The Application of Control System in the Daily Life - Term Paper Example

Application of Control System in Daily Life Name Class Unit Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 2 Modern control systems 3 Use of control systems in home appliances 4 Automated service machines 4 Transport systems 5 Modern automobile 5 Ship control 6 Planes 6 Trains 6 Industrial use 7 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction The control system is an interconnection of components that forms a system capable of giving the required system response. Using control systems, it is possible to control the velocity, acceleration and position in a given application. Control systems have characteristics that make them vital for use in modern society. The control systems have the ability to mimic human behavior that makes them to be used in human operations. There are two types of control systems; open loop and feedback control systems. At the moment, feedback control systems have been used in many applications used by human beings in daily life (Ogata, 2010). This report will look at the application of control systems in daily life. Modern control systems Modern control systems utilize feedback control to perform their processes. These systems use sensors to measure the actual output and compare it with the desired output. The difference between the actual output and the desired output is given as the error. Using a control such as an amplifier, the error is adjusted. The output from the control device is used by the actuator that acts to reduce the error. This process is used in several applications used in daily life such as control of the ship, automobile steering control system, refrigerator, power plants, industrial controls and automated teller machines among others (Yang, 2010). A feedback control system, (Ogata, 2010). Where Vi is the input and Vo the output. The above feedback control system has a gain which is calculated as A/1+AB= A/ (1+AB). Through feedback, it’s possible to eliminate the error though compensation. Feedback can be negative or positive as indicated. Use of control systems in home appliances Most of the home appliances use control systems in their processes (Smith, 2010). These include refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machines, printers, microwaves and televisions. Most of the modern homes have these appliances that in most cases incorporate microprocessors. The appliances are able to operate from the commands given and use feedback control to come up with accurate results. For example, the refrigerator has a thermostat that is used in measuring the actual temperature. This is compared with the desired temperature which is set by use of a knob. The compressor motor is used for power amplification. Over the years, the basic home appliances have been improved with control technology making them easier to use as well as more efficient (Yang, 2010). Home automation has been on the rise through use of control systems. This is through smart appliances which include remote control of home appliances, automatic lighting systems, automation of HVAC, automated security and home entertainment among others. Through use of sensors and microcontrollers, many home tasks have already been automated leading to smart homes. Some of the control systems have integrated all home appliances making it possible to use a centralized control (Yang, 2010). Automated service machines Through use of control systems, automated service machines have come into existent. This has replaced the human operators in service provision. Informational requests are being processed using automated machines. There have been installations of the speed cameras which are capable of recording license plates and sending the information automatically. The highway attendants have been replaced by the automated tellers. Using the automated highway tellers, all the functions that were previously performed by the highway attendants are carried out efficiently and more economically Banks tellers have been replaced through the automated teller machines (ATM). This has made it possible to withdraw cash at any point and time depending on availability of ATM. The machines are capable of handling all the services that were being handled by a human teller and also at a faster rate and higher accuracy (Yang, 2010). The numbers of ATMs worldwide have increased due to consumer demand for efficient services. Transport systems Movement of goods and people is an activity that takes place frequently in everyday life. Transportation sector have been able to benefit from automated technology. The current technology used in vehicles, trains and planes involve use of control systems. This has improved safety and efficiency of the transport systems. Modern automobile The modern automobile is another important use of the control systems. This is due to the control systems that are used in a vehicle’s suspension, steering and engine control systems (Meyer & Valldorf, 2010). There has been an increase in the four wheel drive steering systems and control systems. Modern vehicles are more electronic than the previous mechanical based vehicles. Even the basic vehicle is composed of more than 30 microcontrollers that perform different functions. Combining sensors and microcontrollers makes the vehicles more efficient. This has led to more complex vehicles which use advanced control technology (Dolcini, Canudas De Wit, & Béchart, 2010). Ship control Ships serve a very important part in daily trade activities. At the moment, 90 percent of the trade goods are moved through ships. Ships have been able to utilize GPS and automation in moving from one point to another. Loading and unloading of the ship cargo is in most cases done through automation technology. This has made it possible to move the ship load without the need for human labor (Ogata, 2010). Planes The aviation industry has been in the forefront of using control systems. The modern aircraft is complex with automation in all aspects. The planes have been able to reduce overreliance on pilots and increased their efficiency. Using the modern aircraft, there is increased security and efficiency in cargo handling due to control systems (Langton, 2006). Trains Train has been able to provide efficient transport and cargo handling in most countries. The use of Automatic Train Operation (ATO) has led to automation of trains making them safer and more reliable. Modern train utilizes control systems that in some cases have eliminated the need for the drivers. The control systems have also been used in Automatic Train Protection (ATP) to enhance the train security. At the moment, many trains utilize ATO globally. Use of control systems in trains has enabled boost in train speed, security and efficiency (Comprail & Ning, 2010). Industrial use Most industries have extensively used control systems in their applications (Wagg, 2007). This has led to efficient and fast production. Use of robots in the industries has been applied to help in lifting heavy objects and being able to place them within the desired accuracy. This is due to fact that human being gets tired due to repetitive activities. Using robots, it becomes easy to do dull and repetitive task. In the manufacturing and fabrication industry, machines are used to automatically cut, weld, load and unload with accuracy. Robots are programmable computers that are integrated to machines. Robots arms have been used extensively in automobile assembly plants which have substituted human labor. In the metallurgical industry, use of control systems has been a major success. This is through control of thickness, temperature and quality of the products. Power plants have also been able to adopt control systems in their processes. Through use of control systems in the industries, tasks that were previously performed by human being have been taken up by control systems. These include tasks like lifting, assembling, welding packaging and quality control (Ogata, 2010). Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA) are highly used in modern industries. The system is classified under the Industrial Control Systems (ICS). This has enabled remote control of the industrial processes using communication channels. The diagram below gives an overview of the SCADA system. The system utilizes Programmable Logic controllers (PLCs) and Remote Terminal Units (RTU). Overview of SCADA (Ogata, 2010). Conclusion Control systems have made everyday life efficient, secure and economical. Control systems have been utilized in transport, homes and industries. The transport system has become automated enabling high speeds and more security. Using control systems, it has become possible to automate all home processes such as dish washing, air-conditioning and lighting. Automated machines have been able to make life easier in the service industries such as banking and communication. In the industries, processes such as packaging, assembly, metallurgical among others have utilized control systems for efficiency. This has been achieved through use of robots which have replaced human being in areas where speed, precision and efficiency are needed. References Comprail & Ning, B 2010, Advanced train control systems, Southampton, Boston. Dolcini, P. J., Canudas De Wit, C & Béchart, H 2010, Dry clutch control for automotive applications, London, Springer. Langton, R 2006, Stability and control of aircraft systems introduction to classical feedback control, Chichester, England, Wiley. Meyer, G & Valldorf, J 2010, Advanced microsystems for automotive applications 2010 smart systems for green cars and safe mobility, Berlin, Springer. Ogata, K 2010, Modern control engineering, Boston, MA, Prentice-Hall. Smith, C. L 2010, Advanced process control beyond single-loop control, Hoboken, N.J., Wiley. Wagg, D 2007, Adaptive structures engineering applications, Chichester, John Wiley. Yang, S.-H. 2010, Internet-based control systems design and applications, London, Springer. Read More