Mech 467/567 Automation

This is a conjoint course that can be taken by undergraduate and graduate students. It is an introduction to control systems and automation technologies. Control systems are widely used in industry as well as in our daily lives. Regulation of temperature in a room, cruise control of an automobile, trajectory control of a space shuttle, motion control of a robot are just a few examples of things that are achieved by control systems. The course consists of four main sections:

• Introduction to automation
• Control modes, process control, controller design and implementation
• Programmable logic controller (PLC) technology
• Introduction to basic concepts of industrial robots and robot programming.

Course outcomes:

Students will be able to:

• Choose appropriate transfer function models based on the dynamic response of a system.
  
• Analyze system response using mathematical models.
• Validate theory with experimental results.
• Choose an appropriate controller to meet performance requirements.
• Design controllers using the root-locus method.
• Produce lab reports explaining lab activities and results.
• Write PLC programs, simulate system response.
• Use MATLAB software for analysis.

Course syllabus [PDF]