EEE8152 : Digital Control Systems
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Matthew Armstrong
- Owning School: Engineering
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 8.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
To provide the students with an understanding of the fundamentals of Digital Control theory and the theroetical and practical principles for design. To provide guidelines of current trends in the field. To provide advanced understanding of adaptive principles
Outline Of Syllabus
Introduction to Digital Control Fundamentals: Sampled signals, linear difference equations and discrete transfer functions, sample and zero order hold operations, quantisation effects, stability analysis techniques, signal analysis and dynamic response, discrete time specifications and their correlation with time and frequency domains, discrete equivalents to continuous transfer functions.
Digital Control Designs using Classical Methods: Discrete time implementations of classical design methods, digital PID controller, root locus design technique, frequency response based designs, introduction to direct design methods.
Design using Modern Methods: z- plane specifications pole placement based design, introduction to minimum variance design concept, deadbeat objective and concept of control ripple. Serving versus regulation objectives. Practical implementation considerations.
Introduction to discrete state: state space representation, system matrix representation, observability, controllability, diagonal representation forms and their relationship to transfer function forms.
Simple control law designs: using pole placement objective, introduction to concept of state estimation, design of state estimator and analysis of effect on control loop.
Advanced material drawn from: introduction to nonlinear dynamics, LMI, stochastic estimation (Kalman Filter), adaptive/self-tuning control, system identification and parameter estimation.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 12 | 2:00 | 24:00 | Lecture sessions |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Completion of final exam |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 28:00 | 28:00 | Revision for final examination |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 76:00 | 76:00 | Reviewing lecture notes, recommended subject related reading |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Completion of Self-Directed Learning exercises, using MATLAB |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Completion of tutorial exercises |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 24 | 1:00 | 24:00 | Student reflection on Recorded Lecture Materials (equal time to delivery) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | Scheduled time for additional academic support (online) |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Through lectures, learners gain knowledge of the mathematical concepts used in digital control systems. Learners gain an awareness of digital control system behaviour and methods of control system analysis.
Tutorials provide learners with the opportunity to apply knowledge and confirm the concepts taught in lectures. Tutorials typically align with the expectations of the final examination.
Self Directed Learning exercises, using MATLAB, provide students with an opportunity to confirm understanding of key principles and explore concepts further through a series of problem-based learning tasks.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 2 | A | 100 | 2 hour Closed Book Examination |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 2 | M | 24-hour open book test: Examination Practice |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The examination requires students to successfully demonstrate a formal knowledge of the basic principles of digital control systems, including analysis and design.
The examination allows students to demonstrate their ability to solve engineering problems focused on control systems, assessing knowledge outcomes and skill outcomes [M1, M2]
A formative preparatory test allows students to gauge knowledge and helps prepare them for the summative assessment.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- EEE8152's Timetable