Control Systems

Dr. Manmohan Sharma

1
Outline
 Introduction of the Control Problem
 Which you are going to solve as a control engineer.
 Control Systems Terminology
 Plant
 Controller
 Feedback
 Inputs, Outputs
 Variables, {MV, CV, RV, etc.}

2
What is “Control”
Imagine “Control” Room temperature control
around you!
Car/bicycle driving
Voice volume control
“Control” (move) the position of the pointer (move) the position
of the pointer

Cruise control or speed control

3
 What is “Control”
 Make some object (called system, or plant) behave as
we desire.
Imagine Room temperature control
“Control”
around Car/bicycle driving
you! Voice volume control
“Control” (move) the position of
the pointer (move) the position of
the pointer
Cruise control or speed control

4
 What is “System”
Disturbance

Manipulated Response
Variable (MV) Variable (RV)
Process/
Plant

Process/Plant: Manipulated Variable:

• A system we want to control. • MV is subject to control by the controller we are going to
• ‘System’ to be controlled is given different names: design,
Process/ Plant/Controlled system • Requirement of the control is that there is unavoidable and
undesirable disturbance acting on the process.

Response Variable: Disturbance:

• Output of this particular process. • It is uncalled for and is beyond our control.
• The variable or the attribute of the process you • May be originated outside the process environment or the
want to control and disturbance, may also be originated from within the
• This controlled will be exercised by, the MV process

5
What is “Control System”

Task:
• Design a controller for specific set of Disturbance
parameters but with time these
parameters may change and hence Manipulated Response
controller will not be as effective as it was Variable (MV) Process/ Variable (RV)
at the time of its design. Plant
• Disturbance is a signal which is beyond our
control which is random in nature.
• The characteristics of this signal are
unknown.

6
What is “Control System” Disturbance

MV RV
Plant
What we can control?
• MV is the variable to which the process is going to react.
• Reaction of this process to the MV is going to make the RV follow our
commands.
• Means, MV must be under the control of the controller.
• Controller:
• Is going to control the MV
• Function of this controller is to make the RV follow the system commands.
• Requirement of this Particular System:
• Is to force the controlled/response variable follow the command in spite of
random unknown disturbances acting on the system.

7
What is “Control System”

A control system consists of subsystems and processes (or plants)

assembled for the purpose of obtaining a desired output with desired
performance, given a specified input.

Disturbance
Command
Signal MV RV
Controller Plant

8
What is “Control System”
Example: Elevator
 When the fourth-floor button is pressed on the first floor.
 The elevator rises to the fourth floor with a speed and
 Floor leveling accuracy designed for passenger comfort.
 The push of the fourth-floor button is an input that represents our desired
output.

9
Example: Elevator
Two major measures of performance are apparent:
◦ The transient response and
◦ The steady-state error.

Performance Metric:
Passenger comfort and Passenger patience: Depend upon:
 Transient response.
 If this response is too fast, passenger comfort is sacrificed;
 If too slow, passenger patience is sacrificed.
 Steady-state error
 Since passenger safety and convenience would be sacrificed if the
elevator did not level properly.

10
Closed Loop System
Only information available to the controller is the command signal.
◦ The controller acts upon the signal to generate a manipulated
variable
◦ Whose function is to force the controlled variable follow the
command.
What is the problem with this type of structure?

Disturbance
Command
Signal MV RV
Controller Plant

11
Closed Loop System
 Concept of ‘Feedback’

Disturbance
Command
Signal MV RV
Controller Plant

Sensor

12
 Disturbance

Closed Loop System Command

Signal
Controller
MV
Plant
RV

Measure Controlled Variable/Response Variable

◦ Sensor gets the information about the controlled variable and
◦ Passes on this information to the controller. Sensor

Now Controller,
◦ Gets the information about the disturbances indirectly through the controlled variable,
Function of the Controller:
◦ Compares the actual controlled variable with Command Signal
◦ Generates an error signal
◦ To generate a suitable control signal and
◦ That control signal manipulates the signal to the plant so as to reduce the error to zero.
Error self-nulling process :
◦ The error between the command and the actual variable is reduced to zero because of the controller action.
Referred to as the closed-loop system (feedback control system).
Requirement on the controller:
◦ Make this particular system robust.
◦ Robust: The need of control so as to make it insensitive to disturbances and parameter variations.

