Welcome to ECE441A/541A, Fall 2013

Times:MWF 8:00--8:50 PM
Instructors:Dr. Jonathan Sprinkle
 ECE 456N
 Email: sprinkle@ECE.Arizona.Edu (preferred contact method)

Automatic Control

Automatic Control is the use of feedback and composition to achieve desired system behavior. This course covers linear control system representation in time and frequency domains, feedback control system characteristics, performance analysis and stability, and design of control.

Graduate-level requirements include evaluation on the following set of topics: Mathematical Rigor: proofs of various design guidelines; utility of signal norms as principal characteristics of a controller. Robust Control: analysis techniques for controllers with plant or other uncertainty. Project: analysis and design on a relevant novel control systems topic, using rigorous mathematics to prove properties of the system or to validate design goals, presented in the form of a conference paper. Project ideas may be developed with the instructor or graduate advisor.

Note: documents posted prior to the first day of class are considered drafts.

News (comprehensive listing)

(13.03.15) Course introduction notes

  1. In 2011, the course number changed, from ECE441 to ECE441A. The reasons for this are a bit ridiculous, but it is a fact of life.
  2. The Dorf/Bishop book is required for all students, as I will be making homework assignments from it. The electronic version is cheaper, but you should read the fine print.
  3. The Doyle et al. book is required ONLY for graduate students.
  4. If you are an undergraduate and you bought the thin (cheaper) Doyle et al. book (Feedback Control Systems), you will find it interesting and it would help in your understanding of automatic control, but you will not need it for your assignments.
  5. While at the bookstore, you should stock up on green engineering paper and pencils/erasers. I recommend that all homework assignments be submitted on engineering paper, or plain white unruled paper, for readability when grading.
  6. Your life will be much easier (and empirically (statistically), your grades will be higher) if you use pencils to take lecture notes, do homework, and write exams.