9/9/2013

AS-74.2112 Digital Control Introduction

(3 cr), autumn 2013 Lecture slides and exercises with solutions are available also in
English in the course Noppa pages. You can do the homework
Lectures problems, intermediate exams and the final exam in English.
Concerning exams remember to inform the assistant in
Tuesdays at 10.15-12.00, room AS2 (in Finnish) advance that you want the questions in English.
Lecturer: Kai Zenger, TuAS-house, room 3567,
p. 050-4096252, e-mail: kai.zenger(at)aalto.fi

Exercise hours
Mondays at 10.15-12.00 room AS2 (in Finnish)
Assistant:
Juho Lindholm, e-mail: juho.lindholm(at)aalto.fi

Intermediate exams are suggested to pass the course. They are organised during
Passing the course: Final exam or two intermediate exams.
the lecture time on the last week of each lecture period (2 hours).
Final exam maximum 30 points (5 problems, max 6p each).
Intermediate exam cannot be retaken nor substituted. It can not be combined to an
Alternatively two intermediate exams. Each has three problems, max. 5p./problem
exam on some other year. During the second exam time you can choose, after
Maximum of the two intermediate exams 30 p.
seeing the problems, whether you want to do intermediate exam or full exam.
Bonus points of (not mandatory) homeworks and (not mandatory) lecture exercises.
The full exams later are three hours in lenght; otherwise they are similar than the
- 5 homework problems: altogether max. 5p.
full exams during the lecture period.
- Lecture exercises are given in the end of each lecture and must be returned to
the box (not to the lecture, not by email) before the next lecture . Altogether max
Bonus points are valid one year (until the lectures start again).
5p.
But: the exam (or the intermediate exams) must be passed first:
At least 13p./30p. = pass
Exams: 22.10.2013 at 10:00-12:00 AS2 (intermediate exam 1)
After passing the bonus points are added to determine the final grade. The bonus
10.12.2013 at 10:00-12:00 AS2 (intermediate 2, full exam)
points are ”true bonus”, because the grade limits are not scaled up because of the
17.02.2014 at 16:00-19:00 (full exam)
possibility to get bonus points.
05.05.2014 at 16:00-19:00 (full exam)

Department of Automation and Systems

Technology

1
 9/9/2013

AS.74.2112 Introduction AS.74.2112 Introduction

Study material
• Lecture slides (in Finnish and English, ordinary and
print versions).
• Exercises with solutions (Finnish, English).
• Both are also delivered through Multiprint (Finnish)
• Net course: - link from Noppa
• Extra materials:
Åström, Wittenmark: Computer-Controlled Systems
(textbook of digital control)
Books for support:
• Åström K. J., Wittenmark B.: Computer Controlled Systems
- Theory and Design (3rd ed.), Prentice-Hall, 1997.
• Franklin, Powell, Workman: Digital Control of Dynamic
Systems. Third edition, Addison Wesley, 1998.
• Ogata: Discrete-Time Control Systems, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, 1994
• Kuo, B. C. : Digital Control Systems (2nd ed.), Oxford
University Press, 1992.
• Santina, M. S., Stubberud, A. R., Hostetter, G. H.:
Digital Control System Design, Saunders College Publishing, 1994.

Contents
Analog (continuous time) control
• Introduction, z-transformation system
• Discrete-time systems and their characteristics
• Analysis on discrete-time systems
• Controller design: pole placement by state space
and polynomial methods Process controlled by an analog controller
• General on controller design, PID-controller and
its discretized versions, choosing the sampling
interval
• Sampling theorem, anti-alias-filters
• Discrete approximations of continuous-time
controllers
• Example processes: digital control
• Stochastic disturbance models
• Optimaaliset controllers: optimal prediction and
minimum variance control

2
 9/9/2013

Digital (discrete, diskrete-time) control

system To think about...

