Subject description
The course treats measurement systems, controllers, and actuators used in the following problem areas: process industry, manufacturing industry, and robotics. It will also deal with some special cases of measurement systems for substance analysis, analytical measurements, microsensors, biosensors, and virtual sensors. The following chapters will be covered:
Basic principles of control systems.
Safety standards in the area of automation systems (Ingress Protection – IP, IK rating, equipment in hazardous areas)
Standard signals of control systems.
Measurement systems:
sensors (position, path, speed, acceleration, force, torque, level, flow, temperature, pressure, proximity, distance, humidity, thermal conductivity, viscosity, density, analytical measurements, special measurements),
vision-based measurement systems,
transmitters.
Actuator systems:
actuators (electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic motors, control and on/off valves, pumps)
power converters (frequency converter, relay, electro-pneumatic valve, electro-hydraulic valve etc.)
Process Controllers and Programmable Logic Controllers.
Main stress will be given to parameterisation of instrumentation and its implementation in the control and supervisory systems.
The subject is taught in programs
Electrical engineering 1st level
Objectives and competences
Get to know fundamental instrumentation in control systems practice and their implementation from engineer's (user/maintainer/control system designer) point of view.
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures, seminar, laboratory exercises, excursions to industiral and semi-industrial plants.
Expected study results
After successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
– differentiate among basic control principles,
– explain the working principles of most often used sensors and actuators in control systems,
– state the important standards in the area of control systems,
– describe the most common automation instrumentation,
– understand the communication in control systems,
– choose an appropriate control system instrumentation for a specific task.
Basic sources and literature
- A. Belič: Gradniki in tehnologije v sistemih vodenja. Založba FE in FRI, Ljubljana, 2012.
- R. Karba: Gradniki sistemov vodenja, Založba FE in FRI, Ljubljana, 1994.
- J. Kocijan, J. Petrovčič: Praktični vidiki uporabe gradnikov v sistemih vodenja, Založba FE in FRI, Ljubljana, 2002 .
- C. W. de Silva: Sensors and actuators: control systems instrumentation, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 2007.
- J. Stenerson: Fundamentals of Programmable Logic Controllers, Sensors and Communication, Regents/Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1994.
- S. Strmčnik in soavtorji: Celostni pristop k računalniškem vodenju procesov, Založba FE in FRI, Ljubljana, 1998.
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