It is the quantity of the condition that is varied by

the controller so as to affect the value of controlled variable.

 Control: Control means measuring the value of controlled variable of the

system and applying the manipulated variable to the system to correct or
limit the deviation of the measured value from a desired value.
 Definitions contd.
Manipulated Variable
Input
or Output
Set point Controller Process or
or Controlled Variable
reference

 Disturbances: A disturbance is a signal that tends to adversely affect the

value of the system. It is an unwanted input of the system.

• If a disturbance is generated within the system, it is called internal

disturbance. While an external disturbance is generated outside the
system.
 Definitions contd.
 Input: It is the signal or excitation supplied to a control system.
 Output: It is the actual response obtained from the control system.
 Controller: The part or component of a system that controls the plant.
 Actuator: It is the device that causes the process to provide the
output. It is the device that provides the motive power to the
process.
 Design: The process of conceiving or inventing the forms, parts, and
details of system to achieve a specified purpose.
 Simulation: A model of a system that is used to investigate the
behavior of a system by utilizing actual input signals.
 Definitions contd.
 Optimization: The adjustment of the parameters to achieve the most
favorable or advantageous design.
 Feedback Signal: A measure of the output of the system used for feedback
to control the system.
 Negative feedback: The output signal is feedback so that it subtracts from
the input signal.
 Block diagrams: Unidirectional, operational blocks that represent the
transfer functions of the elements of the system.
 Signal Flow Graph (SFG): A diagram that consists of nodes connected by
several directed branches and that is a graphical representation of a set of
linear relations.
 Definitions contd.
 Specifications: Statements that explicitly state what the device or product is
to be and to do. It is also defined as a set of prescribed performance criteria.
 Open-loop control system: A system that utilizes a device to control the
process without using feedback. Thus the output has no effect upon the
signal to the process.
 Closed-loop feedback control system: A system that uses a measurement of
the output and compares it with the desired output.
 Regulator: The control system where the desired values of the controlled
outputs are more or less fixed and the main problem is to reject disturbance
effects.
 Servo system: The control system where the outputs are mechanical
quantities like acceleration, velocity or position.
 Definitions contd.
 Stability: It is a notion that describes whether the system will be able to
follow the input command. In a non-rigorous sense, a system is said to be
unstable if its output is out of control or increases without bound.
 Multivariable Control System: A system with more than one input
variable or more than one output variable.
 Trade-off: The result of making a judgment about how much compromise
must be made between conflicting criteria.
 System
Any set of components that accepts input, process it and provides output.
Or a system can be combination of various sub systems.

Fig. A system of many sub systems

 Control System
A control system consists of subsystems and processes (or plants) assembled
for the purpose of obtaining a desired output with desired performance, given a
specified input.

A desired input is applied to a

system and out of the system follows
the desired input.

Fig. Simplified description of a control system

Test waveforms used in control systems
Test waveforms used in control systems contd.
 Types of Control System
 Natural Control System
It is a control system that is created by nature.
• solar system
• digestive system of any animal
• Universe
• Human Body, etc.

 Man-made Control System

It is a control system that is created by humans.
• Automobile
• power plants
• Vehicles
• Aeroplanes, etc.
 Types of Control System contd.
• Automatic Control System
It is a control system that is made by using basic theories from
mathematics and engineering. This system mainly has sensors,
actuators and responders.
• Room Temperature regulation Via A.C
• Human Body Temperature Control

• Manual (Combinational control) Control Systems

It is a control system that is a combination of natural and man-
made control systems.
• Room Temperature regulation Via Electric Fan
• driving a car
• Water Level Control
 Types of Control System contd.
Open-loop control system and Closed-loop control system
 Open-Loop Control Systems: It utilize a controller or control actuator to
obtain the desired response.
 Output has no effect on the control action. No feedback – no
correction of disturbances
 In other words output is neither measured nor fed back.

Input Process/ Output

Controller
Plant

Examples:- Washing Machine, Electric Fan, traffic signal, Electric Bulb, Electric Hand Drier, Time
based Bread Toaster, TV Remote Control, Electric Clothes Drier, Shades or Blinds on a window, etc.
 Types of Control System contd.
 Since in open loop control systems reference input is not compared
with measured output, for each reference input there is fixed
operating condition.

 Therefore, the accuracy of the system depends on calibration.

 The performance of open loop system is severely affected by the

presence of disturbances, or variation in operating/ environmental
conditions.
 Types of Control System contd.
Advantages of open loop control system:
 Simple design and easy to construct
 Economical
 Easy for maintenance
 Highly stable operation

Disadvantages of open loop control system:

 Not accurate and reliable when input or system parameters
are variable in nature
 Recalibration of the parameters are required time to time
 Types of Control System contd.
Closed-Loop Control Systems: It utilizes feedback to compare the actual
output to the desired output response.

Input Comparator Controller Process Output

Measurement

Examples:- Refrigerator, Voltage Stabilizer, Thermostat Heater, Modern Air Conditioner, Induction
Cooker, Electric Iron, Water Level Controller, Automatic Street Light, Smoke Detection System, etc
 Types of Control System contd.
Advantages:
 More accurate operation than that of open-loop control system
 Can operate efficiently when input or system parameters are variable
in nature
 Less nonlinearity effect of these systems on output response
 High bandwidth of operation
 There is facility of automation
 Time to time recalibration of the parameters are not required

Disadvantages:
 Complex design and difficult to construct
 Expensive than that of open-loop control system
 Complicated for maintenance
 Less stable operation than that of open-loop control system
 Types of Control System contd.
Comparison between Open-loop and Closed-loop control systems contd.
s/ Open-loop control systems Closed-loop control systems
n
1 No feedback is given to the control A feedback is given to the control
system system
2 Cannot be intelligent Intelligent controlling action

3 There is no possibility of undesirable Closed loop control introduces the

system oscillation(hunting) possibility of undesirable system
oscillation(hunting)
4 The output will not very for a constant In the system the output may vary for
input, provided the system parameters a constant input, depending upon the
remain unaltered feedback
 Types of Control System contd.
s/n Open-loop control systems Closed-loop control systems

5 System output variation due to System output variation due to

variation in parameters of the system variation in parameters of the system
is greater and the output very in an is less.
uncontrolled way
6 Error detection is not present Error detection is present
7 Small bandwidth Large bandwidth
8 More stable Less stable or prone to instability
9 Affected by non-linearities Not affected by non-linearities
10 Very sensitive in nature Less sensitive to disturbances
11 Simple design Complex design
12 Cheap Costly
 Types of Control System contd.
 Feedback Control System

A system that maintains a prescribed relationship between the output and some
reference input by comparing them and using the difference (i.e. error) as a
means of control is called a feedback control system.

error
Input +- Controller Process Output

Feedback

 Feedback can be positive or negative.

 Types of Control System contd.
 A Servo System (or servomechanism): It is a feedback control system
in which the output is some mechanical position, velocity or
acceleration.

Antenna Positioning System

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