The extraordinary development of digital computers (microprocessors, microcontrollers) and their extensive use in control systems in all fields of applications has brought about important changes in the design of control systems. Their performance and their low cost make them suitable for use in control systems of various kinds which demand far better capabilities and performances than those provided by analog controllers. However, in order really to take advantage of the capabilities of microprocessors, it is not enough to reproduce the behavior of analog (PID) controllers. One needs to implement specific and high-performance model based control techniques developed for computer-controlled systems (techniques that have been extensively tested in practice). In this context identification of a plant dynamic model from data is a fundamental step in the design of the control system. The book takes into account the fact that the association of books with software and on-line material is radically changing the teaching methods of the control discipline. Despite its interactive character, computer-aided control design software requires the understanding of a number of concepts in order to be used efficiently. The use of software for illustrating the various concepts and algorithms helps understanding and rapidly gives a feeling of the various phenomena.
The extraordinary development of microprocessors and their extensive use in control systems in all fields of application has brought about important changes in the design of control systems. Their performance and low cost make them much more capable, in many circumstances, than analog controllers.
In order to take full advantage of this potential, Digital Control Systems demonstrates in detail how to design and implement high-performance model-based controllers combining system identification and control design techniques extensively tested in industrial milieux. The effective use of these techniques is illustrated in the context of various systems including: d.c. motors, flexible transmissions, air heaters, distillation columns and hot-dip galvanizing. Topics covered include:
· essentials of computer-based control systems;
· controller design methods (robust pole placement, long-range-predictive control, state space, digital PID, etc.);
· system identification techniques;
· practical aspects of system identification and digital control.
A number of recent methodological developments in control design and system identification, driven by applications, are presented, including:
· robust digital control design using sensitivity function shaping;
· plant identification in closed loop operation;
· reduction of controller complexity.
The text of Digital Control Systems is enhanced, for practical and tutorial purposes, by the use of software which illustrates the various concepts and algorithms and gives a feeling for the phenomena, discussed. The MATLAB®/Scilab routines used for this purpose can be downloaded from the textbook’s website where additional material for teaching is available (slide presentations of the chapter material, data files for additional laboratory sessions and example files).
Graduate students in courses on digital control will find this text to be most helpful in learning the essential techniques of computer-based control while the wealth of additional material will make the tutor’s tasks of teaching and preparation quicker and easier. The book also provides practising engineers wishing to enhance their skills in this area with efficient and co-ordinated methods for the design and implementation of computer-based controllers.
