School of Electrical Engineering and Computing

Department of Electrical Power and Control Engineering

Introduction to Control System

Prepared by: Urgo H.

March 2023, Adama
1
 Chapter one
Introduction to control system
 Introduction

• Automatic control has played a vital roll in the advanced of engineering and science. In
addition to the extreme importance in space-vehicle system, missile guidance system,
robotics and so on.
• Advance in the theory and practice of automatic control provide the means for attaining
➢Optimum performance of dynamic systems
➢Improving productivity
➢To Avoid many routine repetitive manual operations
 Cont.….

Todays control Engineering has application in almost every area of technology.

➢ Industrial process control
Industrial process control covers the control of temperature, pressure, flow-level
and any other industrial applications
➢ Drive control (speed control)
This group includes speed control of motors on different machines such as in
plastic manufacturing, paper production or textile machines. specially designed
controllers are normally used for these application since they have to remain
stable during fast disturbance in the range of tenths of seconds
 Cont.….

➢ Control of electrical variable

This refers to stabilization of electrical parameters, e.g. . voltage, current, power or even
frequency
➢ Position control
Involves the position of tools, work pieces or complete assemblies either in two or three
dimensions. e.g. antenna, positioning of guns and tanks, drone, CNC machines
➢ Course control
Refers the control of the course of ship or plane (Autopilots) here the controller has to
satisfy special demands, such as high processing speed and operational safety, combined
with weight.
 Control System

● A control system is an interconnection of components forming a system configuration

that will provide a desired system response. i.e. a control system is by which any

quantity of interest is measured or altered in accordance with a desired manner.

● The basis for analysis of a system is the foundation provided by linear system theory,

which assumes a cause-effect relationship for the component of a system.

 Cont.….

● Therefore a component or process to be controlled can be represented by block showing input-

output relationships. Cause and effect of relationship of the process
Input Output
process
Cause Effect

● Is a system where the output of the system is controlled to be at some specific value or to

change in some prescribed way as determined by the input to the system.

● A control System is a device, or set of devices to manage, command, direct or regulate the behavior

of other device(s) or system(s)

 Cont.….

● Every controller has (at least) a controller and an actuator(also called a final control

element )
Input Actuators( Output
Controller correction process
element )
Set point
Controlled variables

Motors, manipulative
Electronic intelligent element Physical system

A block diagram for a control system

 Components of control system

● System: is an arrangement or combination of different physical components that are connected

or related together to form an entire unit to achieve a certain objective.
● Control: the meaning of control is regulate, direct or command a system to achieve a desired
objective.
● Plant: it is defined as the portion of a system in which is to be control or regulate, it is also
called process.
● Controller: it is an element within the system itself, or external to the system and it control the
plant or the process.
● Input: the applied signal or excitation to the control system.
● Output: the actual response obtained from the control system.
 Cont.….

• Model: A conceptual model representation of a system, made of the composition of

concepts which are used to help people know, understand, or simulate a subject the
model represents.
• Mathematical model: is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and
representation of a certain system or part of system.
• Disturbance or noise: is a signal which enters the system at a point other than the
reference input and has the effect of undermining the normal system operation.
 Classifications of control systems

Universe Vehicles
Human Body Airplanes

Electric Fan Room Temperature

Water Level Control Human Body Temperature
Control
Types of control system

● There are two major configuration of control systems (internal architecture of the total
system)
➢ Open loop control system
➢ Closed loop (feedback system)
 Open loop

● System which control action doesn’t depend on out put is called open loop system automatically
correct for variations in its output
● No information is feedback to the system to adjust itself and maintain a constant output
● An input is chosen on the basis of experience of such a system to give the value of the required
output.
Cont.….

Examples
➢ An electric heater with a selection switch
➢ Systems which operate by preset timing mechanisms like Traffic Lights,
Washing Machine
Advantages
➢ Relatively simple hence low cost with generally good reliability
➢ Inherently Stable
➢ Easy maintenance
Cont.….

Disadvantages
➢ Often inaccurate since there is no error correction
➢ More sensitive to changes in component characteristics
➢ More sensitive to disturbances
➢ Limitation on applications
 Closed loop

• If control actions of the system are somehow dependent on output or change in out put

the system is called closed loop system.

• In contrast to an open loop control system utilizes an additional measure of the actual

output to compare the actual output with the desired output responses.

• The measure of the output is called the feedback signal.

• A feedback control system is a control system that tends to maintain a prescribed

relationship of one system variables to another by comparing function of these variables

and using the difference as a means of control.

