Advanced Control and Automation unit (ENG417)

Introduction

The unit will further develop the understanding of designing a controller in both frequency domain and time domain. The student will design both cascade and feedback configured compensators while considering the options of utilising major loop and minor loop. These compensator will then be constructed as active and passive PIDs using a root locus to meet specified output responses. The controllers are then compared to state-space controllers in phase-variable form and in controller canonical form, which allows complete specified position of the closed loop poles. The limitation of the state-space controller is addressed with an integral controller to reduce the steady state error in the output response. The designed controller can be transformed to any original system given transformation matrices derived from the state-space representation. The advantage of using an observer in observer canonical form to timely estimate state variables of higher order systems will be explored as system access may be restrictive. Although many designs are done in continuous systems, the are typically implemented as digital controller. The system specifications using z-transform to adjust the peak time, settling and percentage overshoot while considering the constraint of the sampling time will be explored. The use of bilinear transforms to obtain discrete filter representations of controller. The unit concludes by applying foundational skills in programmable logic controllers and supervisory control, industrial robotics, and machine vision to meet system specifications.

Summary

Unit name	Advanced Control and Automation
Unit code	ENG417
Credit points	12.5
College/School	Sciences and Engineering School of Engineering
Discipline	Engineering
Coordinator	Doctor Brian Salmon
Delivered By	University of Tasmania
Level	Honours

Availability

Specific information on 2027 unit availability will be available in August

Learning Outcomes

• Design a feedback controller to improve transient and steady-state performance of a system to given specifications.
• Design observers in state space to estimate and track the state variables of higher order systems.
• Design a digital controller to meet system specifications in terms of the transient and steady-state performance considering the effects of sampling period.
• Build, tune, and troubleshoot practical implementations of controllers.
• Evaluate intelligent systems to control and manage industrial equipment.

Fee Information

2027 fee information will be available in August.

Requisites

Prerequisites

ENG331

Teaching

Assessment	Automation report (30%)|Design report (30%)|Exam (40%)
Timetable	View the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable

Textbooks

Required	Required readings will be listed in the unit outline prior to the start of classes.

The University reserves the right to amend or remove courses and unit availabilities, as appropriate.