13
Why do we “Need Control
System”?
Convenient
• (room temperature control, laundry machine)

Dangerous
• (hot/cold places, space, bomb removal)

Impossible for human

• (nanometer scale precision positioning, work inside the small space that human cannot enter)

They exist in nature.

• (human body temperature control)

Lower cost, high efficiency

• (factory automation), etc.

14
Case Study
 18m ISRO antenna used to track
Chandrayaan
 Part of Indian Deep Space Network

 Problem:
 How to change the azimuth angle
precisely according to the motion
of Chandrayaan?

15
Case Study
 Attempt 1
 Manually through Gears?
 Drawbacks?

16
Case Study
 Attempt 2
 Use Motor to turn Heavy Antenna?
 How to Convert an Angle Command to
Electrical Signal?

17
Case Study
 Attempt 3
 Problem: The pot voltage is low, but
antenna is heavy!
 What else can be done?

18
Case Study
 Attempt 3
 Still there are inaccuracies &
disturbances (e.g. Wind.)!

 Advantages!

19
Case Study
 2 Levels of Design
 Obeying the design constraints, we redesigned the ‘system’.
 Change the mass, diameter, etc. of the antenna as long as the primary
objectives are met.
 This rarely happens.
 Add something ‘around’ the system to make .
 This is “Control Engg. Domain”

20
Case Study
 Concept of ‘Feedback’

𝜽𝒊(𝒕) Error 𝜽𝒐(𝒕 )

+¿
−
System

Feedback

21
Case Study

22
Outline
 Feedback Control Systems
 Examples
 Merits and Demerits of Open & Closed Loop System

23
 Basic Feedback Structure
 The task of controller is to make the system robust/insensitive to the
disturbances and attain certain performance in time domain

COMMAND /
SETPOINT MV CV
CONTROLLER PLANT

SENSOR

24
Design of Controller

The
Experimental • The controller parameters are adjusted online.
Approach
• We capture the dynamics of the plant/process
Model Based
in a suitable mathematical form The
Approach
controller parameters are adjusted
Knowledge
Based • Expert control, using, FLC, NN, etc
Approach

25
Model Based Approach
 1940-60’s

Classica

Control


l
Frequency domain methodologies were developed
 Nyquist criterion, Root locus, Bode plots etc.
 1960 onwards

Modern Control
 Because of space exploration and need for design of space
vehicles.
 control of trajectory, tracking, vehicle maneuvering.
 Led to the formulation of theory based on State Space methods.
 75% industries use Classical Control Methods

26
Water Tank System
 Objective:
 To maintain/control the height of water level
to a certain predefined level in the tank.

27
Water Tank System
 Objective:
 To maintain/control the height of water level
to a certain predefined level in the tank.
Manipulated Variable
inflow of water

Float and lever mechanism

Command Signal/
Setpoint
H

Controlled Variable
Disturbance

28
Water Tank System

 In this case, the command signal/input is constant,

 i.e. Height, and is not varying with time is called Set-point.
 The task of the controller is to maintain the controlled variable at
a certain setpoint.
 This type of control system is called as Regulator System.

29
 Automobile Control System
WIND /
ROAD/
EYES TRAFFI
C
HANDS
CONDI
DIRECTION TIONS, HEADING
OF HIGHWAY etc.
+ ACTUATOR
-
BRAIN VEHICLE
(CONTROL
SPEED LOGIC) SPEED
LIMITS
+ ACTUATOR
-

FOOT

30
 Command Signal Manipulated Variable Disturbances Controlled
DIRECTION OF HIGHWAY STEERING MECHANISM WIND/ ROAD / Variable
SPEED LIMITS ACCELERATION & BRAKE TRAFFIC, etc. HEADING SPEED
MECHANISM
WIND /
ROAD/
EYES TRAFFI
C
HANDS
CONDI
DIRECTION TIONS, HEADING
OF HIGHWAY etc.
+ ACTUATOR
-
BRAIN VEHICLE
(CONTROL
SPEED LOGIC) SPEED
LIMITS
+ ACTUATOR
-

FOOT

31
Automobile Control System
• In this case, the command signals are a function of time.
• i.e. The command signals are varying/changing with time.
• The task of the controller is to make the controlled variable follow
the time varying commands.
• This type of control system is called as TRACKING SYSTEM.
• In control systems where there is no human operator are called
Automatic Control Systems.
• In control systems where there is a human operator in control loop
are called Man-Machine Control Systems.

