Learning Outcomes:: Control System Definition
Learning Outcomes:: Control System Definition
Learning Outcomes:: Control System Definition
Introduction
Control systems are an integral part of modern society. Numerous applications are all around us:
The rockets fire, and the space shuttle lifts off to earth orbit; in splashing cooling water, a metallic part
is automatically machined; a self-guided vehicle delivering material to workstations in an aerospace
assembly plant glides along the floor seeking its destination. These are just a few examples of the
automatically controlled systems that we can create.
We are not the only creators of automatically controlled systems; these systems also exist in
nature. Within our own bodies are numerous control systems, such as the pancreas, which regulates our
blood sugar. In time of "fight or flight," our adrenaline increases along with our heart rate, causing more
oxygen to be delivered to our cells. Our eyes follow a moving object to keep it in view; our hands grasp
the object and place it precisely at a predetermined location.
Even the nonphysical world appears to be automatically regulated. Models have been suggested
showing automatic control of student performance. The input to the model is the student's available
study time, and the output is the grade. The model can be used to predict the time required for the grade
to rise if a sudden increase in study time is available. Using this model, you can determine whether
increased study is worth the effort during the last week of the term.
Computer-Controlled Systems
In many modern systems, the controller (or compensator) is a digital computer. The
advantage of using a computer is that many loops can be controlled or compensated by the
same computer through time sharing. Furthermore, any adjustments of the compensator
parameters required to yield a desired response can be made by changes in software rather than
hardware. The computer can also perform supervisory functions, such as scheduling many
required applications. For example, the space shuttle main engine (SSME) controller, which
contains two digital computers, alone controls numerous engine functions. It monitors engine
sensors that provide pressures, temperatures, flow rates, turbopump speed, valve positions, and
engine servo valve actuator positions. The controller further provides closed-loop control of
thrust and propellant mixture ratio, sensor excitation, valve actuators, spark igniters, as well as
other functions (Rockwell International, 1984).
Transient Response
Transient response is important. In the case of an elevator, a slow transient response
makes passengers impatient, whereas an excessively rapid response makes them
uncomfortable. If the elevator oscillates about the arrival floor for more than a second, a
disconcerting feeling can result. Transient response is also important for structural reasons:
Too fast a transient response could cause permanent physical damage. In a computer, transient
response contributes to the time required to read from or write to the computer's disk storage
(see Figure 1.7). Since reading and writing cannot take place until the head stops, the speed of
the read/write head's movement from one track on the disk to another influences the overall
speed of the computer.
FIGURE 1.7 Computer hard disk drive, showing disks and or design
components to yield a desired transient read/write head.
Steady-State Response
Another analysis and design goal focuses on the steady-state response. As we have seen, this
response resembles the input and is usually what remains after the transients have decayed to zero. For
example, this response may be an elevator stopped near the fourth floor or the head of a disk drive
finally stopped at the correct track. We are concerned about the accuracy of the steady-state response.
An elevator must be level enough with the floor for the passengers to exit, and a read/write head not
positioned over the commanded track results in computer errors. An antenna tracking a satellite must
keep the satellite well within its beamwidth in order not to lose track. In this text we define steady-state
errors quantitatively, analyze a system's steady-state error, and then design corrective action to reduce
the steady-state error—our second analysis and design objective.
Stability
Discussion of transient response and steady-state error is moot if the system does not have
stability. In order to explain stability, we start from the fact that the total response of a system is the
sum of the natural response and the forced response. When you studied linear differential equations,
you probably referred to these responses as the homogeneous and the particularsolutions, respectively.
Natural response describes the way the system dissipates or acquires energy. The form or nature of this
response is dependent only on the system, not the input. On the other hand, the form or nature of the
forced response is dependent on the input. Thus, for a linear system, we can write
Total response = Natural response + Forced response (1.1)
For a control system to be useful, the natural response must (1) eventually approach zero, thus
leaving only the forced response, or (2) oscillate. In some systems, however, the natural response grows
without bound rather than diminish to zero or oscillate. Eventually, the natural response is so much
greater than the forced response that the system is no longer controlled. This condition, called
instability, could lead to self-destruction of the physical device if limit stops are not part of the design.
For example, the elevator would crash through the floor or exit through the ceiling; an aircraft would
go into an uncontrollable roll; or an antenna commanded to point to a target would rotate, line up with
the target, but then begin to oscillate about the target with growing oscillations and increasing velocity
until the motor or amplifiers reached their output limits or until the antenna was damaged structurally.
A time plot of an unstable system would show a transient response that grows without bound and
without any evidence of a steady-state response. Control systems must be designed to be stable. That
is, their natural response must decay to zero as time approaches infinity, or oscillate. In many systems
the transient response you see on a time response plot can be directly related to the natural response.
Thus, if the natural response decays to zero as time approaches infinity, the transient response will also
die out, leaving only the forced response. If the system is stable, the proper transient response and
steady-state error characteristics can be designed.
Case Study
Explane the figure about the antena parabolic control system. Write down your work and
send to besmart.