Closed-loop System and Closed-loop Control Systems 02/02/18, 5)25 PM

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Closed-loop Systems
Systems in which the output quantity has no effect
upon the input to the control process are called open-
loop control systems, and that open-loop systems are
just that, open ended non-feedback systems.

But the goal of any electrical or electronic control system is to measure, monitor, and
control a process and one way in which we can accurately control the process is by
monitoring its output and “feeding” some of it back to compare the actual output with the
desired output so as to reduce the error and if disturbed, bring the output of the system
back to the original or desired response.

The quantity of the output being measured is called the “feedback signal”, and the type of
control system which uses feedback signals to both control and adjust itself is called a
Close-loop System.

A Closed-loop Control System, also known as a feedback control system is a control system
which uses the concept of an open loop system as its forward path but has one or more
feedback loops (hence its name) or paths between its output and its input. The reference
to “feedback”, simply means that some portion of the output is returned “back” to the
input to form part of the systems excitation.

Closed-loop systems are designed to automatically achieve and maintain the desired
output condition by comparing it with the actual condition. It does this by generating an
error signal which is the difference between the output and the reference input. In other
words, a “closed-loop system” is a fully automatic control system in which its control
action being dependent on the output in some way.

So for example, consider our electric clothes dryer from the previous open-loop tutorial.
Suppose we used a sensor or transducer (input device) to continually monitor the
temperature or dryness of the clothes and feed a signal relating to the dryness back to the
controller as shown below.

Closed-loop Control

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This sensor would monitor the actual dryness of the clothes and compare it with (or
subtract it from) the input reference. The error signal (error = required dryness – actual
dryness) is amplified by the controller, and the controller output makes the necessary
correction to the heating system to reduce any error. For example if the clothes are too
wet the controller may increase the temperature or drying time. Likewise, if the clothes
are nearly dry it may reduce the temperature or stop the process so as not to overheat or
burn the clothes, etc.

Then the closed-loop configuration is characterised by the feedback signal, derived from
the sensor in our clothes drying system. The magnitude and polarity of the resulting error
signal, would be directly related to the difference between the required dryness and
actual dryness of the clothes.

Also, because a closed-loop system has some knowledge of the output condition, (via the
sensor) it is better equipped to handle any system disturbances or changes in the
conditions which may reduce its ability to complete the desired task.

For example, as before, the dryer door opens and heat is lost. This time the deviation in
temperature is detected by the feedback sensor and the controller self-corrects the error
to maintain a constant temperature within the limits of the preset value. Or possibly stops
the process and activates an alarm to inform the operator.

As we can see, in a closed-loop control system the error signal, which is the difference
between the input signal and the feedback signal (which may be the output signal itself or
a function of the output signal), is fed to the controller so as to reduce the systems error
and bring the output of the system back to a desired value. In our case the dryness of the
clothes. Clearly, when the error is zero the clothes are dry.

The term Closed-loop control always implies the use of a feedback control action in order
to reduce any errors within the system, and its “feedback” which distinguishes the main
differences between an open-loop and a closed-loop system.The accuracy of the output
thus depends on the feedback path, which in general can be made very accurate and
within electronic control systems and circuits, feedback control is more commonly used
than open-loop or feed forward control.

Closed-loop systems have many advantages over open-loop systems. The primary
advantage of a closed-loop feedback control system is its ability to reduce a system’s
sensitivity to external disturbances, for example opening of the dryer door, giving the
system a more robust control as any changes in the feedback signal will result in
compensation by the controller.

Then we can define the main characteristics of Closed-loop Control as being:

To reduce errors by automatically adjusting the systems input.

To improve stability of an unstable system.
To increase or reduce the systems sensitivity.
To enhance robustness against external disturbances to the process.
To produce a reliable and repeatable performance.

Whilst a good closed-loop system can have many advantages over an open-loop control
system, its main disadvantage is that in order to provide the required amount of control, a
closed-loop system must be more complex by having one or more feedback paths. Also, if
the gain of the controller is too sensitive to changes in its input commands or signals it can

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become unstable and start to oscillate as the controller tries to over-correct itself, and
eventually something would break. So we need to “tell” the system how we want it to
behave within some pre-defined limits.

