Undergraduate Control Education Research Articles

A Note on the Gain and Phase Margin Concepts

The classical notions of gain margin and phase margin (Gm and Pm) which are among the fundamental topics in undergraduate control education have some confusing subtleties especially for students. These subtleties are in part due to the inherent shortcomings of the traditional definitions, and in part due to false guidelines provided by some classical texts. In this work these problems are discussed and settled. In particular, a new definition of Gm is proposed to better capture the underlying philosophy of being a measure of robustness. The false guidelines and claims are also revisited and rectified. The arguments are supported by several instructive NMP examples which are missing in the classical texts. KeywordsControl Engineering Education; Gain Margin; Phase Margin; MATLAB

Understanding Neighborhood of Linearization in Undergraduate Control Education [Focus on Education

The first undergraduate control course is usually on automatic control theory. Correctly understanding the concepts in that course has far-reaching implications for students. Linearization is a standard topic covered in this introductory course. A nonlinear measurement-based approach is presented here to aid in the teaching of linearization. The pedagogical objective is to help students understand the concept of the neighborhood of linearization. The pedagogical approach is illustrated by measuring the nonlinearity of the cart-pole system, an example commonly used in control education. Drawing on student surveys in two consecutive academic years, we recommend combining demonstration software visualization with relevant mathematic introduction.

Getting the Message About Noise Across, Loud and Clear [Focus on Education

Controlling the position of an actuator to within a single atom distance can be a daunting challenge. However, such demands are becoming routine in applications. Good mechanical design and sensor choice are important; however, it is critical to have a comprehensive understanding of the noise processes involved with the system. The sensor noise, input noise, and disturbances will ultimately define the resolution and performance. Being able to quantify noise sources and predict closed-loop resolution is a valuable skill that is sometimes overlooked in undergraduate control and mechatronics education.

Undergraduate Control Education: Theory and Practices

The paper present control theory courses and laboratory practices which may be useful in reorienting undergraduate course structure. Generally, undergraduate control courses are offered to various disciplines such as electrical, mechanical, electronics, communication, chemical, aerospace and mechatronics. As per the need one, two or three courses are offered at some universities. For a specialized discipline such as instrumentation and control, more courses are offered with inclination towards industrial controls like Programmable Logic Contollers (PLCs) and Distributed Control System (DCS). The work proposes a course structure which represent content useful for all the disciplines. The content may be covered in more than one courses. The paper assumes that, before the first course of control is introduced, students’ have cleared courses of physics for basic laws of motion and mathematics which deals with differential equations and its solutions. The work presented also discusses use of computational and simulation tools to support theory as well as laboratory. The paper presents control laboratory practices which may be incorporated as a separate module.

E-Learning Experiences in Control Education

Educational environment has been drastically changed since the advent of Internet and computers, for example, from classroom teaching to e-Learning education. Control education should try to positively make use of these new technologies in order to fill lack of control professionals well qualified and to redirect an overall decline of interest in control engineering study among young people. This paper presents a control engineering course developed for hands-on experience on motion control using a practical control problem, and also presents e-Learning experiences in undergraduate control education at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Konkuk University.

Rltool for Scilab: a public domain tool for SISO system design

for is a software tool for simulating linear systems designed for undergraduate control education. The features incorporated into this package are generally limited to what a student encounters in a first course on control systems. Every effort has been made to provide an easy to use graphical user interface and a powerful simulation environment. Rltool for Scilab aims to be as inexpensive as possible. It has zero cost, hidden or otherwise, making it an attractive choice for educational institutions with a low budget and for students who like a simple and free tool to play with control engineering concepts.

INCORPORATING PRACTICAL AND SYNTHESIS CONTENTS IN UNDERGRADUATE CONTROL EDUCATION

ABSTRACTThis paper revisits the effort over the last decade in making undergraduate control education more useful and attractive to both the control engineers and the engineers at large. With the help of further coverage in new textbooks, more practical and synthesis contents in the control courses have been incorporated. Gaps still exist, particularly in the areas of PID control and auto‐tuning, fuzzy control, overall control strategy, control structure and systems thinking, and these will be elaborated. A major challenge is in the coverage of more practical and synthesis contents in the introductory common control course for all engineers. How this may be resolved is discussed. Finally, the need for new teaching approaches such as the use of interesting case studies and the use of problem‐based learning will be outlined.

Innovations in undergraduate control education

Innovations in undergraduate control education

A new undergraduate degree in control engineering

In December 1994, the Brazilian government regulated three new engineering undergraduate degrees. One such degree was in control and automation engineering. The paper discusses how, in Brazil, control engineering moved from a relatively small group of courses within electrical engineering curricula to an undergraduate degree in its own right. It presents a short review of undergraduate control education in countries around the world. The authors also present an overview of the control engineering profession, real-life applications, and state-of-the-art in Brazilian industries. Finally, the paper describes the major issues taken into account during the conception of this new engineering degree at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In 1998 and 1999 academic years, 40 students were admitted each year for this degree. In view of the high demand of the Control and Automation Engineering degree by the prospective engineering students, since February 2000, the number of places has been increased to 80 students per year.

An Outline History of Control Engineering Education in Australia

This outline sketches the development of control engineering education in Australia with an emphasis on undergraduate education from 1940’s to 1980. A feature of Australian control education appears to be the omission of the postgraduate stage which took place in North America and Europe. Despite the ‘tyranny of distance’ affecting Australia, the educational developments were contemporary in many places within Australia with those outside Australia. Possible causes hindering specialist undergraduate control education even in the midst of flourishing first-rate research in some universities are discussed.

Undergraduate control education in the US

Presents some views on undergraduate control education in the United States. In the author's opinion, there are some very critical problems with undergraduate engineering education in the United States at present, and with control education in particular. Graduate education is much less of a problem; indeed graduate programs in control and engineering are generally considered to be among the best in the world.

Enhancing undergraduate control education

Education must be both conceptual and experiential. Abstract concepts are elegant and powerful, but learning is always enhanced by direct experience, concrete examples, and real-world relevance. Control theory and much of control education is highly conceptual. In fact, control engineering tends to be the least tangible of all subjects in the engineering curriculum. In the hope of tipping the balance from the conceptual to the experiential, I offer the following modest suggestions. These suggestions encompass modeling, control, technology, and cultural issues. By discussing these issues in an undergraduate control course, the instructor can emphasize some of the more practical aspects of the subject. My hope is that these suggestions will enhance the teaching and appreciation of a rich and intellectually exciting subject.

The software laboratory for undergraduate process control education

Simulation exercises are a preferred method for reinforcing process control principles. The Software Laboratory described in this paper enables the student to perform many simulation exercises, some via programming and some via interactive menus. The Software Laboratory facilitates student learning by using technology, terminology, and process examples that are consistent with a course textbook. All programs use the popular MATLAB software program, which ensures the same programs function on many platforms. The accompanying 100-page workbook provides installation guides, program instructions, and extra exercises tied to textbook process examples.