INTRODUCTION TO CONTROL SYSTEMS

Dr. Rohit Singh Lather

The Mechanical Engineering Department
The NorthCap University
 CONTROLLING ENGINEERING SYSTEMS

• Why do you need a control system at all?

• consider ovens, A/C units, airplanes, manufacturing, pumping stations, etc
• What are we controlling?
some physical quantity (constant)
a dynamic behavior (a function of time)
• We need to 'tell' the system how we want it to behave

Open Loop vs. Closed Loop

Feedback vs. Feedforward
 CONTROLLING A PROCESS

• How do we ‘tell’ a system how to behave?

• turn a dial type a number
• But we need to know how well we are doing!
sensor data (temperature, pressure, speed, position, light, etc)
• OK, I know what I want the system to do. and I can monitor what the
system is doing. Now what?
 CONTROL

• A control System consists of an input (objective), the control system and its output (result)
• Ensure stability : System maintains desired operating point (hold steady speed)
• Improve performance: System responds rapidly to changes (accelerate to 6 m/sec)
• Guarantee robustness : System tolerates perturbations in dynamics (mass, drag, etc)
output controlled by input
• Classification of Control Systems
• Type of signal used
• Continuous time and
• Discrete-time
• Single Input and Single Output and Multiple Input and Multiple Output
• Open and Closed Loop
 OPEN LOOP
• An open-loop control system utilizes an actuating device to control the process directly without using
feedback.

Open-loop control system (without feedback).

Advantages
Disadvantages
1. Simple in construction and design.
1. They are inaccurate.
2. Economical.
2. They are unreliable.
3. Easy to maintain.
3. Any change in output cannot be corrected
4. Generally stable.
automatically.
5. Convenient to use as output is difficult to
measure.
OPEN LOOP
SYSTEM

Rotating disk speed control

(a) Open-loop (without feedback) control of the speed of a rotating disk.

(b) Block diagram model.
 CLOSED LOOP
• A closed-loop control system uses a measurement of the output and feedback of this signal to
compare it with the desired output (reference or command).

Closed-loop feedback control system (with feedback).

(a) Closed-loop control of the speed of a rotating disk.
(b) Block diagram model.
 Open Loop

Actuating
Input Signal Output
Controller Plant

Closed Loop
Error
Detector
Actuating
Input + Error
Controller
Signal
Plant
Output

- Signal

Feedback
Elements
Error signal: The difference between the input and the
feedback signal
Advantages
1. Closed loop control systems are more accurate even in the presence of non- linearity.
2. Highly accurate as any error arising is corrected due to presence of feedback signal.
3.Band width range is large.
4.Facilitates automation.
5.The sensitivity of system may be made small to make system more stable.
6.This system is less affected by noise.
Disadvantages
1. They are costlier.
2. They are complicated to design.
3. Required more maintenance.
4. Feedback leads to oscillatory response.
5. Overall gain is reduced due to presence of feedback.
6. Stability is the major problem, and more care is needed to design a stable closed loop system.
SAMPLE CONTROL SYSTEM
 FEEDFORWARD CONTROL

• Control element responds to change in command or measured disturbance in a pre-defined way

• Based on prediction of plant behavior (requires model)
• Can react before error actually occurs
• Overcome sluggish dynamics and delays
• Does not jeopardize stability
 One implementation of feedforward: Model-based prediction of input

• Ideally consists of exact inverse model of the plant

• Can compensate for known plant dynamics, delays (before you get errors)
• No sensors needed
• System response must be predictable

• Limitations of feedforward control

• Effects of disturbance or command input must be predictable
• May not generalize to other conditions
• Will not be accurate if the system changes
 FEEDBACK CONTROL

• System to be controlled : Plant

• Sensor : (implied)
• Desired value of output (also ‘set point’): Reference
• Computes compensatory command to the plant based on
error: Controller

• Reactive / Error-driven
• Automatically compensates for disturbances (controller acts on error)
• Automatically follows change in desired state (set point can change)
• Can improve undesirable properties of system/plant
• Can be very simple
 POSITIVE FEEDBACK