Closed-loop Summing Points

For a closed-loop feedback system to regulate any control signal, it must first determine
the error between the actual output and the desired output. This is achieved using a
summing point, also referred to as a comparison element, between the feedback loop and
the systems input. These summing points compare a systems set point to the actual value
and produce a positive or negative error signal which the controller responds too. where:
Error = Set point – Actual

The symbol used to represent a summing point in closed-loop systems block-

diagram is that of a circle with two crossed lines as shown. The summing point
can either add signals together in which a Plus ( + ) symbol is used showing the
device to be a “summer” (used for positive feedback), or it can subtract signals from each
other in which case a Minus ( − ) symbol is used showing that the device is a “comparator”
(used for negative feedback) as shown.

Summing Point Types

Note that summing points can have more than one signal as inputs either adding or
subtracting but only one output which is the algebraic sum of the inputs. Also the arrows
indicate the direction of the signals. Summing points can be cascaded together to allow
for more input variables to be summed at a given point.

Closed-loop System Transfer Function

The Transfer Function of any electrical or electronic control system is the mathematical
relationship between the systems input and its output, and hence describes the behaviour
of the system. Note also that the ratio of the output of a particular device to its input
represents its gain. Then we can correctly say that the output is always the transfer
function of the system times the input. Consider the closed-loop system below.

Typical Closed-loop System Representation

Where: block G represents the open-loop gains of the controller or system and is the
forward path, and block H represents the gain of the sensor, transducer or measurement
system in the feedback path.

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To find the transfer function of the closed-loop system above, we must first calculate the
output signal θo in terms of the input signal θi. To do so, we can easily write the equations
of the given block-diagram as follows.

The output from the system is equal to: Output = G x Error

Note that the error signal, θe is also the input to the feed-forward block: G

The output from the summing point is equal to: Error = Input - H x Output

If H = 1 (unity feedback) then:

The output from the summing point will be: Error (θe) = Input - Output

Eliminating the error term, then:

The output is equal to: Output = G x (Input - H x Output)

Therefore: G x Input = Output + G x H x Output

Rearranging the above gives us the closed-loop transfer function of:

The above equation for the transfer function of a closed-loop system shows a Plus ( + )
sign in the denominator representing negative feedback. With a positive feedback system,
the denominator will have a Minus ( − ) sign and the equation becomes: 1 - GH.

We can see that when H = 1 (unity feedback) and G is very large, the transfer function
approaches unity as:

Also, as the systems steady state gain G decreases, the expression of: G/(1 + G) decreases
much more slowly. In other words, the system is fairly insensitive to variations in the
systems gain represented by G, and which is one of the main advantages of a closed-loop
system.

Multi-loop Closed-loop System

Whilst our example above is of a single input, single output closed-loop system, the basic
transfer function still applies to more complex multi-loop systems. Most practical
feedback circuits have some form of multiple loop control, and for a multi-loop
configuration the transfer function between a controlled and a manipulated variable
depends on whether the other feedback control loops are open or closed.

Consider the multi-loop system below.

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Any cascaded blocks such as G1 and G2 can be reduced, as well as the transfer function of
the inner loop as shown.

After further reduction of the blocks we end up with a final block diagram which
resembles that of the previous single-loop closed-loop system.

And the transfer function of this multi-loop system becomes:

Then we can see that even complex multi-block or multi-loop block diagrams can be
reduced to give one single block diagram with one common system transfer function.

Closed-loop Motor Control

So how can we use Closed-loop Systems in Electronics. Well consider our DC motor
controller from the previous open-loop tutorial. If we connected a speed measuring
transducer, such as a tachometer to the shaft of the DC motor, we could detect its speed
and send a signal proportional to the motor speed back to the amplifier. A tachometer,
also known as a tacho-generator is simply a permanent-magnet DC generator which gives
a DC output voltage proportional to the speed of the motor.

