MECH 420/ELEC 436. Fundamentals of Control Systems

This course deals with the fundamentals of feedback control and is intended to provide the student with an approach to the analysis, design, and synthesis of linear control systems. In addition, it gives the student the opportunity to design and implement control laws using laboratory computer-controlled systems.

Main Topics of the Course

  • Linear systems and the fundamental principles of classical feedback control

  • State variable analysis of linear dynamic systems

  • Stability of linear control systems

  • Time-domain analysis and control of linear systems

  • Root-locus analysis and design and pole-zero synthesis

  • Frequency domain techniques for the analysis and design of control systems

  • Introduction to discrete-data control systems

Laboratory Experiments

Design and implementation of control laws using several systems housed in the Robotics and Intelligent Systems (RiSYS) Laboratory at the Department of Mechanical Engineering (MEB 117). These include the computer controlled Industrial Emulator, the Control Moment Gyroscope, and the Magnetic Levitation systems. Laboratory control systems residing at the Institute of Automatic Control, The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland (EPFL) will also be used for control experimentation over the web.

Textbooks

  • B.C. Kuo and F. Golnaraghi, Automatic Control Systems (8th Ed.), Prentice Hall

  • L. Ogata, Solving Control Engineering Problems with MATLAB, Prentice Hall (optional)

  • D.K. Frederick and J. Chow, Feedback Control Problems Using MATLAB and the Control System Toolbox, PWS (optional)

Prerequisites

MECH 343 and CAAM 335 or ELEC 302