INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |1

Question: Define control system. Discuss the types of control system.

Answer:

Control System: A control system is a system or device or set of device which

control the output of main system to get desire output.

Types of Control System: There are two types of control system:

1. Open loop system: In an open loop system, the control action is

independent of the desired output. In other words, when the output
quantity of the control system is not feedback to the input quantity, the
control system is called an open loop system. For example: Washing
machine, traffic control etc.

2. Closed loop system: In the closed loop control system, the control
action is dependent on the desired output, where the output quantity is
considerably controlled by sending a command signal to input quantity.
For example: Air conditioner (AC), Cooling system in car.

Question: Write down some practical example of open loop system and closed
loop system.

Answer:

Practical example of open loop system:

1. Electrical hand driver

2. Washing machine
3. Bread toaster
4. Coffee maker
5. Timer based cloth driver
6. Light switch
7. Stereo system
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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |2

Practical examples of closed loop system:

1. Servo voltage stabilizer

2. Water level indicator
3. Missile launcher and auto tracked by radar
4. Air conditioner
5. Cooling system in car

Question: Differentiate between open loop system and closed loop system.

Answer:

Open loop system Closed loop system

1. The feedback element is absent. 1. The feedback element is present.
2. An error detector is absent. 2. An error detector is present.
3. It is stable one. 3. It may become unstable.
4. It is easy to construct. 4. Complicated construction.
5. It is economical. 5. It is costly.
6. It is inaccurate. 6. It is accurate.
7. Maintenance cost is less. 7. Maintenance cost is high.
8. It is unreliable. 8. It is reliable.
9. Example: Coffee maker. 9. Example: Air conditioner.

Question: Define: (a) System (b) Controlled variable (c) Controller (d) Plant (e)
Disturbance (f) Feedback (g) Feedback control (h) Actuating signal/Error
signal.

Answer:

a) System: A system is a combination of component that work together and

perform certain objective.
b) Controlled variable: It is the quantity or condition that is measured and
controlled. Example: In case of air conditioner, controlled variable is
temperature.
c) Controller: Controller measures the value of the controlled variable of
the system and applies necessary steps or commends to get desire result.
Example: Switch, regulator etc.
d) Plant: A plant is a piece of equipment which is a set of machine parts
functioning together. The purpose of which is to perform a particular
operation. Example: Furnace, space craft etc.

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |3

e) Disturbance: A disturbance is a signal that tends to affect the value of

the output of a system. If a disturbance is created inside the system, it is
called internal disturbance. If it is created outside the system, it is called
external disturbance.
f) Feedback: The portion of an output signal which is retransmitted as an
input signal is called feedback. Normally the feedback signal has the
opposite polarity to the input signal. That is why it is called negative
feedback.
g) Feedback control: Feedback control is an operation that in the presence
of disturbance tends to reduce the difference between the output of a
system and some reference input.
h) Actuating signal/Error signal: The signal found from the difference of
reference input and feedback signal is smaller in magnitude. So, it is
easier to handle. It is called actuating signal [E(s)]. Sometimes the value
of actuating signal becomes zero when desire output is acquired.

Question: Write down the classification of feedback system/closed loop system.

Answer: The classification of feedback system/closed loop system is given

below:

1. Linear vs. non-linear feedback system

2. Time variant vs. time invariant system
3. Continuous vs. discontinuous system
4. Position vs. velocity feedback system

Question: Write down some names of industrial controller.

Answer: The name of some industrial controller is given below:

1. PID controller (Proportionality, Derivatives, Integral constroller)

2. ON and OFF controller
3. PD controller (Proportionality, Derivative controller)
4. Optimal controller
5. Adaptive controller
6. Neural controller
7. Fuzzy logic controller
8. Servomechanism controller etc.

Question: What is block diagram? What is the necessity of block diagram

representation?
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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |4

Answer:

Block diagram: A block diagram of a system is a pictorial representation of the

functions performed by each component ad of the flow of signals.

Necessity of block diagram representation:

A system can be described in a number of different ways. For example, it can be

described mathematically by a set of differential equations or it can be
represented by a detailed schematic diagram which shows all the components
and their interconnections. However, when the system is fairly complicated,
neither of these two methods of representation is particularly satisfactory. The
purely mathematical representation tends to convert an engineering problem
into a mathematical exercise; it is difficult to acquire from the equations and
their manipulation a physical insight of the effect of the individual components
and their interconnections on the over-all system response. On the other hand,
detailed schematic diagrams are hard to draw and they do not give quantitative
relationships unless equations are also written. The block diagram method of
describing a system is a combination of the two methods i.e. it uses blocks to
indicate mathematical operations on the various physical quantities. Block
diagram of a system consists of unidirectional, operational blocks; they show
the direction of flow and the operations on the system variables in such a way
that a relationship is established between the input and the output as the path is
traced through the diagram. Each block is completely characterized by a transfer
function.

Question: Define open loop transfer function and feed-forward transfer

function.

Answer:

Open loop transfer function: The ratio of the feedback signal B(s) to the
actuating error signal E(s) is called open loop transfer function.
( )
Open loop transfer function = ( )
= G(s) H(s)

Feed-forward transfer function: The ratio of the output signal C(s) to the
actuating error signal E(s) is called feed-forward transfer function.
( )
Feed-forward transfer function = ( )
= G(s)

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |5

Question: Explain the result of sudden load on close loop and open loop system.

Answer:

In case of closed loop system when a sudden load is applied, the system
becomes unstable for a moment and it creates an error signal which is fed back
to the input. The system then automatically tries to recover the error and
eventually it gets back to its previous state or gains system stability.

