What is a control system?

- A control system is considered to be any system which exists for the purpose of
regulating or controlling the flow of energy, information, money, or other quantities
in some desired fashion.
- A control system makes decisions about how a discrete, continuous or hybrid
processes function, generally ensuring processes operate within appropriate
parameters, safely, at an appropriate rate and within required quality. Control
systems help factories and facilities produce quality goods safely and efficiently.
- An interconnection of components forming a system configuration that will provide
a desired system response
- The study of control provides us with a process for analyzing and understanding
the behavior of a system given some input
- It also introduces methods for achieving the desired system response

SYSTEMS AND CONTROL

A System is a device or process that takes a given input and produces some output:
 A DC motor takes as input a voltage and produces as output rotary motion
 A chemical plant takes in raw chemicals and produces a required chemical product
INPUT OUTPUT
SYSTEM

IMPORTANCE OF CONTROL SYSTEMS:

 In recent years, control systems have assumed an increasingly important role in
the development and advancement of modern civilization and technology.
 Practically every aspect of our day-to-day activities is affected by some type of
control system.
 Control systems are found in abundance in all sectors of industry, such as quality
control of manufactured products, automatic assembly lines, machine-tool control,
space technology and weapon systems, computer control, transportation systems,
power systems, robotics, MicroElectro-Mechanical Systems, nanotechnology, and
many others.

BASIC COMPONENTS OF A CONTROL SYSTEM:

1. Objectives of control
2. Control system components
3. Results or output

OBJECTIVES RESULTS
CONTROL SYSTEM

APPLICATIONS OF CONTROL SYSTEM:

 Machine tools: Improve precision and increase productivity by controlling chatter.
 Flexible robotics: Enable faster motion with greater accuracy.
 Photolithography: Enable the manufacture of smaller microelectronic circuits by
controlling vibration in the photolithography circuit-printing process.
 Biomechanical and biomedical: Artificial muscles, drug delivery systems, and
other assistive technologies.
 Process control: For example, on/off shape control of solar reflectors or
aerodynamic surfaces.
  Steering Control of an Automobile:
As a simple example of the control system, consider the steering control of
an automobile. The direction of the two front wheels can be regarded as the
controlled variable, or the output, y; the direction of the steering wheel is the
actuating signal, or the input, u.
The control system, or process in this case, is composed of the steering
mechanism and the dynamics of the entire automobile. However, if the
objective is to control the speed of the automobile, then the amount of
pressure exerted on the accelerator is the actuating signal, and the vehicle
speed is the controlled variable.
 Aerospace Applications: Aircraft or missile guidance and control Space vehicles
and structures.
 Sun-Tracking Control of Solar Array: To achieve the goal of developing
economically feasible non-fossil-fuel electrical power, development of solar power
conversion methods, including the solar-cell conversion techniques

Why feedback is incorporated into most Control Systems

Control Systems can be classified as:
1. Open loop system (Nonfeedback System)
2. Closed loop system (Feedback System)

Open loop control system (Nonfeedback Systems)

The elements of an open-loop control system can usually be divided into two parts:
the controller and the controlled process, as shown by the block diagram
  In open loop system we don’t have feedback
 Control action is independent on output of plant
 Controlled signal is also referred to as manipulated signal
 A system in which the output has no effect on the control action is known as an
open loop control system
 For a given input the system produces a certain output. 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
Applications:
 Volume Audio System
 Hair Dryer
Advantages:
1. Simplicity - they are simple in terms of layout and straightforward in operation.
2. Low Cost - due to a simple structure and absence of sensors or feedback devices.
3. Quick Response - systems can act quickly without delays.
4. No need for calibration
5. Easy to maintain
Disadvantages:
1. Lack of accuracy - without feedback, open-loop systems cannot self-correct or
adapt to changes in external conditions, leading to less accurate outputs.
2. Fixed Operation - the system operates strictly based on pre-set conditions and
won’t adjust to unexpected scenarios, which limits flexibility.
3. Changes in the output due to disturbances are not corrected automatically

Closed loop system (Feedback Systems)

What is missing in the open-loop control system for more accurate and more
adaptive control is a link or feedback from the output to the input of the system.
To obtain more accurate control, the controlled signal y should be fed back and
compared with the reference input.

 In closed loop system, output is used by controller via feedback.

 The presence of feedback compensates for the disturbance and improve the
accuracy of the system.
Open vs Closed Loop Control
 Open-loop control is ‘blind’ to actual output.
 Closed-loop control takes account of actual output and compares this to desired
output.

