Control engineering: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:09, 23 March 2025

Latest revision as of 13:10, 23 March 2025

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[[Electrical circuit]]s, [[digital signal processor]]s and [[microcontroller]]s can all be used to implement [[control system]]s. Control engineering has a wide range of applications from the flight and propulsion systems of [[Airliner|commercial airliners]] to the [[cruise control]] present in many modern [[automobile]]s.

In most cases, control engineers utilize [[feedback]] when designing [[control system]]s. This is often accomplished using a [[PIDproportional–integral–derivative controller]] '''('''PID controller) system. For example, in an [[automobile]] with [[cruise control]] the vehicle's [[speed]] is continuously monitored and fed back to the system, which adjusts the [[Internal combustion engine|motor's]] [[torque]] accordingly. Where there is regular feedback, [[control theory]] can be used to determine how the system responds to such feedback. In practically all such systems [[stability theory|stability]] is important and control theory can help ensure stability is achieved.

Although feedback is an important aspect of control engineering, control engineers may also work on the control of systems without feedback. This is known as [[open loop control]]. A classic example of [[open loop control]] is a [[washing machine]] that runs through a pre-determined cycle without the use of [[sensor]]s.