ME 2401 - MECHATRONICS

III UNIT QUESTION AND ANSWERS

Part - A
1. What are the various control modes in the mechatronics control systems?
There are a number of ways by which a control unit can react to an error signal and supply an output correcting
elements:
a. The TWO STEP MODE in which the controller is essentially just a twitch which is activated by the error signal
and supplies just an on/off correcting signal.
b. The PROPORTIONAL MODE (P) which produces a control action that is proportional to the error. The
correcting signal thus becomes bigger, the bigger the error. Thus as the error is reduced the amount of correction
is reduced and the correcting process slows down.
c. The DERIVATIVE MODE (D) which produces a control action that is proportional to the rate at which the error
is changing. When there is a sudden change in the error signal the controller gives a large correcting signal, when
there is a gradual change only a small correcting signal is produced. Derivative control can be considered to be a
form of anticipatory control in that the existing rate of change of error is measured, a coming larger error is
anticipated and correction is applied before the larger error has arrived. Derivative control is not used alone but
always in conjunction with proportional control and, often, integral control.
d. The INTEGRAL MODE (I) which produces a control action that is proportional to the integral of the error with
time. Thus a constant error signal will produce an increasing correcting signal. The correction continues to
increase as long as the error persists. The integral controller can be considered to be looking back, summing all
the errors and thus responding co changes that have occurred.
e. COMBINATION OF MODES: proportional plus derivative (PD) modes. Proportional plus integral (PI) modes,
proportional plus integral plus derivative (PID) modes. The term three term controller is used for PID control.
2. What are the characteristics of negative feedback?
a. Negative feedback opposes or subtracts from the input signals giving it many advantages in the design and
stabilization of control systems.
b. Negative Feedback reduces the overall gain of a system with the degree of reduction being related to the systems
open-loop gain. Negative feedback also has effects of reducing distortion, noise, sensitivity to external changes as
well as improving system bandwidth and input and output impedances.
3. Define fluid inertance.
Hydraulic inertance is the equivalent of inductance in electrical systems or a spring in mechanical systems. To
accelerate a fluid and so increase its velocity, a force is required. Pneumatic inertance is due to the pressure drop
necessary to accelerate a block of gas.
4. What do you understand by steady state error and identify the sources of this error?
Steady-state error is defined as the difference between the input and output of a system in the limit as time goes to
infinity (i.e. when the response has reached the steady state). The steady-state error will depend on the type of input
(step, ramp, etc) as well as the system type (0, I, or II). Many steady-state errors in control systems arise from
nonlinear sources, such as backlash in gears or a motor that will not move unless the input voltage exceeds a
threshold. Nonlinear behavior as a source of steady-state errors, although a viable topic for study is beyond the scope
of a text on linear control systems. The steady state errors we study here are errors that arise from the configuration of
the system itself and the type of applied input.
5. Convert the spring-mass-damper system into an equivalent electrical system. Write down the system equation.
Description
Mechanical
Electrical
Spring
Elastic energy
Capacitance ( Stores Energy)
Mass
Force
Voltage
Damper
Hydraulic Suspension
Resistacne

pg. 1

6. Write the differential equation for the system shown in Fig.

B
m

d 2x
K 1x K 2 x M
dt 2

7. What are the limitations of two step control?

With the two step-mode the control action is discontinuous. A consequence of this is that oscillations of the controlled
variable occur about the required condition.
Two Step control action tends to be used where changes are taking place very slowly. Two-step control is thus not
very precise, but it does involve simple devices and is thus fairly cheap.
8. Define Adaptive control.
An adaptive control system which 'adapts' to changes and changes its parameters to fit the circumstances prevailing,
The adaptive control system is based on the use of a microprocessor as the controller. Such a device enables the
control mode and the control parameters used to be adapted to fit the circumstances, modifying them as the
Circumstances change
9. Why derivative controller is never used alone?
The derivative or differential controller is never used alone. With sudden changes in the system the derivative
controller will compensate the output fast. The long term effects the controller allow huge steady state errors.
10. What is PI control?
Proportional + Integral (PI) controllers were developed because of the desirable property that systems with open loop
transfer functions of type 1 or above have zero steady state error with respect to a step input.
Part B
11. Derive a mathematical model for a machine mounted on the ground to study the effects of ground
disturbances on the machine bed displacement.
(8)

pg. 2

Figure shows the model for machine mounted on the ground and could be
used as a basis for studying the effects of ground disturbanccs on the
displacements of a machine bed.

d 2x
dx
c kx F
2
dt
dt

12. Explain the construction or working of PID controller with a neat diagram. Also write mathematical equations
for this.
(7)

or
13. Explain the basis on which the following forms of adaptive control system function: (a) Gain - scheduled (b)
Self - tuning (c) Model reference
(7)
GAIN-SCHEDULED CONTROL:
With gain-scheduled control or, as it is sometimes referred to, preprogrammed adaptive control, preset changes in the
parameters of the controller are made on the basis of some auxiliary measurement of some process variable. Figure
illustrates this method, The term gain-scheduled control was used because the only parameter originally adjusted was
the gain, the proportionality constant Kp.

pg. 3

SELF TUNING:
With self-tuning control the system continuously tunes its own parameters based on monitoring the variable that
the system is controlling and the output from the controller. Figure illustrates the features of this system.

MODEL REFERENCE:
With the model-reference adaptive system an accurate model of the system is developed. The set value is then used as
an input to both the actual and the model systems and the difference between the actual output and the output from the
model compared. The difference in these signals is then used to adjust the parameters of the controller to minimize the
difference. Figure illustrates the features of the system.

14. Derive a mathematical model for a resistor-inductor-capacitor system using Kirchoff's law.
The equations describing how the electrical building blocks can be
combined are Kirchoff 's laws. These can be expressed as:
Law I: the total current moving towards a junction is equal to the
total current flowing from that junction, i.e. the algebraic sum of the
currents at the junction is zero.
Law 2: in a closed circuir or loop, rhc algebraic sum of the potential
differences across each part of the circuit is equal to the applied
e.m.f.
Now consider a simple electrical system oonsisting of a resistor and capacitor in series, as shown in Figure, Applying
Kirchhoff's second law to the circuit loop gives
v=vR+vc+vL

pg. 4

15. Derive the differential equation and draw the equivalent free body diagram for the system shown in Fig

Free
body
diagram
at x1

Free
body
diagram
at x2

pg. 5

Free
body
diagram
at x3

16. A motor is used to rotate a load. Device a mathematical model and draw the mechanical model and equivalent
model for the same.

The d.c. motor is used to convert an electrical input signal into a mechanical output signal, a current through the
armature coil of the motor resulting in a shaft being rotated and hence the load rotated
The motor basically consists of a coil, the armature coil, which is free to rotate. This coil is located in the magnetic
field provided by a current through field coils or a permanent magnet. When a current is flows through the armature
coil, then, because it is in a magnetic field, forces act on the coil and cause it to rotate as shown in the figure.
Force
proportional to Bia

Torque

b Bradth of the coild

the resulting Torque is

Vb Back EMF where is the shaft angular velocity and k2 a constant.

where k3 is a constant. The armature circuit can be considered to be a resistance Ra in series
wilh an inductance La
wher Va applied voltage

and

pg. 6