Control Systems
Feedback systems that make machines and processes behave as intended — modelling, response, stability and PID control.
A control system measures an output, compares it with the desired value (set-point), and adjusts the input to reduce the error. Examples: cruise control, a temperature controller, a drone's attitude stabiliser, a motor drive, a power plant's frequency control.
Sub-topics (7)
Open Loop and Closed Loop Systems
Open-loop systems act without measuring the result; closed-loop systems use feedback to correct errors.
Transfer Functions and Block Diagrams
Model systems in the Laplace domain and simplify interconnected blocks.
Time Response
Rise time, peak overshoot, settling time and steady-state error of a system's step response.
Stability Analysis
Routh-Hurwitz, root locus, Bode and Nyquist methods determine whether a feedback system is stable.
PID Controllers
Proportional, integral and derivative actions combined — the most widely used controller in industry.
State-Space Representation
Model multi-input, multi-output systems with first-order matrix differential equations.
Programmable Logic Controllers
Rugged industrial computers that run machines and processes using ladder logic and other IEC 61131-3 languages.
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