Lecture 1

Introduction to Control Systems

Instructor
Dr. Mouayad Sahib

Control System – An interconnection of components forming a

system configuration that will provide a desired response.

System – An interconnection of elements and devices for a desired

purpose.

Process – The device, plant, or system under control. The input

and output relationship represents the cause-and-effect
relationship of the process.

Introduction to Control Systems Page 1

 Control System Concepts
 A system is a collection of components which are co-
ordinated together to perform a function.
 Systems interact with their environment across a separating
boundary.
 The interaction is defined in terms of variables.
 system inputs
 system outputs
 environmental disturbances

System Variables

 The system’s boundary depends upon the defined

objective function of the system.
 The system’s function is expressed in terms of measured
output variables.
 The system’s operation is manipulated through the control
input variables.
 The system’s operation is also affected in an uncontrolled
manner through the disturbance input variables.

Control system Analysis and Design

• Step1: Modeling
– By physical laws
– By identification methods
• Step2: Analysis
– Stability, controllability and observability
• Step3: Control law design
– Classical, modern and post-modern control
• Step4: Analysis
• Step5: Simulation
– Matlab, Fortran, simulink etc….
• Step6: Implement

Introduction to Control Systems Page 2

 General Control System

Control System Components

 System or process: (to be controlled).

 Actuators (converts the control signal to a power

signal).

 Sensors (provides measurement of the system output).

 Reference input (represents the desired output).

 Error detection (forms the control error).

 Controller (operates on the control error to form the

control signal, sometimes called compensators).

Introduction to Control Systems Page 3

 Car and Driver Example

 Objective: To control direction and speed of car

 Outputs: Actual direction and speed of car
 Control inputs: Road markings and speed signs
 Disturbances: Road surface and grade, wind, obstacles
 Possible subsystems: The car alone, power steering system,
breaking system

Functional block diagram:

Time response:

Introduction to Control Systems Page 4

 Control System Design Objectives

 Primary Objectives:
– 1. Dynamic stability
– 2. Accuracy
– 3. Speed of response

 Addition Considerations:
– 4. Robustness (insensitivity to parameter variation)
– 5. Cost of control
– 6. System reliability

Control System Design Steps

 Define the control system objectives.

 Identify the system boundaries.
(define the input, output and disturbance variables)
 Determine a mathematical model for the components
and subsystems.
 Combine the subsystems to form a model for the whole
system.
 Apply analysis and design techniques to determine the
control system structure and parameter values of the
control components, to meet the design objectives.
 Test the control design on a computer simulation of the
system.
 Implement and test the design on the actual process or
plant.

Introduction to Control Systems Page 5

 Signals & Systems

Signal Classification

Linear system
A system is said to be linear in terms of the system input x(t) and
the system output y(t) if it satisfies the following two properties of
superposition and homogeneity.

Superposition：

Introduction to Control Systems Page 6

Homogeneity：

Time Invariant Systems

A system is said to be time invariant if a time delay or time
advance of the input signal leads to an identical time shift in the
output signal.

Introduction to Control Systems Page 7

 LTI System Representations

Continuous-time LTI system

• Order-N Ordinary Differential equation
• Transfer function (Laplace transform)
• State equation (Finite order-1 differential equations) )

Discrete-time LTI system

• Ordinary Difference equation
• Transfer function (Z transform)
• State equation (Finite order-1 difference equations)

Control System Classification

 An open-loop control system utilizes an actuating device to
control the process directly without using feedback.

 A closed-loop feedback control system uses a measurement

of the output and feedback of the output signal to compare it
with the desired output or reference.

Single Input Single Output (SISO) System

Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) System

Introduction to Control Systems Page 8