Control and Communications

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

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

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

Knowledge and Understanding

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

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

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

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Laboratory space and equipment required. Bespoke Laboratory Experiments

Software requirements. Matlab and toolboxes

Internet Resources

Website of the course: copy of the slides used by the lecturers.

Textbooks

L. Hanzo, S. X. Ng, W. T. Webb and T. Keller (2004). Quadrature Amplitude Modulation: From Basics to Adaptive Trellis-Coded, Turbo-Equalised and Space-Time Coded OFDM, CDMA and MC-CDMA Systems. New York, USA: John Wiley, IEEE Press.

Dorf R C & Bishop R H (5). Modern Control Systems. Pearson Prentice Hall.

I. Otung (2001). Communication Engineering Principles. Palgrave.

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.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External