Interactive educational tool for compensators design in MATLAB® using frequency response analysis

Abstract

This article presents an educational platform developed to support the teaching of compensators design in a basic control theory course. The application consists of a graphical user interface in MATLAB®, and further connection to the plant under study through the data acquisition toolbox, and a data acquisition card. The developed system allows the students to experiment with parameter changes in the controllers under study, such as gain, overshoot, settling time, and peak time, and visualize results obtained from simulated or real signals. The methodology is based on the frequency response analysis. Typical Bode, root locus, and unit step response plots are easily obtained for a system before and after compensation, in a dynamical way. A modular design allows the students to easily upgrade the application in order to include further methodologies. Results derived from its use in undergraduate and graduate courses are presented. MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 22:699–707, 2014; View this article online at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI

Interactive educational tool for the design of compensators using frequency response analysis

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