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ACE-Lab CORE Learning Library ACE-Lab CORE Learning Library
Introductory control engineering topics
Select any topic to open a detailed learning page containing explanations, worked reasoning, activities, knowledge checks, your teaching notes and referenced external resources. Each topic also has a unique CORE ID that can be referenced from application-led learning pathways.
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No topics foundTry a different keyword, stage or control-engineering term.CComprehend (C)
Introduce the fundamental ideas needed to understand feedback control systems, from what a control system is through to feedback configuration, system response, performance measures and measurable requirements.
📘What is a Control System
Control engineering foundations
An introduction to what a control system is, why control is needed and how inputs, outputs and system behaviour are used to achieve a desired objective.
C01 Comprehend Control systems Inputs and outputs↺The Role of Feedback in Error Generation
Feedback and error
Explore how the measured output is fed back and compared with the reference to generate an error signal, providing the information a controller uses to correct system behaviour.
C02 Comprehend Feedback Error signal▦Configuration of a Feedback Control System
Feedback control configuration
Introduce the standard closed-loop arrangement and the roles of the reference, error, controller, actuator, plant or process, measurement and feedback path within a feedback control system.
C03 Comprehend Closed-loop control System configuration📈System Response and Performance Measures
System response and performance
Introduce how a dynamic system responds over time and how rise time, overshoot, settling time and steady-state error are used to describe its behaviour.
C04 Comprehend System response Performance measures🎯Requirements Capture
Control-system requirements
Introduce how a control objective is translated into clear, measurable performance requirements and practical constraints that can later be used to assess whether the system performs as intended.
C05 Comprehend Requirements capture Performance objectivesOOperate (O)
Introduce how digital control systems acquire measurements, generate outputs, drive actuators and implement feedback control using a microcontroller.
⌘Introduction to Microcontrollers
Embedded control
A basic introduction to the role of microcontrollers within digital control systems.
O01 Operate Embedded control Introduction to microcontrollers⏱Sample Rate, Digital Output and PWM
Embedded timing and outputs
Introduce sample time and update rate alongside digital outputs and pulse-width modulation (PWM), including how output commands are generated at defined execution rates and how duty cycle is used to vary the output.
O02 Operate Sample rate Digital output and PWM◉Sensor Measurement, Data Acquisition and Calibration
Measurement
Introduce how sensor signals are acquired and converted from raw measurements into meaningful engineering quantities using basic calibration and scaling.
O03 Operate Sensor measurement Data acquisition and calibration≋Measurement Noise and Basic Filtering
Measurement quality
Introduce measurement noise and simple filtering methods, including the basic trade-off between reducing noise and adding delay to the measured signal.
O04 Operate Measurement noise Basic filteringComing Soon⚙Actuator and Motor Driving
Actuation
Introduce how microcontroller commands are interfaced to actuators and motors using suitable driver circuitry, including basic direction and PWM control.
O05 Operate Actuation Motor drivingComing Soon◉Encoder Measurement
Feedback measurement
Introduce how encoder pulses and counts are acquired and converted into measurements of position and speed for feedback control.
O06 Operate Encoder measurement Position and speedComing Soon🎛PID Control Implementation
Controller implementation
Introduce how P, PI and PID control are implemented within a sampled feedback loop, from calculating the error to generating and applying the control output.
O07 Operate PID control Controller implementationComing SoonRRefine (R)
Explain how an operating control system is assessed, adjusted and retested to improve its performance and meet its requirements.
✓Performance Assessment, Verification and Validation
Requirements-based evaluation
An introduction to testing reference and disturbance responses, measuring rise time, settling time, overshoot, steady-state error and control effort, and comparing before-and-after behaviour with stated requirements under different operating conditions.
R01 Refine Performance assessment Verification and validationComing Soon≋Filtering, Sampling and Measurement Refinement
Measurement and digital-control refinement
An introduction to adjusting filtering, sample time and execution rate to improve measurement quality while managing noise, added delay and their effect on control-system behaviour.
R02 Refine Filtering and sampling Measurement qualityComing Soon🎛Controller Tuning, Performance and Stability
Controller refinement
An introduction to adjusting P, PI and PID parameters to improve transient response, steady-state accuracy and disturbance rejection while maintaining stability and accounting for saturation, integral windup and practical operating limits.
R03 Refine Controller tuning Performance and stabilityComing SoonEEngineer (E)
Introduce mathematical modelling, system identification, analysis, digital control and model-based design methods.
E1Mathematical and Dynamic Modelling
Represent dynamic systems using physical laws, equations and standard continuous-time model forms.
∂Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) Models
Dynamic modelling
An introduction to representing continuous-time dynamic behaviour using ordinary differential equations and identifying the variables, parameters and initial conditions within an ODE model.
E1.01 Engineer Dynamic modelling ODE modelsComing Soon∂First-principles modelling
First-principles modelling
An introduction to constructing models from physical laws and simplifying assumptions.
E1.02 Engineer First-principles modelling First principlesComing SoonℒLaplace transforms
Laplace-domain modelling
A basic introduction to using Laplace transforms in continuous-time control analysis.
E1.03 Engineer Laplace-domain modelling Laplace transformsComing SoonℒTransfer functions
Transfer functions
An introduction to representing input-output dynamics using transfer functions.
E1.04 Engineer Transfer functions Transfer functionsComing Soon∑Block Diagram Algebra
Block-diagram modelling
An introduction to the algebraic rules used to combine and simplify series, parallel and feedback block-diagram structures, including summing junctions and take-off points.
E1.05 Engineer Block-diagram modelling Block diagram algebraComing Soon𝑥State-space models
State-space modelling
An introduction to representing dynamic systems using states, inputs and outputs.