• The system contains both analog and discrete signals

u(tk ) u(t)
(a hybrid system)
e(tk ) y(t) • Basic problem already in analog control: how do you
r(tk ) +
Controller D/A Process treat these kinds of systems analytically?
_
• Are the traditional time domain and frequency
domain methods available now? Can they be
A/D modified?
y(tk ) y(t) • How do you design digital controllers? What should
be taken into account in implementation?

In A/D-block the analog signal is sampled ; in D/A-block the

discrete-time signal is changed into an analog one (hold).

To think about... An example of controller design (only an

• Is it so that a digital controller only imitates the example:no need to learn very carefully)
corresponding analog controller and the result is
somewhat worse then (due to loosing information in
discretization)? Controller design of a switched-mode power supply
(Buck-type; output voltage smaller than input)
• Do discrete-time systems have properties that the
corresponding analog systems do not have? The switch operates at high frequency, e.g. 100 kHz. By changing
the on/off time ratio of the switch (duty cycle) power is transferred
• Yes, but this is not so simple: sometimes a discrete into load and the output voltage level is controlled.
controller can perform better than the analog one; on
the other hand dicrete-time systems have anomalies
that do not have a correspondence in the analog world.

Department of
Automation and
Systems
Technology

3

By connecting AC/DC power supplies in parallel, and providing
a battery for back-up a suitable power system for a Telecom load
(for example) is obtained.
A difficult multivariable system, MIMO = multiple
input, multiple output. C.f. SISO = single input, single output
Negative feedback = feedback control, RC-circuit is the load.
The output voltage is compared to reference, and a discrete-time
PID-controller is used to control the switch.
Department of
Automation and
Systems
Technology
9/9/2013
Modern industrial power systems are complex and difficult;
System blocks are connected in series and in parallel. They are
Provided with input filters (EMI), loads are changing and complex.
Systematic methods are needed = theory is needed!
Today’s magic buzzword is digitalization!
Systems can be described by block diagrams PWM (pulse width
modulation) transforms the controller output signal to the duty
cycle of the switch; basically that belongs to the operation of the
Actuator Input voltage Vg and load current iload are disturbances
from control viewpoint. Robustness means the ability of the
controller to tolerate disturbances and modeling errors.
4
 9/9/2013

By writing the dynamic equations of the system blocks the A lead/lag compensator has been designed for the process by using
performance can be studied. the Bode diagram as a design tool. The insufficient phase margin
(2 degrees) of the open loop has been improved to (50 degrees).
Stability must always be guaranteed.

But the compensator can be approximated by a PID-controller: The control algorithm can be discretized for computer based
control.

The operating frequency of the measurement and control are now

”new” concepts that must be considered. Here the sampling frequency
is 20 kHz meaning that the sampling time is 1/20000 s.

5
 9/9/2013

The performance of the controller can be simulated. Below the

The performance can be made faster by changing the tuning of
output voltage and inductor current are shown. The zoomed
the PID controller. That leads to increasing oscillations however.
figures show clearly the operation of the switch.

Note also
Controller design procedure
Robustness of the controller
SISO-problem, MIMO-problem
• Construction of the process model from physical ”Traditional” control, e.g. PID
equations or by identification. ”Intelligent control”, e.g. Fuzzy techniques
• The model analysis and linearisation when Preliminary:
needed; construction of the transfer functions
AS-74.2111 Analog control
• Formulation of the control problem
• Controller design in time or frequency domain
AS-74.2112 Digital control All gates are open
• Discretization and implementation of the
AS-74.1101 Computer simulation to courses in automation
controller e.g. by a digital signal processor (DSP) technology and control
• Alternatively: discretization of the process model including postgraduate
and controller design directly in discrete time
directly studies

6
 9/9/2013

Additional courses for basic knowledge: Simulation

AS-84.1128 Fundamentals of Automation and Control Technolgy • To be used: Matlab/Simulink with different
toolboxes....
AS-84.1132 Automation and Control Technology • Control System Toolbox
• Identification Toolbox
Kem-90 – suitable courses • Optimization Toolbox
• Model Predictive Toolbox
• Fuzzy Toolbox
• Neural Networks Toolbox
• Symbolic Toolbox
• Statistical Toolbox
• Comsol Multiphysics (previous Femlab)

