Didactic prototype to model and to design linear control applied to a RLC plant

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to present a tutorial on teaching control concepts applied in a low cost and easy implementation prototype. Simulation softwares are tools to support learning that facilitate the understanding of the concepts, but do not provide expertise to analyze and to build real systems with sensors, actuators, noise and offset. The didactic control benches seek to overcome this limitation, but are expensive and usually do not have great flexibility. The use of simple electrical circuits favors the concepts understanding to engineering students in the electricity area. The buck converter has an RLC circuit in the output, which means the control analysis can be studied from this circuit. The controller design is more complex because it involves the use of actuators. However, even for a lay student in Power Electronics, can be performed an assembly for the buck converter control is provided for the driver to the inverter switches. In this way, the student can browse concepts related to dynamic model, transient response, disturbance rejection and controller design without a field of Power Electronics. This educational proposal is known as PjBL (Project Based Learning) in which the student is urged to create and develop knowledge in order to stimulate skills and competencies development for the use of concepts in the profession applications.