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EE3101-Control Systems Engineering

Module2-Control System Basic Structure


Note: Refer the Video Lecture No-1 and 2 of Control Systems Engineering by Prof. M Gopal

Given below the basic structural block diagram of a Control System. It is not necessary to have all the
blocks in every control system.

Different components of the Block diagram are defined as below

1. Command Signal (yr): It is an externally applied Independent signal. It does not depend upon the
Feedback control system

2. Reference Input Elements (A): The set of elements which produce a signal proportional to the
command signal. This block mainly consists of transducers

3. Reference Input / Set point (r): It is the signal which is produced by reference Input elements. This
signal is proportional to the command signal. This signal is compared or added with the feedback
signal

4. Feedback signal (b): It is the output of Feedback sensor which has the same physical units of the
reference input to be compared with it.

5. Feedback element (H): It is a transducer which converts the output variable to a form having same
physical units of reference input. It reflects the controlled variable as feedback signal. This helps in
reducing the error between controlled variable and reference variable.

6. Error detector: It is an element which either compares or sums the feedback signal with reference
signal to produce actuating signal

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EE3101-Control Systems Engineering

7. Error / Actuating Signal (e): The difference between where the system is supposed to be (reference
Input) and where it really is (Controlled Output) is called error or actuating signal.

8. Control Logic block (D): It is main part of a mechanism which controls its operation. It takes the
error as input and correspondingly produces control signal to the actuator

9. Control Signal (u): It is the output signal of Controller block which is fed to actuator to implement
the action to get the desired output.

10. Actuator (GA): It gets instruction from controller and produces the corresponding physical motion.
It is a mechanism by which a system acts upon an environment. In general the control signal is at
low power level. Actuator amplifies it to drive large machines.

11. Manipulated Variable (m): It is the variable which is varied by the controller deliberately so as to
affect the controlled variable

12. Plant / System (GP): It consists of set of equipments or mechanical parts to fulfill an objective. In
this context it is the actual device to be controlled

13. Controlled Variable (y): It is the ultimate variable which is to be controlled at the desired level. It
is the output of the system. It is measured by the feedback elements.

14. Indirectly Controlled Elements (Z): These elements convert the Controlled variable into the
variable of end users choice

15. Indirectly Controlled Variable (q): This is the variable which is controlled indirectly. This is not
the part of the feedback loop. It is the choice of end user

16. Disturbance (w): It is the signal that tends to affect the value of the output adversely. If the
disturbance is generated within the system such as system parameter changes it is called internal
disturbance. An external disturbance is generated outside the system generally an input

17. Noise: It is an unwanted signal which is generated by the feedback elements in the loop. This is one
of the disadvantages of feedback. It can be reduced by noise filters.

18. Forward path: It is the signal flow direction path from the controller to the actuator

19. Feedback path: It is the signal flow direction path from the plant to the feedback element

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EE3101-Control Systems Engineering

20. Feedback Loop: It is the main part of the system which tends to reduce the differences between
output of the system and reference input. The feedback in which the feedback signal sums the
reference point is called positive feedback. The feedback in which the feedback signal compares the
reference input is called negative feedback

Examples:
1. Water level control in a bathroom toilet tank:
As shown in the figure below, as the water level in the tank reduces because of the disturbance that
is water outflow the flow which is fixed at one end C moves downwards. Because of this downward
motion of float the valve at point B comes down and so the water will come into the tank from the
source. The flow rate is proportional to the percentage of valve opening and the percentage of valve
opening is proportional to the difference between the reference height and actual height of water
(error). From the figure the relation between Error (e) and control signal (u) is given by (similar

triangles) =

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As the controller output is proportional to the error this type of controller is called proportional
controller. As the controller has to maintain the height of water at fixed level this type of control
system is called Regulator type control system.

2. Automobile Driving:
Consider the driver is controlling two variables in this case Speed and Heading of the vehicle. Here
the references for these two variables are Speed limit fixed by traffic rules and Heading of the
vehicle on the Highway. So the driver has to control the variables by taking feedback from
speedometer (speed control) and from her own eyes (Heading) and correspondingly sent to the brain
(Controller) to process the situation and accordingly an action will be initiated and that will be
implemented by the actuators such as hands (heading control using steering) and legs (speed control
using accelerator and break). The figure and the block diagram is as follows

In this system, there are two input and two outputs. Such types of systems are called Multi-Input
Multi-Output systems (MIMO). If the interaction between these inputs is neglected then this system
can be modeled as two individual Single-Input Single-Output (SISO) systems.
As the outputs are following input commands, this type of systems comes under tracking type
control systems or follow-up systems. Though it is a closed loop control system, it involves human
feedback. It is not an automatic one.

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The block diagram is as follows.

3. Hydraulic power steering Mechanism:

In this mechanism, steering control is taken care by hydraulic oil. As shown in the figure assume the
steering rotated by an angle 1 in clockwise direction. With command the steering gear produces a
reference input which makes the spool moves right by a distance x. because of this motion the power
cylinder is connected to the high pressure fluid. This fluid moves the power piston towards right side
by a distance y. correspondingly this displacement y causes the drive linkage to rotate the wheels by
an angle 2 in the clockwise direction. At steady state both angles are equal. As the feedback linkage
is connected to the movable housing as shown in the figure, the housing also moves by a distance z
to the right side. This motion z causes the shutting OFF the fluid supply to the power cylinder. This
way steering is controlled.

In this example the steering gear will work as reference input element which produces the reference
input. Piston and Load is the plant here. The feedback linkage measures the output displacement and
converts into the displacement of the movable housing. The disturbances here are wind flow and
load variation on the vehicle. Here the drive linkage works as indirect controlled elements. As in this
system also the output is following the input command, this system comes under tracking system or
follow up system.

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EE3101-Control Systems Engineering

The block diagram is as follows

Reference Books:

1. Chapters No: 1-1 of Modern Control Engineering by K Ogata, 3rd Edition

For any clarifications mail me at hussainvali4@gmail.com


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