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Introduction to Control Systems Design Using Matlab

Article · June 2017

DOI: 10.4018/IJSDA.2017070107

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International Journal of System Dynamics Applications
Volume 6 • Issue 3 • July-September 2017

Introduction to Control Systems

Design Using Matlab
Lazaros Moysis, School of Mathematical Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Ahmad Taher Azar, Faculty of Computers and Information, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
Ioannis Kafetzis, School of Mathematical Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Michail Tsiaousis, School of Mathematical Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Nikolaos Charalampidis, School of Mathematical Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

ABSTRACT

Control systems theory is a wide area covering a range of artificial and physical phenomena. Control
systems are systems that are designed to operate under strict specifications, to satisfy certain aims,
like safety regulations in the industry, optimal production of goods, disturbance rejection in vehicles,
smooth movement and placement of objects in warehousing, regulation of drug administration in
medical operations, level control in chemical processes and many more. The present work provides
an introduction to the fundamental principles of control system’s analysis and design through the
programming environment of Matlab and Simulink. Analysis of transfer function models is carried
out though multiple examples in Matlab and Simulink, analyzing the dynamics of 1st and 2nd order
systems, the role of the poles and zeros in the system’s dynamic response, the effects of delay and the
possibility to approximate higher order systems by lower order ones. In addition, examples are given
from the fields of mechanical systems, medically induced anesthesia, neuroprosthetics and water level
control, showcasing the use of controllers that satisfy certain design specifications.

Keywords
Control Systems Engineering, Matlab, Simulink, Linear Systems, Computer Aided Control, Education,
Anesthesia, Neuroprosthetics, Water Level Control, PID

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. What is a Control System

By the term control systems theory, we refer to the discipline that studies the behavior of dynamical
systems, physical or artificial, and their control. By system, we refer to a collection of processes or
objects, which interact with each other or with the environment and produce a specific outcome. The
purpose of control is to manipulate certain parameters of the system in such a way that the outcome
of the system will be the desired one. So as can be intuitively understood, dynamic control systems
are subject to the axiomatic principle of causality, meaning that a certain action will produce an
effect on the system’s behavior.
Control systems refer to a very wide area, covering many disciplines and phenomena. So by
this term we do not only refer to systems found in the industry but in any system that operates with
the purpose of fulfilling a specific goal. Biology for example is a field that is governed by natural
control systems, see for example Liu et al. (2008); Zhang et al. (2012) and the references therein.

DOI: 10.4018/IJSDA.2017070107

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130
 International Journal of System Dynamics Applications
Volume 6 • Issue 3 • July-September 2017

A characteristic example of a control system found in nature is the human body, which constantly
operates by satisfying certain goals such as balance, movement, adjustment of heartbeats according to
the body’s functions and more. In medicine as well, automated control systems are found in artificial
machinery used for supporting patients (Timms, 2011), for regulating drug dosages in anemic or
diabetic patients (Luspay & Grigoriadis, 2016; Parker & Doyle, 2001) and control theory can be
applied for formulating strategies for dealing with chronic diseases like HIV or Hepatitis (Craig &
Xia, 2005; Moysis, Kafetzis & Politis, 2016; Rivadeneira & Moog, 2012). Other man-made examples
used in everyday life is a car that operates according to the driver’s commands, a washing machine,
a house’s heating system, an oven, an elevator and other everyday objects. On a larger scale, digital
controllers are used in all kinds of industries to control the operating functions of large machinery
and keep them functioning under safety regulations, see for example Åström & Kumar (2014); Azar
& Serrano (2016a, 2015a, 2015b, 2015c, 2015d, 2014); Azar, Vaidyanathan (2015a, 2014); Azar &
Zhu (2015); Bissell (2009); Dorf & Bishop (2011); Ghoudelbourk et al. (2016); Kumar & Daoutidis
(1999); Li & Chong (2006); Meghni et al. (2016); Meghni, Dib & Azar (2015); Mekki, Boukhetala &
Azar(2015); Nise (2015); Spong (1987); Stroe et al. (2017); Stroe & Andrei (2016); Qin & Badgwell
(2003); Zhu & Azar (2015) and the references therein. Even more abstract systems like a nation’s
economy are considered control systems, since there is a collection of inputs that the government
tries to manipulate, like the amount of taxes and the production of goods to improve the outputs that
can be considered the overall salaries or the Gross Domestic Product, see for example the Leontief
model for a multisector economy (Campbell, 1982).

1.2. Open and Closed Loop Systems

In general, control systems can be divided into two fundamentally different categories: open loop and
closed loop systems. Open loop systems are designed to operate on a predefined manner specified
by their operator (e.g. an oven). In closed loop systems or feedback systems, the output is constantly
compared to the desired system’s response, and through this comparison the input is adjusted
accordingly, in order to eventually match the system’s output to the desired one. This simple idea
of measuring the output and “feeding” it back into the system makes a substantial difference in the
capabilities of the control system.
Feedback systems are much more complex and offer much more possibilities in control design.
Feedback controllers can be used to guarantee the stability of an operating system, that is, to make
sure that the system will operate under specific limits and the output will not diverge to infinity,
which would mean the physical damaging of the system’s components. Feedback controllers are also
used to change many characteristics in the response of the system like its rise and settling time, that
indicate how slow or fast the system reaches its final value, its response overshoot, which indicates
if the system’s output shoots high above its desired value before settling around it, and also the
steady state error, which is the difference between the actual output and the desired one. Feedback
controllers can also minimize or even eliminate possible oscillations that may occur in the output
and are the result of the system’s transfer function having complex poles. In addition, such systems
can be highly automated using computers, which makes it possible to operate with high precision
for a long time, be more economic, ensure the quality of the final product with minimum waste on
raw materials, operate under the safety regulations of the working environment and all these with
minimum human supervision.
Overall, closed loop systems are the best choice for control design and are used in engineering
applications. Open loop systems are mostly used in simpler applications that can be observed by the
user and can be turned off at any time, like many household objects (oven, washing machine etc.).

131
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