On the other hand, when a sudden load is applied to an open loop system, the
system becomes unstable. As there is no feedback path, the system cannot
compensate this error and so it can never recover its previous state or stability.

Problem 1: Draw a block diagram for the R-C circuit where Vi and Vo are the
input and output variables respectively.

Solution:

Two transformed equations can be written for the two elements in the circuit:

For R: I(s) = [Vi(s) Vo(s)]

For C: Vo(s) = I(s)

Vi(s) 1 I(s) 1 Vo(s)

𝑅 𝐶𝑠

Vo(s)

Problem 2: Draw the block diagram for the two section R-C circuit.

Solution:

The four transformed equations are:

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |6

For R1: I(s) = [Vi(s) V1(s)]

For C1: V1(s) = [I (s)

( ) 1
I2(s)]

For R2: I2(s) = [V1(s) Vo(s)]

For C2: Vo(s) = I (s)

( ) 2

I2(s)
Vi(s) 1 I1(s) 1 V1(s) 1 1 Vo(s)
𝑅 𝐶 (𝑠) 𝑅2 𝐶2 (𝑠)

V1(s) Vo(s)

Question: Prove that, open loop transfer function = Feed-forward transfer

function = G(s).

Answer:

We know,
( )
Open loop transfer function = ( )
= G(s) H(s)

( )
And Feed-forward transfer function = ( )
= G(s)

If the feedback transfer function H(s) is unity i.e. 1, then open loop transfer
function = G(s)

So, Open loop transfer function = Feed-forward transfer function = G(s).

Question: Derive the transfer function of closed loop system.

Answer:

Here,

R(s) = Input signal

C(s) = Output signal
E(s) = Error signal/Actuating signal
B(s) = Feedback signal

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |7

G(s) = Feed-forward transfer function

H(s) = Feedback transfer function

From the figure,

C(s) = G(s) E(s) -------------- (i)

And, E(s) = R(s) B(s)

⇒ E(s) = R(s) C(s) H(s) [∵ B(s) = C(s) H(s)]

Putting the value of E(s) in equation (i),

C(s) = G(s)[R(s) C(s) H(s)]

⇒ C(s) = G(s) R(s) – G(s) C(s) H(s)

⇒ C(s) + G(s) C(s) H(s) = G(s) R(s)

⇒ C(s)[1+G(s) H(s)] = G(s) R(s)

( ) ( )
⇒ ( )
= ( ) ( )

This is the transfer function of closed loop system.

Question: Define close loop transfer function.

Answer:

Close loop transfer function: The ratio of the output signal C(s) to the input
signal R(s) is called closed loop transfer function.
( ) ( )
Closed loop transfer function = ( )
= ( ) ( )

Question: Show that the transfer function of closed loop system is [1+G(s) H(s)]
times less than open loop system.

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |8

Answer: We know, the ratio of the feedback signal B(s) to the actuating error
signal E(s) is called open loop transfer function.

Figure (a): Open loop system

( )
Open loop transfer function = ( )
= G(s) H(s)

If the feedback transfer function H(s) is unity i.e. 1; then open loop transfer
function = G(s)

Now in the case of closed loop system from the figure (b),

C(s) = G(s) E(s) -------------- (i)

And, E(s) = R(s) B(s)

⇒ E(s) = R(s) C(s) H(s) [∵ B(s) = C(s) H(s)]

Figure (b): Closed loop system

Putting the value of E(s) in equation (i),

C(s) = G(s)[R(s) C(s) H(s)]

⇒ C(s) = G(s) R(s) – G(s) C(s) H(s)

⇒ C(s) + G(s) C(s) H(s) = G(s) R(s)

⇒ C(s)[1+G(s) H(s)] = G(s) R(s)

( ) ( )
⇒ ( )
= ( ) ( )

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 INTRODUCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM |9

It is the closed loop transfer function. If the value of [1+G(s) H(s)] is gradually
increased, the transfer function of closed loop system will be decreased. So, we
can say that, the transfer function of closed loop system is [1+G(s) H(s)] times
less than open loop system.

Question: Discuss the rule of block diagram simplification.

Answer:

1. Blocks in cascade/series:

2. Combining blocks in parallel:

3. Eliminating a feedback loop:

4. Moving a take-off point beyond a block:

5. Moving a take-off point ahead of a block:

Question: Simplify the following block diagram and find the transfer function:

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 I N T R O D U C T I O N O F C O N T R O L S Y S T E M | 10

Solution: By eliminating the feedback paths we get,

( )
∴ Transfer function, TF = ( )
=( )( )

Problem: Simplify the following block diagram and find the transfer
function:

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 I N T R O D U C T I O N O F C O N T R O L S Y S T E M | 11

Solution:

1. Taking the take-off beyond the block ‘G3’, we get,

2. Combining G2 and G3,

3. Eliminating H3 (feedback path)

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 I N T R O D U C T I O N O F C O N T R O L S Y S T E M | 12

4. Eliminating the feedback path H2/G3, we get,

5. Combining blocks in series

6. Eliminating the feedback path H1/G3 we get,

( )
∴ Transfer function, TF = ( )
=

Problem: Simplify the following block diagram and find the transfer function:

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 I N T R O D U C T I O N O F C O N T R O L S Y S T E M | 13

Solution:

1. Rearranging the block diagram we get,

2. Eliminating H2 loop, we get,

3. Combining the blocks in series,

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Control System-I (EEE 703)
 I N T R O D U C T I O N O F C O N T R O L S Y S T E M | 14

4. Eliminating feedback loop H3, we get,

5. Eliminating feedback loop H1H2, we get,

( )
∴ Transfer function, TF = ( )
=

Prepared By: Hasan Bin Firoz (533)

Control System-I (EEE 703)