32
Generalized Control System

33
Merits and Demerits of
Closed Loop Systems
Advantages: • Construction:
• They are relatively more complex in
• Accuracy:
construction and hence it adds up to the cost
• They are more accurate than open loop
making it costlier than open loop system.
system due to their complex construction. •
Since it consists of feedback loop, it may create
• They are equally accurate and are not
oscillatory response of the system and it also
disturbed in the presence of non-linearities.
reduces the overall gain of the system.
• Noise reduction ability: • Stability:
• Since they are composed of a feedback
• It is less stable than open loop system but
mechanism, so they clear out the errors
this disadvantage can be stroked off since we
between input and output signals, and
can make the sensitivity of the system very
hence remain unaffected to the external
small so as to make the system as stable as
noise sources.
possible.

34
Merits and Demerits of
Open Loop Systems
Advantages: Disadvantages:
• Simplicity and stability: • Accuracy and Reliability:
• They are simpler in their layout and • Since these systems do not have a
hence are economical and stable too feedback mechanism, so they are very
due to their simplicity. inaccurate in terms of result output and
• Construction: hence they are unreliable too.
• Since these are having a simple layout • Due to the absence of a feedback
so are easier to construct. mechanism, they are unable to remove the
disturbances occurring from external
sources.

35
Types of Feedback
If either the output or some part of the output is returned to the input side and utilized
as part of the system input, then it is known as feedback.
It plays an important role in order to improve the performance of the control systems.
Types of Feedback
• Positive feedback
• Negative feedback

36
Types of Feedback
Positive feedback Negative feedback
Adds the reference input, R(s) and Reduces the error between the reference
feedback output. input, R(s) and system output
Consider the transfer function of positive The transfer function of positive feedback
feedback control system is, control system is,

Where,
 T is the transfer function or
overall gain of feedback control
system.
 G is the open loop gain, which is
function of frequency.
 H is the gain of feedback path,
which is function of frequency.

37
Effect of Feedback
 Effect of Feedback on Overall Gain
From Equation 2, we can say that the overall gain of negative feedback closed loop control
system is the ratio of and
So, the overall gain may increase or decrease depending on the value of (1+GH).
If the value of (1+GH) is less than 1,
Then the overall gain increases.
In this case, ’GH’ value is negative because the gain of the feedback path is negative.
If the value of (1+GH) is greater than 1,
Then the overall gain decreases.
In this case, ’GH’ value is positive because the gain of the feedback path is positive.
In general, ’G’ and ’H’ are functions of frequency. So, the feedback will increase the overall
gain of the system in one frequency range and decrease in the other frequency range.

38
Effect of Feedback
 Effect of Feedback on Stability
A system is said to be stable, if its output is under control.
Otherwise, it is said to be unstable.
In Equation 2, if the denominator value is zero (i.e., GH = -1),
Then the output of the control system will be infinite.
So, the control system becomes unstable.
Therefore, we have to properly choose the feedback in order to make the control system
stable.

39
Linear & Non-Linear Systems
Linear Systems
A system is said to be linear if it obeys the principle of homogeneity and principle of superposition.
Principle of Homogeneity
A system which generates an output for an input
Must produce an output for an input .
Superposition Principle
A system which gives an output for an input and an output for an input
Must produce an output for an input
Therefore, for a continuous-time linear system,

Hence, we can say that a system is linear if the output of the system due to weighted sum of inputs is equal to
the weighted sum of outputs
Example: Resistive Networks
40
Linear & Non-Linear Systems
Non-linear Systems
If a system does not obey the principle of homogeneity and principle of superposition.
Generally, if the equation describing the system contains square or higher order terms of
input/output or product of input/output and its derivatives or a constant, the system will be a non-
linear system

41
Reference
 Norman Nise, “Control System Engineering”
 Chapter 1
 Topic 1.1 – 1.4
 Nagrath & Gopal “Control System Engineering”
 Chapter 1
 Topic 1.1, 1.6

42
Thank You!

43