Course syllabus for Automatic control

• Define the control problem.
• Define feedback and feed forward.
• Describe and explain the most important properties of linear systems.
• Describe how the frequency content of a signal could be analysed.
• Formulate a dynamic model for basic mechanical, electrical and chemical systems.
• Explain the possibilities and limitations of state-space models and transfer functions.
• Transform between state-space models and transfers functions, when possible.
• Compute linear approximations of non-linear models and understand the limitations of the non-linear model.
• Analyse the stability properties of linear dynamic systems and analyse the closed-loop systems stability properties based upon the Nyquist-criteria.
• Explain how feedback and feed-forward can be used to decrease the influence from process- and measurements disturbances and parameter variations in the controlled process, and also explain the limitations of feedback and feed forward.
• Design controllers that satisfy specifications, such as performance, robustness-, and stability margin specifications.
• Analyse and evaluate different controller structures, mainly P, PI, PD, PID and state-feedback controllers.
  
• Implement the designed controller in a computer and understand sampling and its consequences.
• Use modern computer tools to facilitate analysis, design, and evaluation of dynamical systems.

Introduction: Examples of control problems, dynamic systems, feedback and feed-forward, compensation of parameter variations, process and measurement disturbances.

Fundamentals of signal theory: Frequency analysis of signals. Dynamic models: Differential equations, Laplace transforms, transfer functions, block diagrams, impulse response function, frequency response, transient and frequency analysis, Bode diagrams. Principles for building dynamic models for engineering systems. State space models, non-linear systems, linearization.

Analysis of feedback systems: Stability, Nyquist criteria, stability margins, sensitivity. Performance, transient and stationary properties, specification in both time and frequency domain.

Design of control systems: Basic principles for control design, possibilities and limitations. Design of PI- and PID controllers, cascade control and feed-forward. State space design.

Implementation: Implementation of a controller in a computer. Sampling and its consequences. Translation of continuous controllers to discrete controllers.

Laboratory experiments and assignments: Modelling, simulation, control design. and implementation of a balancing robot. The students have free access to the robot throughout the course. The presentation of the labs/hand-ins is done through three hand-ins that are presented in written reports as well as oral presentations. The modelling, simulation and control design parts are done with help of Matlab/Simulink, The implementation part is done in using the Arduino development environment.

Teaching is in the form of lectures, group exercises and three home assignments (modeling, simulation, control, and implementation of a balancing robot)

B Lennartson: Reglerteknikens grunder, Studentlitteratur. (In Swedish) and Reglerteknik M (Lecture notes by Bo Egardt and Knut Åkesson, In Swedish). Reglerteknikens grunder - övningstal, compendium (In Swedish). Reglerteknik M3 och D3 - formelsamling, compendium (In Swedish). Other material, see course home page.

Written exam and passed assignments.