Karen M.

Argañosa Assignment
BSCpE801A Control Systems

1. Define Control System

A control system is a set of mechanical or electronic devices that regulates other
devices or systems by way of control loops. Typically, control systems are
computerized. Control systems are a central part of industry and of automation.
2. Methods used in controlling a system
An open-loop control system utilizes an actuating device to control the process
directly without using feedback. In contrast to an open-loop control system, a
closed-loop control system utilizes an additional measure of the actual output to
compare the actual output with the desired output response. The measure of
the output is called the feedback signal.
3. Mathematical procedures to control a system
 Linear Differential Equations - in control system design the most common
mathematical models of the behavior of interest are, in the time domain, linear
ordinary differential equations with constant coefficients, and in the frequency.
 State Variable Descriptions - instead of working with many different types of
higher-order differential equations that describe the behavior of the system, it is
possible to work with an equivalent set of standardized first-order vector
differential equations that can be derived in a systematic way.
 Transfer Functions - the transfer function of a linear, time-invariant system is the
ratio of the Laplace transform of the output Y(s) to the Laplace transform of the
corresponding input U(s) with all initial conditions assumed to be zero
 Frequency Response - the frequency response of a system is given by its transfer
function G(s) evaluated at s = jw, that is, G( jw). The frequency response is a very
useful means characterizing a system, since typically it can be determined
experimentally, and since control system specifications are frequently expressed
in terms of the frequency response.
4. Electronic devices used in controlling a system (atleast 5 examples)
 Sensors, Microcontrollers, Inductors, Transformer, Batteries
5. Give atleast 5 applications of a control system
 Automobile steering control system, a manual control system for regulating the
level of fluid in a tank, process temperature and pressure controls, robot,
refrigerator.
6. Define feedback control
 A feedback control system is a control system that tends to maintain a
prescribed relationship of one system variable to another by comparing
functions of these variables and using the difference as a means of control.
7. Give an illustration of feedback control

8. Define operational amplifiers

 An operational amplifier (or an op-amp) is an integrated circuit (IC) that
operates as a voltage amplifier. An op-amp has a differential input. That is, it has
two inputs of opposite polarity. An op-amp has a single output and a very high
gain, which means that the output signal is much higher than input signal.
9. What is the relationship behind operational amplifiers to feedback control?
 If we connect the output of an op-amp to its inverting input and apply a voltage
signal to the noninverting input, we find that the output voltage of the op-amp
closely follows that input voltage.As Vin increases, Vout will increase in
accordance with the differential gain. However, as Vout increases, that output
voltage is fed back to the inverting input, thereby acting to decrease the
voltage differential between inputs, which acts to bring the output down. What
will happen for any given voltage input is that the op-amp will output a voltage
very nearly equal to Vin, but just low enough so that there’s enough voltage
difference left between Vin and the (-) input to be amplified to generate the
output voltage.