Course syllabus for Automatic control

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-26 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameReglerteknik
  • CodeERE033
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKMAS
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyAutomation and Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering
  • DepartmentELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 55158
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0107 Design exercise + laboratory 2 c
Grading: UG
0 c2 c0 c0 c0 c0 c
0207 Examination 5.5 c
Grading: TH
0 c5.5 c0 c0 c0 c0 c
  • 17 Jan 2025 am J
  • 14 Apr 2025 am J
  • 22 Aug 2025 am J

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Mathematical concepts that the student must master before starting the course are: - Complex numbers - Linear algebra - Taylor expansions - Ordinary differential equations It is also assumed that the student has basic knowledge about the fundamental physical relations that are necessary to formulate energy, force and material balances.

Aim

The aim of the course is to help mechanical engineering students to understand how control might be used to develop and implement control function for mechanical systems. Furthermore the aim of the course is to widen the student s perspective on technical systems by understanding how mechanics, electronics, computers, and control interact and how this might be used to improve and develop new products that offer new functionality and increased performance. The course uses knowledge from the fundamental courses in mathematics, mechanics and computer programming and will prepare the student for further studies in subjects where fundamental knowledge in dynamical systems and control engineering is required.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

show basic knowledge in control engineering analysis and design methods. This knowledge could be used to systematically solve basic control problems. More specifically, the student should be able to:
  • 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.

Content

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.

Organisation

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

Literature

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.

Examination including compulsory elements

Written exam and passed assignments.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.