Summary made by

BRYAN ALEXIS PARDO FAJARDO

1

Summary of
Introduction to Control Systems
University of Ottawa

Control engineering handles concepts such as feedback and linear system analysis but this
doesn’t make it exclusive in any area, control can be applied in different engineering fields.

A control system is the interconnection between different elements with the aim to obtain a
specific response. The analysis of these systems is based in linear systems. A process is
represented as a simple block.

When a controller or an actuator directly to control the process is used, is named as an open-
loop control system. Then we have closed-loop control systems, which by a sensor, the actual
output signal is measure and is compared with the reference value. A feedback system
compares two variables and controls the process with the difference between them.

An open-loop control system (left) and a closed-loop control system (right)

For the control system design a series of parameters must be followed. The first thing that you
must do is establish the control goals and identify all the variables. Next you have to specify
the parameters and establish the configuration of the system. Then you have to identify the
actuator and obtain the model of the elements that composed the system (process, actuator
and sensor). When you have all of this you have to describe the controller and determinate
which variables you want to adjust. If you want, you can optimize the performance.

For example, for a temperature control of an electric furnace a closed-loop control system is
necessary. In this case the temperature is measured with an analog thermometer; this signal
is converted to a digital value (A/D Converter) and is compared with the established
reference value. If an error exists, the relay is activated with an amplified signal to turn on the
heater and obtain the desired temperature.
 Summary made by
BRYAN ALEXIS PARDO FAJARDO
2

Summary of
Transistors, how do they work?
YouTube: Learn Engineering

A transistor works like a switch with no moving parts used to amplifier signals. They are
generally made with semiconductor materials like silicon.

An n-type diode are made of silicon doped with phosphorus, the atom resulted will have a free
electron that can flow in any direction.

A p-type diode are made of silicon doped with boron, in this case there will be a free position
that will be occupied by a neighbor electron, the movement can be realized only in one
direction.

First of all we must have cleared the concept of a diode, is composed by a p-type zone and an
n-type zone. When you put an external source and connect the negative terminal to the p-type
and the positive terminal to the n-type zone, the electrons are attracted by the power source
and don’t let the current flow (reverse biasing).

But, if you put the positive terminal to the p-type zone and the negative terminal to the n-type
zone, the electrons in the n-type zone will be pushed to the p-type zone, filling the empty
spaces and letting the current flow (forward biasing).

So, a transistor is a sandwich between an n-type

zone, a p-type zone and an n-type zone, like two
diodes back-to-back. When a second source is
added to the transistor base, a forward biasing
diode is generated, in this case the current flows,
but there will exist free electrons, so this electrons
will go to the other diode and flow until the other
diode. That’s why the collector current is higher
than the base current, when you raise the base
current, the collector current will rise proportionally. This is the operation of a BJT transistor.