You are a control engineer who has been assigned the task of designing and instrumenting a control system. In the final project report you will have to describe the steps of establishing the design/performance specifications for the system, selecting and sizing sensors, transducers, actuators, drive systems, controllers, signal conditioning and interface hardware, and software for the instrumentation and component integration of this system. Keeping this in mind, write a project proposal giving the following information:
1. Select a process (plant) as the system to be developed. Describe the plant indicating the purpose of the plant, how the plant operates, what is the system boundary (physical or imaginary), what are important inputs (e.g., voltages, torques, heat transfer rates, flow rates), response variables (e.g., displacements, velocities, temperatures, pressures, currents, voltages), and what are important plant parameters (e.g., mass, stiffness, resistance, inductance, conductivity, fluid capacity). You may use sketches.
2. Indicate the performance requirements (or, operating specifications) for the plant (i.e., how the plant should behave under control). You may use any available information on such requirements as accuracy, resolution, speed, linearity, stability, and operating bandwidth.
3. Give any constraints related to cost, size, weight, environment (e.g., operating temperature, humidity, dust-free or clean room conditions, lighting, wash-down needs), etc.
4. Indicate the type and the nature of the sensors and transducers present in the plant and what additional sensors and transducers might be needed for properly operating and controlling the system.
5. Indicate the type and the nature of the actuators and drive systems present in the plant and which of these actuators have to be controlled. If you need to add new actuators (including control actuators) and drive systems, indicate such requirements in sufficient detail.
6. Mention what types of signal modification and interfacing hardware would be needed (i.e., filters, amplifiers, modulators, demodulators, ADC, DAC, and other data acquisition and control needs). Describe the purpose of these devices. Indicate any software (e.g., driver software) that may be needed along with this hardware.
7. Indicate the nature and operation of the controllers in the system. State whether these controllers are adequate for your system. If you intend to add new controllers briefly give their nature, characteristics, objectives, etc. (e.g., analog, digital, linear, nonlinear, hardware, software, control bandwidth).
8. Describe how the users and/or operators interact with the system, and the nature of the user interface requirements (e.g., graphic user interface or GUI).
The following plants/systems may be considered:
1. A hybrid electric vehicle
2. A household robot
3. A smart camera
4. A smart airbag system for an automobile
5. Rover mobile robot for Mars exploration, developed by NASA.
6. An automated guided vehicle (AGV) for a manufacturing plant
7. A flight simulator
8. A hard disk drive for a personal computer
9. A packaging and labeling system for a grocery item
10. A vibration testing system (electrodynamic or hydraulic)
11. An active orthotic device to be worn by a person to assist a disabled or weak hand (which has some sensation, but not fully functional)