Control Systems

G(s)

_
Copyright 1998 by William J. Wilson. All rights reserved

Course Objectives
To provide a general understanding of the
characteristics of dynamic systems and
feedback control.
To teach classical methods for analysing
control system accuracy, stability and
dynamic performance.
To teach classical control system design
methods.
E&CE 380 Introduction

Control System Concepts

A system is a collection of components which
are co-ordinated together to perform a function.
Systems interact with their environment across
a separating boundary.
The interaction is defined in terms of variables.
system inputs
system outputs
environmental disturbances
E&CE 380 Introduction

Systems
Disturbance Inputs
System Outputs
Subsystem

Engineering systems
Biological systems
Information systems
Control Inputs
E&CE 380 Introduction

System Variables
The systems boundary depends upon the
defined objective function of the system.
The systems function is expressed in terms
of measured output variables.
The systems operation is manipulated
through the control input variables.
The systems operation is also affected in an
uncontrolled manner through the
disturbance input variables.
E&CE 380 Introduction

Car and Driver Example

Objective function: to control the direction
and speed of the car.
Outputs: actual direction and speed of the car
Control inputs: road markings and speed signs
Disturbances: road surface and grade, wind,
obstacles.
Possible subsystems: the car alone, power
steering system, braking system, . . .
E&CE 380 Introduction

Antenna Positioning Control System

Original system: the antenna with
electric motor drive systems.
Control objective: to point the
antenna in a desired reference direction.
Control inputs: drive motor voltages.
Outputs: the elevation and azimuth of the
antenna.
Disturbances: wind, rain, snow.
E&CE 380 Introduction

Antenna Control System

Functional Block Diagram
Wind force

Antenna System
Ref.
input

volts

+
_

volts

Diff.
amp

torque

power

Power
amp

Motor

Antenna

Error
volts

Feedback Path

Information Variables

Angle
sensor

Physical Variables
E&CE 380 Introduction

Angular
position

Control System Components

System or process (to be controlled)

Actuators (converts the control signal to a power signal)
Sensors (provides measurement of the system output)
Reference input (represents the desired output)
Error detection (forms the control error)
Controller (operates on the control error to form the
control signal, sometimes called compensators)
E&CE 380 Introduction

Feedback System Characteristics

Consider the following speed control system
Disturbance
torque

Open loop system

wr
Reference
speed

+
_

Amp

Motor

Ka

Km

Tm

Td
+

Load

Kl

Speed sensor
Feedback Path

Ks

E&CE 380 Introduction

wo

Open Loop System Characteristics

Assume that each component may be represented by a simple
gain, then

w o Kl (Tm Td )

K a K m Kl u KlTd
The accuracy of the open loop system depends upon the
calibration of the gains and prior knowledge of the
disturbance (choose the control u to give the desired wo ).
Problems:
nonlinear or time varying gains
unknown and varying disturbances
E&CE 380 Introduction

Closed Loop Characteristics

Now consider the case with feedback.
w o Kl (Tm Td )
K a K m K l (w r K sw o ) K lTd
or
K a K m Kl
Kl
w o
wr
Td
1 K a K m Kl K s
1 Ka Km Kl K s

E&CE 380 Introduction

Closed Loop Characteristics

If Ka is very large such that,

1 K a K m Kl K s K a K m Kl K s

then,

1
1
w o w r
Td
Ks
Ka Km K s
rad/s

volts

Ks is the sensor gain in units of volts per rad/s.

The input/output relationship is not very
sensitive to disturbances or changes in the
system gains
E&CE 380 Introduction

Closed Loop Characteristics

System Error
The control error is
e (w r K sw o )

Ka Km Kl K s
Kl K s
w r
1
Td
1 Ka Km Kl K s
1 Ka Km Kl K s
1
Kl K s

wr
Td
1 Ka Km Kl K s
1 Ka Km Kl K s

Again, if the loop gain, Ka Km Kl Ks is large,

then the error is small.
E&CE 380 Introduction

Note: Gain Definitions

forward gain:

Ka Km Kl

feedback gain:

Ks

loop gain:

Ka Km Kl Ks

closed loop gain:

forward gain
1 + loop gain
E&CE 380 Introduction

System Dynamics
Consider a sudden change in the speed reference, wr .
The output speed, wo will not respond instantaneously
due to the inertial characteristics of the motor and
load, i.e. their dynamic characteristics.
The motor and load need to be represented by
dynamic equations rather than simple gains.
The output response will generally lag the input and
may be oscillatory.
E&CE 380 Introduction

System Dynamics
Step Responses
Ka = 20

Ka = 2
Step Response, Ka=2

Step Response, Ka=20

0.9

wo

wr

0.8

1.5

wr

0.7
0.6

wo

0.5
0.4

0.5

0.3

Tm

0.2

Tm

0.1
-0.5

0
0

10

Assume Ks = 1.0
E&CE 380 Introduction

10

Control System Design

Objectives
Primary Objectives:
1. Dynamic stability
2. Accuracy
3. Speed of response

Addition Considerations:
4. Robustness (insensitivity to parameter variation)
5. Cost of control
6. System reliability
E&CE 380 Introduction

Control System Design Steps

Define the control system objectives.
Identify the system boundaries.
define the input, output and disturbance variables

Determine a mathematical model for the

components and subsystems.
Combine the subsystems to form a model for
the whole system.
E&CE 380 Introduction

Control System Design Steps

Apply analysis and design techniques to
determine the control system structure and
parameter values of the control components, to
meet the design objectives.
Test the control design on a computer
simulation of the system.
Implement and test the design on the actual
process or plant.
E&CE 380 Introduction