Challenges History of discrete-time systems

•2. world war, radars, computers, numerical computation
• Process knowledge
•Pioneering period ~1955
• Measurement technology
• Computer technology –1 - 40 (1961) - 160 (1962) applications (supervisory-mode, where
• Control Theory setpoint values etc. are calculated to help the operator )
•DDC ~ 1962 (Direct Digital Control = computer controls the process
directly)
• in 1975 the first digital automation system (Honeywell TDC 2000)
•Programmable logic controllers (PLC) from the 70’s.
•Efficient signal procesors (DSP) from 90’s, embedded systems,
mechatronics
•Wireless automation, networks, energy technology, digitalization = current
trends
•New era: today and tomorrow belong to the digital age!

7
 9/9/2013

Process controlled by an analog controller Process controlled by a digital controller

u(tk) u(t)
e(tk) y(t)
r(tk) +
Controller D/A Process
_

A/D

y(tk) y(t)

Two main design approaches: a. discretize the

analog controller, b. discretize the process and Example: Synchronization
do the design totally in discrete time

Continuous process (1. order low pass filter)

a.

The corresponding discrete-time filter (sampling time h = 1):

b.
Department of
Automation and
Systems
Technology

8
 9/9/2013

Example: Synchronization … Example: Synchronization …

Let us simulate both filters with the same input signal

Example: How to design a digital controller

Example: Synchronization …
based on an analog controller
With impulse and pulse inputs synchronization is even more
important Servoproblem, control of robot arm

Process (double integrator):

Simple servo controller:

9
 9/9/2013

Example: How to design a digital controller

Example: How to design a digital controller based on an analog controller …
based on an analog controller …
A digital controller is derived from the analog one by replacing the
differential with difference By using the definition of the derivative

Multiplying by the Laplace-variable s corresponds to derivation Now t = kh and Δt = h. Let us further use the shift operator q
in time domain (derivation operator p) (multiplying by q corresponds to moving forward in time;
division by q corresponds to moving backwards in time)

Example: How to design a digital controller Example: How to design a digital controller
based on an analog controller … based on an analog controller …

The following approximative relationship between Laplace The “imitating” controller becomes
and Z domains is obtained

From the transfer function in Laplace domain an approximative

pulse transfer function in Z-domain is obtained by replacing the
Laplace-variable s with

10
 9/9/2013

Example: How to design a digital controller Example: How to design a digital controller
based on an analog controller … based on an analog controller …

Let us include also the dead-

beat-controller, which is based Analog
on digital control theory and controller
simulate the operation of the compared to
robot arm by each controller. digital imitating
controller in
(Dead-beat-controller will be different
discussed during the course). sampling
frequencies

Example: How to design a digital controller

based on an analog controller …
Is there a need for discrete-time control
theory?

Analog •Analog systems can be imitated

controller •There exists discrete-time systems without an analog
compared to correspondence
the dead-beat- •Sampling can cause problems to discrete-time systems
controller in
•Digital controller can even beat the analog controller
different
(fastness)
sampling
frequencies •Discrete-time control theory is needed !

Department of
Automation and
Systems
Technology

11

Grounds and basic building blocks
•Sampling theorem (Shannon -49)
•Difference equations (-48)
•Integral transformations
•Z-transformation (Hurewicz -47)
•State-space-representation (Kalman -55)
9/9/2013
Grounds and basic building blocks …
Optimal control (Bellman -57)
Stochastic control, LQG (Kalman -65)
Algebral system theory (Rosenbrock -70)
Identification, Adaptive control
Robust control (-80)
,
Soft computing -80, fuzzy control, neural networks, cloud
computing, computational sciences (-2000)...
12