Then the position of the potentiometers slider represents the input, θi which is amplified
by the amplifier (controller) to drive the DC motor at a set speed N representing the
output, θo of the system, and the tachometer T would be the closed-loop back to the
controller. The difference between the input voltage setting and the feedback voltage
level gives the error signal as shown.

Closed-loop Motor Control

Any external disturbances to the closed-loop motor control system such as the motors
load increasing would create a difference in the actual motor speed and the
potentiometer input set point.

This difference would produce an error signal which the controller would automatically
respond too adjusting the motors speed. Then the controller works to minimize the error
signal, with zero error indicating actual speed which

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equals set point.

Electronically, we could implement such a simple

closed-loop tachometer-feedback motor control
circuit using an operational amplifier (op-amp) for
the controller as shown.

Closed-loop Motor Controller Circuit

This simple closed-loop motor controller can be represented as a block diagram as shown.

Block Diagram for the Feedback Controller

A closed-loop motor controller is a common means of maintaining a desired motor speed

under varying load conditions by changing the average voltage applied to the input from
the controller. The tachometer could be replaced by an optical encoder or Hall-effect type
positional or rotary sensor.

Closed-loop Systems Summary

We have seen that an electronic control system with one or more feedback paths is called
a Closed-loop System. Closed-loop control systems are also called “feedback control
systems” are very common in process control and electronic control systems. Feedback
systems have part of their output signal “fed back” to the input for comparison with the
desired set point condition. The type of feedback signal can result either in positive
feedback or negative feedback.

In a closed-loop system, a controller is used to compare the output of a system with the
required condition and convert the error into a control action designed to reduce the
error and bring the output of the system back to the desired response. Then closed-loop
control systems use feedback to determine the actual input to the system and can have
more than one feedback loop.

Closed-loop control systems have many advantages over open-loop systems. One
advantage is the fact that the use of feedback makes the system response relatively
insensitive to external disturbances and internal variations in system parameters such as
temperature. It is thus possible to use relatively inaccurate and inexpensive components
to obtain the accurate control of a given process or plant.

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Closed-loop System and Closed-loop Control Systems 02/02/18, 5)25 PM

However, system stability can be a major problem especially in badly designed closed-
loop systems as they may try to over-correct any errors which could cause the system to
loss control and oscillate.

In the next tutorial about Electronics Systems, we will look at the different ways in which we
can incorporate a summing point into the input of a system and the different ways in
which we can feed signals back to it.

Read more Tutorials in Systems

1. Electronic Systems
2. Open-loop System
! 3. Closed-loop Systems
4. Feedback Systems
5. Negative Feedback Systems

53 Comments

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B Bright Dhemb
thanks

Posted on January 16th 2018 | 2:44 pm  Reply

N NADEEM AFRIDI
good for the beginners send me more advanced

Posted on January 02nd 2018 | 5:26 am  Reply

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Closed-loop System and Closed-loop Control Systems 02/02/18, 5)25 PM

P Phani
What is the physical difference between 1st order closed loop system and 2nd order closed loop
system?

Posted on December 31st 2017 | 4:06 am  Reply

M Muhammad Nadir
Discuess about controler use oil refinery where we use conrtoler pressure. flow level….where we use
loop system gaskit system

Posted on December 30th 2017 | 7:44 am  Reply

n nicholas
good notes but needs more example diagrams.Block diagram of a canonical control systems

Posted on November 27th 2017 | 2:26 pm  Reply

S Sumit
Well written

Posted on November 27th 2017 | 6:52 am  Reply

R Rajni soni
Great

Posted on October 23rd 2017 | 7:21 am  Reply

D Dheeraj
Great

Posted on October 16th 2017 | 4:48 am  Reply

D Diksha Shinde
Great!

Posted on October 06th 2017 | 2:06 am  Reply

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Closed-loop System and Closed-loop Control Systems 02/02/18, 5)25 PM

W Wgashantha
Iwant to Lauren washing machine p.c.b program and repair.

Posted on October 05th 2017 | 1:22 pm  Reply

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