Cal Poly Students Develop Hydraulic Servo Control Systems Using Model-Based Design with Simulink

Model-Based Design with Simulink® and Real-Time Windows Target™ has changed the way we teach mechanical controls at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) San Luis Obispo. In ME 422 - Mechanical Controls, a fast-paced introduction to control theory required of all seniors in the Mechanical Engineering department, students use MATLAB® and Simulink to process lab data and model and simulate open- and closed-loop systems. Because they have used the MATLAB environment throughout their undergraduate studies, they hit the ground running in the course labs. Most important, Simulink and Real-Time Windows Target enable them to connect control design theory with practical implementation by rapidly implementing a real-time controller prototype.
 
By Charles Birdsong, Ph.D., California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo
 
This article was published in MATLAB Digest | Academic Edition