Control and Communications

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The principles of communications and control theory
• The techniques used to design and analyse the performance of control systems
• Analogue and digital modulation

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Analyse and design simple linear control and modulation systems.
• Program control system design and analysis problems in MATLAB
• Engage proficiently with the more advanced signal processing, communications and control courses
• Use MATLAB as a design and simulation tool.
• Understand the relevance of the frequency-domain analysis in engineering
• Apply time and frequency domain techniques for the analysis of linear systems of any order.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Use the control and communications point of view to analyse problems arising in other disciplines

Control (26 lectures):

• Recap of the Laplace Transform and its properties, including initial and final value theorem
• Differential equations and transfer functions
• Characteristic equation
• Block diagram notation
• Use of Matlab and other CAD tools
• Feedback Control Systems
• Open loop v closed loop
• Stability
• Sensitivity
• Disturbance rejection
• Transient response
• Steady state error
• Root Locus Analysis
• Bode Plots
• Gain and Phase Margin, Bandwidth
• Estimation of system transfer functions
• Stability in the Frequency Domain
• Nyquist Stability Criterion
• Gain and Phase Margin
• Controller Design
• Common control methodologies
• PI, PD and PID, Pole placement, Pole-zero cancellation
• Compensators, Phase Lead and Lead-Lag
• Benefits and Disadvantages - the need for other control strategies

Communications (10 lectures):

Analogue modulation:

• AM, DSBSC and SSB with tone modulation; transmission band width
• FM; defining equations and simple waveforms, modulation index, bandwidth, capture ratio
• Noise and distortion

Digital Modulation:

• ASK, PSK, QPSK; constellation diagram
• Pulse shaping, eye diagram
• Demodulation and detection
• Symbol and bit error probabilities
• Comparison of analogue and digital modulation,
• Software defined radio outlook

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.