TEACHING CONTROL LAB WITH A REDUCED-SCALE ELEVATOR

Abstract

DOI: 10.14684/intertech.13.2014.68-72

This paper describes the position control of a small-scale elevator, developed to teach Control in Electrical and in Control & Automation Engineering at Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The hardware was implemented in analog mode, with the elevator's power drive and position sensor showing good performance. The unstable integrator process was modeled through an innovative open-loop method, based on the position response to a step on the motor voltage. The well known frequency response method was also employed. A PID controller was designed, implemented and tested. Perturbations like impulses on the carriage were introduced, and the controller reacted to recuperate the desired position. The experimental module showed good technical and methodological results, being a cheaper alternative to the expensive modules found in the market. The utilization of waste electronic materials encourages students to construct their own plants and motivates them to preserve natural resources. Index Terms - Analog and Digital Control, Control Laboratory, Education in Electrical and in Control & Automation Engineering, Employment of Waste Electronic Pieces.