 Cont.….

• A feedback signal to the input from the output will be sent and used to modify the input so that
the output is maintained constant regardless of any changes in conditions

feedback control system

 Basic Components

• Any Control System consists of a number of basic subsystems or elements

• Those elements could appear separate or integrated as a single entity
The basic elements are:
➢ Comparison Element
➢ Control Element
➢ Correction Element
➢ Process Element (plant)
➢ Measurement Element (Transducers)
Cont.….
 Cont.….

1. Comparison Element: compares the reference value of the variable being controlled with the
measured value of the actual output and produces an error signal.
2. Control Element: decides what action to be taken after it gets an error signal.
3. Correction Element (actuator): used to produce a change in the process in order to avoid the
error.
4. Process Element (Plant): is the system of which a variable is being controlled.
5. Measurement Element: Produces a Signal related to the actual output and provides a feedback
signal to the comparison element.
Cont.….

Advantages
➢ Ability to match the actual to the required value since there is continuous
error correction
➢ Less sensitivity to disturbances
➢ Increased speed of response and hence increased band width
➢ Increase accuracy
➢ Reduce the effect of non linearity
 Cont.….

Disadvantages
➢ These systems are complicated in design and costlier
➢ These system may become unstable, because of time delays when transferring
corrective action
 Cont.….

Importance of feedback
• The presence of feedback imports the following properties to the system
• Increase accuracy: for example ability to faithfully reproduce the input
• Tendency towards oscillation or instability
• Reduced sensitivity of the ratio of output to input to variation in the system parameters and
other characteristic.
• Reduced effect of external disturbance or noise
• Increase bandwidth
The most important tasks of control Engineers

➢ Determine the process variable

➢ Checking whether automatic control offers significant advantages
➢ Determining the measurement site
➢ Selecting the manipulator
➢ Selecting disturbance
➢ Selecting a suitable controller
➢ Installation of the controller in accordance with applicable regulation
➢ Starting up adjusting parameters, optimizing an unsatisfactory control loop
 Cont.….
Examples
1. A manual control system for regulating the level of fluid in a tank by adjusting the output valve.
The operator views the level of fluid through a port in the side of the tank
Cont.….
Cont.….

2. The driver uses the difference between the actual and the desired direction of
travel to generate a controlled adjustment of the steering wheel.
Cont.….
 Main control strategies

Every control system must guarantee first the stability of the closed-loop behavior. The possibility to
fulfill different specifications varies model considered and the control system chosen.
Classical controls
➢ Control methods where the ODE that describe a system are transformed using Laplace,
Fourier, or Z-transforms and manipulated in the transform domain.
Modern control
➢Methods where high-order differential equations are broken into a system of first-order
equations. The input, output and internal states of the system are described by vector called
“state variables”.
 Cont.….

Adaptive control
➢ Adaptive control uses on-line identification of the process parameters, or modification of
controller gain, there by obtaining strong robustness properties. The controller changes it is
response characteristics over time to better control the system.
Robust control
➢ Robust control deals explicitly with uncertainty in its approach to controller design.
Optimal control
➢ In a system, performance matrices are identified and arranged into a cost function. The cost
function is minimized to create an operational system with the lowest cost .
 Cont.….

Nonlinear controls
➢ The youngest branch of control engineering it is used for the system that can not be
described by linear equations or ODE
Intelligent control
➢Intelligent control uses varies AI (artificial intelligent) computing techniques like Neural
network, fuzzy logic, machine learning, evolutionary computation and genetic algorithms
to control a dynamic system.
Stochastic control
➢ Deals with uncertainty in the model like random noise and disturbance must take into
account.
 Cont.….
Nonlinear controls
➢ The youngest branch of control engineering it is used for the system that can not be
described by linear equations or ODE
Intelligent control
➢Intelligent control uses varies AI (artificial intelligent) computing techniques like Neural
network, fuzzy logic, machine learning, evolutionary computation and genetic algorithms to
control a dynamic system.
Stochastic control
➢ Deals with uncertainty in the model like random noise and disturbance must take into
account.
Applications of control system

• A control system manages, commands, directs, or regulates the behavior of

other devices or systems using control loops.
• Control systems are used in a wide range of applications, including
manufacturing, transportation, and energy production.
• They are an essential part of many modern devices and systems and are used to
maintain stable and predictable behavior.
• This are some application areas of control.
Cont.….

➢ Medical industry
➢ Aerospace
➢ Military
➢ Transportation
➢ Energy production
➢ Process control……etc.
THE END