• ACE-CORE Learning Library | Control Engineering

    ACE-CORE Learning Library

    ACE-CORE is a progressive, practical-first teaching method in which learners first Comprehend key ideas, then Operate real systems using ACE-Lab with MATLAB and Simulink, Refine performance through testing and tuning, and finally Engineer models and controllers using the underlying mathematics, with teaching notes and supporting resources to be published progressively.

    Coming soon The ACE-CORE teaching notes are being prepared. Browse the planned topics below, and follow the active links to ACE-Lab practical exercises where listed.

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    C

    Comprehend (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 Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab No ACE-Lab practical in this topic

    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 Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab No ACE-Lab practical in this topic

    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 Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab No ACE-Lab practical in this topic

    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 Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab No ACE-Lab practical in this topic

    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 objectives Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab No ACE-Lab practical in this topic
    O

    Operate (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 Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab Platform overview ยท Base + Sense and Actuate

    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 Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab practicals
    P1 ยท LED (Digital) P2 ยท LED (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 Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab practicals
    M1 ยท LDR (Light Dependent Resistor) M2 ยท Slide Potentiometer M3 ยท Ultrasonic Sensor (Distance) M4 ยท Temperature Sensor

    DC Motor Polarity Control

    Actuation

    Introduce how a microcontroller and motor driver are used to control DC motor polarity and hence motor direction, including forward and reverse operation.

    O04 Operate Actuation DC motor polarity Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab practicals
    A1 ยท DC Motor Polarity Control

    DC Motor Encoder Measurement and Filtering

    DC motor feedback measurement

    Introduce how DC motor encoder pulses and counts are acquired and converted into a motor-speed measurement for feedback control, together with basic filtering methods used to reduce measurement noise while recognising the trade-off with added delay.

    O05 Operate DC motor encoder Measurement and filtering Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab practicals
    A2 ยท DC Motor Speed Measurement using an Encoder

    PI Control Implementation for DC Motor Speed Control

    Controller implementation

    Introduce how PI control is implemented for DC motor speed control within a sampled feedback loop, from calculating the error to generating and applying the motor command.

    O06 Operate PI control DC motor control Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    ACE-Lab practicals
    C2 ยท DC Motor PI Speed Control
    R

    Refine (R)

    Explain how an operating control system is assessed, adjusted and retested to improve its performance and meet its requirements.

    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.

    R01 Refine Filtering and sampling Measurement quality Teaching notes ยท Coming 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.

    R02 Refine Controller tuning Performance and stability Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    E

    Engineer (E)

    Introduce mathematical modelling, system identification, analysis, digital control and model-based design methods.

    E1

    Mathematical 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 models Teaching notes ยท Coming 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 principles Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Laplace transforms

    Laplace-domain modelling

    A basic introduction to using Laplace transforms in continuous-time control analysis.

    E1.03 Engineer Laplace-domain modelling Laplace transforms Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Transfer functions

    Transfer functions

    An introduction to representing input-output dynamics using transfer functions.

    E1.04 Engineer Transfer functions Transfer functions Teaching notes ยท Coming 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 algebra Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Poles, zeros and dynamics

    System properties

    A basic introduction to the relationship between poles, zeros and system behaviour.

    E1.06 Engineer System properties Poles zeros Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    E2

    System 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 identification Teaching notes ยท Coming 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.

    E2.02 Engineer Least squares Model validation Teaching notes ยท Coming 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.

    E2.03 Engineer Recursive estimation Online identification Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    E3

    System 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 simulation Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Continuous-time stability

    Stability analysis

    An introduction to assessing continuous-time stability using pole locations.

    E3.02 Engineer Stability analysis Continuous time Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    E4

    Discrete-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 Discretisation Teaching notes ยท Coming 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 transforms Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Discrete transfer functions

    Discrete models

    An introduction to representing sampled systems using discrete transfer functions.

    E4.03 Engineer Discrete models Discrete transfer Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Difference equations

    Discrete implementation

    A basic introduction to representing discrete systems using recursive equations.

    E4.04 Engineer Discrete implementation Difference equations Teaching notes ยท Coming 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 performance Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Digital controller design

    Digital controller design

    A basic introduction to designing controllers for discrete-time systems.

    E4.06 Engineer Digital controller design Digital controller Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
    E5

    Model-Based Design, Implementation and Validation

    Consolidate the selected design, prepare it for implementation, generate code and compare deployed behaviour with model predictions.

    Model verification

    Verification

    An introduction to checking whether a model-based design meets stated requirements.

    E5.01 Engineer Verification Model verification Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Implementation effects

    Non-ideal behaviour

    A basic introduction to delays, quantisation, saturation and other implementation effects.

    E5.02 Engineer Non-ideal behaviour Implementation effects Teaching notes ยท Coming soon

    Simulation-to-hardware validation

    Model-hardware comparison

    An introduction to comparing simulated behaviour with later practical results.

    E5.03 Engineer Model-hardware comparison Simulation to Teaching notes ยท Coming soon
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