Applications:
 Air Conditioner
Advantages:
1. Improved Accuracy - having feedback, it ensures the output closely matches the
desired se point, even if the external conditions change.
2. Stability - handles disturbances or changes in the environment which ensures the
operation go as intended.
3. Automation - Closed-loop systems require less human intervention, as they
selfcorrect and adjust based on feedback, making them ideal for automated
processes.
Disadvantages:
1. Complexity - The addition of feedback mechanisms, sensors, and controllers
increases the system’s complexity, requiring more sophisticated design and
implementation.
2. Higher Cost
3. Risk of Instability - if the feedback loop and system is not designed properly.
4. Maintenance and Calibration
Types of Feedback Control System:
Feedback control systems may be classified in a number of ways, depending upon
the purpose of the classification. For instance, according to the method of analysis and
design, control systems are classified as:
 Linear or Non-Linear
 Time-varying or Time-invariant
 Continuous-data or Discrete-data

ACTUATION - A device for acting on the environment

SENSING - A device for measuring some aspect of the environment

EXAMPLES:

Washing Machine CD Player

System Requirements: A CD player is an example of control system.
Requires:
 Understanding of load sizes
 Receptacle to hold clothes  Accurate positioning of the laser read
 ‘Plumbing’ head
 Ease of use, Reliability  Precise control of media speed
 Low Cost  Conversion of digital data to
Actuators: analogue signal
 AC or DC Motors
 Water inlet/drain
Sensors:
Modern Automobiles
 Water level
 Load speed/balance Modern Automobiles are controlled by a
Control: number of computer components
 Choice depends on design
Requires:

 Control of automobile sub

systems (Brakes and
Hard Drive
acceleration, Cruise control,
A computer disk drive is another ABS, Climate control, GPS
example of a rotary control system  Reliability
Requires:  Low cost
 Ease of use
 Accurate positioning of the
media magnetic read head
 Precise control of speed
 Extraction of digital data from
magnetic media
ALGORITHMS:
 The word algorithm relates to the name of mathematician Al-khowarizmi, which
means a procedure or technique.
 It means a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-
solving operations.
 Is a step-by-step summary of a specific procedure to solve a specific problem or
represent a process and/or program
 In programming, it is a procedure or set of rules that defines how a program is to be
executed.
 Is generally developed before the actual coding is done. It is written using English
like language so that it is easily understandable by non-programmers.
 It has a following characteristics:
A. Input : An algorithm may or may not require input
B. Output: Each algorithm is expected to produce atleast one result.
C. Definiteness: Each instruction must be clear and unambiguous.
D. Finiteness: the algorithm should terminate after finite number of steps.
Pseudocode
- is an artificial and informal language that helps programmers develop algorithms. It
is very similar to everyday English.
- Set of instruction that mimic programming language instructions.
Example:
Start Program
Input AB
Calculate sum by adding
If sum is below 50, Print "LOW"
Else, Print "HIGH"
End Program

Algorithm examples:
1. Get dressed to go to the market. 7. Give money to the shopkeeper.
2. Check your wallet for money. 8. Keep the purchased pen safely.
3. If there is no money in the wallet, replenish it. 9. Go back home.
4. Go to the shop. 10. Ask for any other brand of pen.
5. Ask for your favorite brand of pen. 11. Go to step 7
6. If pen is not available, go to step 7. Else, go to step 10.
For Boiling water processes:
1. Fill a pot with the required amount of water
2. Increase the heat to high
3. Place the pot on a burner on the stove
4. Cover the pot with the lid.
5. Keep an eye on the water.
6. If you notice big bubbles rising quickly, turn off the heat. Else, go to step 4.

Start Program Input a set of four marks

Calculate their average by summing and dividing by 4 if average is below 50, print "FAIL"
else
Print 'PASS"
End Program

Detailed algorithm:
step 1: Input Ml, M2, M3, M4
step 2: GRADE e (Ml+M2+M3+M4)/4
step 3: if (GRADE < 50) then Print "FAIL" else Print 'PASS"

FLOWCHART
- A flowchart is a graphical representation of an algorithm programmers often use it
as a program planning tool to solve a problem. It makes use of symbols that are
connected among them to indicate the flow of information and processing.
- It is often considered as a blueprint of a design used for solving a specific problem.
- It is a diagrammatic/graphical representation of sequence of steps to solve a
problem.
- A graphical representation of the sequence of operations in an information system
or program.

The symbol ' is used in most of the programming

ASSIGNMENT SYMBOL ( or = ) language as an assignment symbol, the same
is used to assign value to the has been used in all the algorithms and
variable. flowcharts in the manual
Example, to assign value 5 to the The statement C=A+B means that add the value
variable statement in: stored in variable A and variable B then
assign/store the value in variable C.
HEIGHT 5
The statement R=R+I means that add one (1) to
OR the value stored in variable R and then
HEIGHT = 5 assign/store the new value in variable R, in other
words increase the value of variable R by 1
GO TO statement also called unconditional transfer of control statement is used to transfer
control of execution to another step/statement.
Example, the statement GO TO n will transfer control to step/statement n.
Note: we can use keywords INPUT, READ, or GET to accept input(s) /value(s) and
keywords PRINT, WRITE, or DISPLAY to output the result(s).