A Multidisciplinary Control System Laboratory

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This Faculty-of-Engineering project leads to the configuration of a hands-on method of teaching control systems from a multidisciplinary point-of-view. This project addresses the demand of industry for acquiring control engineers with a broad set of technical skills and a comprehension of the diverse practical applications of control. In addition, it is expected that the graduate is able to move across rather artificial program boundaries with great ease.Twelve multidisciplinary experiments that integrate hands-on experience and software simulation are proposed. The first four experiments deal with different first order systems and emphasize their mathematical equivalence. The next two experiments expose the students to Proportional, Integral and Derivative (PID) control using both a DC motor and feedback process control. Performance analyses and the use of instrumentation in control are the fundamentals of the next two experiments. The last four experiments deal with real systems like an engine, helicopter, ball and beam and an antilock brake system. Software is integrated with the experiments through MATLAB and SIMULINK. Digital control will be part of some of the experiments.The multidisciplinary nature of control theory is motivated by system equivalence, an existing theme that we are adapting into our curriculum. This theme is well emphasized at various universities from which classic textbooks have been written. Examples include the University of California (Davis), University of Texas (Austin), State University of New York (Stony Brook), Stanford University and Rutgers University. We are also seeking to implement computer and microprocessor based control in our project as is done at Bucknell University, Purdue University and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.