Implementing Digital Control Applications in C

Overview
The 'C' programming skills needed to implement Digital Control algorithms include understanding issues such as how to convert a model of the system being controlled into suitable data structures and associated algorithms.

Key Skills
After attending this course, you will be able to:

• Design suitable data structures and functions for implementing digital control systems
• Implement control algorithms in C
• Interface control algorithms to system input and output hardware
• Understand multi-tasking issues involved in complex control applications where the activities of multiple devices need to be co-ordinated
• Apply state transition techniques to control applications

Course Contents
Intensive overview of arrays, pointers, and dynamic data structures I/O buffering - circular, polygonal, iove and shadow buffering Structured 'C' programming approaches to peripherals

• timers
• A/D and D/A peripherals
• PWM
• RS232
• I2C

Design and Analysis of Analog Control Systems

• differential equations describing physical systems
• overview of the Laplace transform and its uses
• input-output relationships
  • linear time invariance
  • impulse response
  • step response
  • convolution
• Block diagrams
• Feedback configuration
• Closed loop transfer functions

Overview of Root Locus Design methods

Response characteristics - settling time, bandwidth

Discrete Time Sampled Systems

• sampling continuous time signals
• input - output models
• z-transform and its uses
• poles and zeros
• selecting a sampling rate
• analysis
• stability
• sensitivity and robustness
• controllability, reachability, observability, detectability
• Overview of Root Locus Design methods
• Response characteristics - settling time, bandwidth

Analysis and modeling of control systems

• Pole placement design techniques
• Structured design strategies
• process oriented modeling
• approximating continuous time controllers
• digital PID controller principles

Implementing Digital Controllers - Realising Transfer Functions

• Direct structure - canonical, noln-canonical
• Cascade realisation
• Parallel realisation
• PID controller implementation
• coding details
• second-order modules
• first-order modules
• higher order modules

Integrating the control software into the complete system

Use Cases and State based models

• overview of use case analysis
• State transition diagrams and their realisation in 'C'
• Statecharts and their realisation in 'C'

Multitasking issues

• direct scheduler implementation
• using an embedded RTOS
• Critical section and mutual exclusion issues
• Inter-task communication issues

Basics of multi-processor distributed control

• master-slave
• first-order modules
• peer-to-peer