ECE 486: Control Systems - Fall 2015

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign


The main web page for this course is maintained by the ECE Department. You'll find it here. This page includes all information about grading, homeworks, exams, TA's, etc.


Daily Schedule of Topics and Reading Assignment
Note: Reading assignments should be completed before the lecture for which they are assigned.
Topics for lectures in the future are subject to change.

Date Topic Reading Assignments   Lecturer  
Aug. 25 General Course Overview: linear systems, block diagrams, open- vs. closed-loop systems, analysis vs. design Read chapters 1 and 2 Hutchinson
Aug. 27 Review of complex variables and Laplace transforms: complex numbers in rectangular and polar coordinates, Laplace transforms, Laplace transform methods for solving linear differential equations, final value theorem Read section 3.1 Hutchinson
Sep. 1 Transfer Functions: impulse response, transfer function, BIBO stability, block diagrams Read section 3.2 Hutchinson
Sep. 3 Second order systems: general form, poles, damping ratio, natural frequency, transient response, rise time, overshoot, settling time, the effects of adding zero's Read sections 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 Hutchinson
Sep. 8 State space: concept of state, constructing state space equations, the simple DC motor example Read sections 7.1 and 7.2 Hutchinson
Sep. 10 Linearization: Taylor series, regulation about a fixed point, state space formulation, simple pendulum example Read sections 9.1 and 9.2.1 Hutchinson

Sep. 15 Introduction to feedback control: magnetic levitating ball example, principles and goals for control systems, single-loop systems, integral control Read sections 4.1 and 4.2 Belabbas
Sep. 17 Disturbance rejection and PID control: system type, frequency domain view of disturbance, transfer function for disturbance, PID control (various combinations), DC motor revisited Read sections 3.6 and 4.3 Belabbas
Sep. 22 Routh stability criterion; Root Locus: basic idea, DC motor example, root locus equations, number of branches, open-loop poles to open-loop zeros, phase conditions, branches on the real axis Read sections 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 Belabbas
Sep. 24 Root Locus (cont.) asymptotes, intercepts of asymptotes, Routh criterion for jw-axis intersection, break-away points, examples Belabbas
Sep. 29 Examples: DC motor (P, PD, PID control), general observations, satellite control (many variations) Belabbas
Oct. 1 Lead compensation: approximating PD control, dynamic compensation, lead compensation, DC motor example Read section 5.4 Belabbas
Oct. 6 Lead-Lag Compensation: basic concept of lag compensation, review of steady-state error and error constants, lag and dynamic response, DC motor revisited Read section 5.5 Belabbas

Oct. 8 Frequency-response design method: brief review of complex variables, frequency response of a linear system to a sinusoid, Bode form, log plots, classes of terms for transfer functions Read section 6.1 Hutchinson
Oct. 13 Bode plots for classes of terms: constant terms, poles or zeroes at the origin, poles or zeroes on the real axis, complex conjugate poles or zeroes Hutchinson
Oct. 15 Exam 1
Oct. 20 Examples, Resonant frequency, resonant peak value, bandwidth Read sections 6.2 and 6.4 Hutchinson
Oct. 22 Nonminimum phase systems, steady-state errors (and system type, again), stability and stability margins, gain and phase margins, phase margin and damping ratio, lead compensation in the frequency domain Read sections 6.5, 6.6, 6.7 Hutchinson
Oct. 27 Examples using lead compensation, DC motor revisited (root locus vs. frequency domain methods) Hutchinson
Oct. 29 Nyquist Stability Criterion: image of a contour under a complex function, argument principle, Nyquist contour and Nyquist plots. Read Section 6.3 Hutchinson
Nov. 3 Nyquist Stability Criterion: constructing Nyquist plots from Bode plots, poles on the imaginary axis, stability, gain and phase margins. Hutchinson