E1.06 Engineer State-space modelling State spaceComing Soon⌁Poles, zeros and dynamics
System properties
A basic introduction to the relationship between poles, zeros and system behaviour.
E1.07 Engineer System properties Poles zerosComing SoonE2System Identification and Parameter Estimation
Develop suitable model structures from measured data, estimate their parameters and assess how well they represent the physical system.
⌁Introduction to System Identification
Experimental modelling
An introduction to developing dynamic models from measured input-output data, including the identification workflow, experiment design and selection of a suitable model structure.
E2.01 Engineer Experimental modelling System identificationComing Soon∑Model Order, Fidelity and Uncertainty
Model structure and limitations
An introduction to selecting an appropriate level of model complexity and understanding how parameter variation, measurement limitations and unmodelled dynamics affect model fidelity.
E2.02 Engineer Model fidelity Model uncertaintyComing Soon⌁Least-Squares Estimation and Model Validation
Parameter estimation and validation
An introduction to estimating unknown model parameters using batch least-squares methods and validating the resulting model by comparing its predictions with independent measured data.
E2.03 Engineer Least squares Model validationComing Soon↻Recursive Least Squares
Online parameter estimation
An introduction to updating model-parameter estimates as new measurements arrive, including the role of the covariance matrix and forgetting factor in tracking changing system behaviour.
E2.04 Engineer Recursive estimation Online identificationComing SoonE3System Analysis and Model-Based Controller Design
Analyse model behaviour and use time-domain and frequency-domain methods to design controllers.
▦Closed-Loop Modelling and Controller Simulation
Model-based simulation
An introduction to constructing a closed-loop simulation model containing the plant, controller, reference, feedback and disturbances, and using it to examine controller behaviour, compare design choices and assess performance before implementation.
E3.01 Engineer Closed-loop modelling Controller simulationComing Soon⌁Continuous-time stability
Stability analysis
An introduction to assessing continuous-time stability using pole locations.
E3.02 Engineer Stability analysis Continuous timeComing Soon⌁Root locus
Root-locus design
An introduction to how root-locus plots relate controller gain to closed-loop poles.
E3.03 Engineer Root-locus design Root locusComing Soon∿Frequency response
Frequency-domain analysis
A basic introduction to analysing system behaviour across a range of frequencies.
E3.04 Engineer Frequency-domain analysis Frequency responseComing Soon∿Bode plots
Frequency-domain analysis
An introduction to interpreting Bode magnitude and phase plots.
E3.05 Engineer Frequency-domain analysis Bode plotsComing Soon⌁Stability margins
Robustness
A basic overview of gain margin, phase margin and relative stability.
E3.06 Engineer Robustness Stability marginsComing Soon🎛Model-based PID design
Controller design
An introduction to designing PID controllers using a mathematical model.
E3.07 Engineer Controller design Model basedComing Soon🎛Lead and lag compensation
Compensator design
A basic introduction to lead and lag compensator structures.
E3.08 Engineer Compensator design Lead andComing SoonE4Discrete-Time Modelling and Digital Control
Represent, analyse and design sampled-data and discrete-time control systems.
⏱Discrete-Time Systems and Continuous-to-Discrete Conversion
Digital control foundations
An introduction to sampled-data and discrete-time systems, including how continuous-time models are converted into discrete forms for analysis, simulation and digital controller design.
E4.01 Engineer Discrete-time systems DiscretisationComing Soon⏱Z-transforms
Z-domain modelling
A basic introduction to using Z-transforms in discrete-time control analysis.
E4.02 Engineer Z-domain modelling Z transformsComing Soon⏱Discrete transfer functions
Discrete models
An introduction to representing sampled systems using discrete transfer functions.
E4.03 Engineer Discrete models Discrete transferComing Soon⏱Difference equations
Discrete implementation
A basic introduction to representing discrete systems using recursive equations.
E4.04 Engineer Discrete implementation Difference equationsComing Soon⏱Z-Plane Stability and Performance
Discrete stability and response
An introduction to assessing discrete-time stability from pole locations in the Z-plane and relating those locations to response speed, damping, oscillation, overshoot and settling behaviour.
E4.05 Engineer Z-plane analysis Stability and performanceComing Soon⏱Digital controller design
Digital controller design
A basic introduction to designing controllers for discrete-time systems.
E4.06 Engineer Digital controller design Digital controllerComing SoonE5Model-Based Design, Implementation and Validation
Consolidate the selected design, prepare it for implementation, generate code and compare deployed behaviour with model predictions.
🎯Design from requirements
Requirements-led design
An introduction to connecting control requirements with modelling and design choices.
E5.01 Engineer Requirements-led design Design fromComing Soon▶Design-space exploration
Design exploration
A basic overview of comparing controller structures and parameter choices.
E5.02 Engineer Design exploration Design spaceComing Soon✓Model verification
Verification
An introduction to checking whether a model-based design meets stated requirements.
E5.03 Engineer Verification Model verificationComing Soon↧Implementation effects
Non-ideal behaviour
A basic introduction to delays, quantisation, saturation and other implementation effects.
E5.04 Engineer Non-ideal behaviour Implementation effectsComing Soon🎛Implementation-ready controller
Deployment preparation
An overview of the form a controller must take before digital implementation.
E5.05 Engineer Deployment preparation Implementation readyComing Soon⌘Automatic code generation
Code generation
A basic introduction to the role of automatic code generation in model-based design.
E5.06 Engineer Code generation Automatic codeComing Soon✓Simulation-to-hardware validation
Model-hardware comparison
An introduction to comparing simulated behaviour with later practical results.
E5.07 Engineer Model-hardware comparison Simulation toComing Soon∑Model-based design iteration
Iterative design
An introduction to the iterative relationship between requirements, models and control design.
E5.08 Engineer Iterative design Model basedComing Soon
