Control technology is ubiquitous – it exists in airplanes, spacecraft, factories, cell phones, and even networks. Decades of successful application of control theory have not exhausted its potential at all. In recent years, control theory has even been applied to problems in varying fields including medicine, epidemiology, and ecology. In fact, it is being considered a necessary technology for realizing our goals in emerging areas such as biomedicine, renewable energy, robotics, and critical infrastructures. To put it succinctly, “Wherever dynamics and feedback are involved – and they are increasingly recognized as pervasive properties of complex systems – control expertise are regarded as crucial.” — The Impact of Control Technology, 2nd Edition. Considering the impact of control technology, it can be considered a necessary skill for any electrical engineer and this course provides the foundational knowledge in this area.
This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of control theory, building up on the ideas learned in the “Signals and Systems” course. It will introduce control design techniques from a stream of control theory now termed “Classical Control”. Classical controllers and design techniques are still by no means outdated and are being used in ~90% of present controllers. Going forward, the class will be working toward the following objectives:
1. Refining analytical and mathematical skills, including the ability to go from general to specific or vice versa.
2. Developing the ability to recognize stated assumptions and detect unstated assumptions in design problems.
3. Developing the ability to evaluate a given control design problem from given specifications, evaluating studied techniques, and applying the most appropriate one to designing the controller.