• Positive feedback occurs to increase the change or output: the result of a reaction is amplified to make
it occur more quickly.
Error
Detector

R(s) + Error
G
Output
C(s)
+ Signal

H
𝐺
𝑇=
1 − 𝐺𝐻
 Negative Feedback

• Negative feedback occurs to reduce the change or output: the result of a reaction is reduced to bring
the system back to a stable state
Error
Detector
Output
R(s) + Error
Take off point

_ Signal
G(s) C(s)

Summing point

H(s)

𝐺 !(#)
𝑇=
1 + 𝐺𝐻 G(s) =
%(#)
 COMBINING FEEDBACK AND FEEDFORWARD

• Feedforward and feedback are often used together

Feedforward component provides rapid response
Feedback component fills in the rest of the response accurately, compensating for errors in the
model
MULTIVARIABLE CONTROL SYSTEM

Multivariable control system.

 EXAMPLES OF MODERN CONTROL SYSTEMS

The driver uses the difference between the actual

Automobile steering control system and the desired direction of travel to generate a
controlled adjustment of the steering wheel

Typical direction-of-travel response.

CONTROL POSITION OF A TOOL
Coordinated control system for a boiler–generator.
 A three-axis control system for inspecting individual
semiconductor wafers with a highly sensitive camera.
Feedback control system of National Income
Future evolution of control systems and robotics
THE CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN PROCESS
Smart grids are distribution networks that measure
and control usage
• Sensitivity is a function of (1 +GH)

!(#)
• Open loop transfer function due to noise %(#) = 𝐺𝑏
 )(#) +!
Closed loop transfer function due to noise =
*(#) ,-+.+/ 0
TRANSFER FUNCTION
The take-off point is used to connect the output
C(s), as one of the inputs to the summing point.
 Z(s) = G1(s) X(s) Y(s) = G2(s) Z(s)

Y(s) = {G1 (s) G2(s)} X(s)

Y(s) = G(s) X(s)

 Y1(s) = G1(s) X(s)

Y(s) = Y1 (s) + Y2(s)

Y2(s) = G2(s) X(s)

G(s) = G1(s) + G2(s)

 Negative Feedback

Output of the summing point E(s) =X(s) - H(s) Y(s)

Y(s) = E(s) G(s)

!(#)
The negative feedback closed loop transfer function is =
%&! # '(#)
!(#)
The positive feedback closed loop transfer function is =
% ( ! # '(#)
Y(s) = G(s) R(s) + G(s) X (s) Eq. 1

Y(s) = G(s) R(s) + X (s) Eq. 2

 SIGNAL FLOW GRAPH
graphical representation of algebraic equations

• Basic Elements of Signal Flow Graph

• Nodes and branches
• Node: a point which will represent either a signal or a variable
• Input node: has only outgoing branches
• Output node: has only incoming branches
• Mixed node: both incoming and outgoing branches
• Branch is a line segment which joins two nodes. It has both gain and direction.
a b c
y2 y3
y1 y4
Input node Mixed node Mixed node Output node

-d
• Six nodes y1, y2, y3, y4, y5 and y6
• Eight Branches
• Gains of the branches a12, a23, a34, a45, a56, a42 , a53 and a35

a12 y2 y4 y5 y6
y3
y1

a42
 Conversion of Block Diagrams into Signal Flow Graphs

• Follow these steps for converting a block diagram into its equivalent signal flow graph.
• Represent all the signals, variables, summing points and take-off points of block diagram as nodes
in signal flow graph.
• Represent the blocks of block diagram as branches in signal flow graph.
• Represent the transfer functions inside the blocks of block diagram as gains of the branches in
signal flow graph.
• Connect the nodes as per the block diagram. If there is connection between two nodes (but there
is no block in between), then represent the gain of the branch as one.
• For example, between summing points, between summing point and take off point, between
input and summing point, between take-off point and output.