3.

4 Monitoring and Control System

Objective:
 Show an understanding of monitoring and control systems Including:
• Difference between monitoring and control
• Use of sensors (including temperature, pressure, infra-red, sound) and actuators
• Importance of feedback

SENSORS are input devices which read or measure physical properties such as temperature,
pressure, acidity and so on.
SENSORS measure physical properties and read data is ANALOGUE in nature which means it is
constantly changing and doesn’t have a discrete value. Computers cannot make any sense of this
analogue data and data needs to be converted into a digital format by using ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL
CONVERTER (ADC). This device converts physical values into discrete digital values.

When computer is used to control devices, such as a motor or a valve, it is necessary to use a
DIGITAL TO ANALOGUE CONVERTER (DAC) since these devices need analogue data to operate.
An ACTUATOR is used in these control applications.

Actuator is device that accept a signal from computer and turn it into a physical movement.
It is also known as output transducer. Transducer is a device which converts one form of
energy to another e.g. light bulb, electric motor, microphone, loudspeaker etc.
Examples of Actuator : • A lamp which converts electricity to light. • A loudspeaker which
converts electricity to sound. • A heater which converts electricity to heat.
• A motor which converts electricity into movement.
Types of Sensors and their application
Sensors Applications
Magnetic Field Used in anti-lock braking systems in motor vehicles
pH Monitor/control acidity/alkalinity levels in the soil in a greenhouse.
Pollution/environmental monitoring in rivers

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 Monitoring and Control System

Gas Monitor pollution levels in a river or in the air.

Measure O2 and CO2 levels in a greenhouse.
Check for CO2 leaks in a power station.
Acoustic/sound Pick up noise levels (e.g. footsteps) in a burglar alarm system.
Detect the noise of liquids dripping in a pipe
Pressure Detect intruders in a burglar alarm system
Monitor/control a process where gas pressure is important
Turn on the windscreen wipers on a car automatically.
infra-red / Motion Detect intruders in a burglar alarm system.
Count people entering/leaving a building.
Switch street lighting on at night and off during the day.
Light Monitor/control light levels in a greenhouse.
Automatically switch on a car’s headlights when it gets dark.
Control a central heating system.
Thermocouple Control/monitor a chemical process.
Control/monitor the temperature in a greenhouse.
Moisture/humidity Control/monitor the moisture levels in soil in a greenhouse.

Sensor for measuring temperature is a thermocouple which outputs an electrical voltage

that changes with temperature.

Advantage and Disadvantage of using Sensor:

Advantage Disadvantage
Readings taken using sensors are Faulty sensors can give bogus results.
generally more accurate that those Example: if sensors on rear bumper of a car which
taken by human operators. monitor for obstacles become dirty, they may either
not identify an obstacle or give a continuous alarm.

Monitoring Applications
Monitoring System can be used to create record of condition of a
system over a period of time.
Computerised monitoring system is system designed to watch or monitor some state
external to computer system.
Monitoring process is automatic and there no human interaction.
A monitoring system is used to detect when a particular physical property of a system goes
outside a desired range; for example, if CPU is too hot.

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 3.4 Monitoring and Control System

Control Applications
A control system has monitoring activity plus capability to control
a system. Control element of a monitoring and control system needs a device called an
actuator. Feedback is essential in a Control system.
Advantage of using Control System:
 Computers can respond very rapidly to change.
 Systems can run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
 Control systems can operate in places that humans would find dangerous or awkward.
 Outputs are Consistent and Error free.
 Computers can process data quickly and machines can operate faster than humans.
Closed Loop Feedback:
A closed-loop feedback control system is a special type of monitoring and
control system where feedback directly controls operation. A microprocessor functions as
controller. This compares value for actual output, as read by sensor, with desired output.
It then transmits a value to actuator which depends on difference calculated.

Example of Closed Loop Feedback System

 Importance of feedback in a control system.

To ensure system operates with the given criteria by enabling system output to affect
subsequent system input thus allowing conditions to be automatically adjusted.

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 Monitoring and Control System

Example of use of Sensors in both Monitoring and Control applications.

Monitoring Applications Control Application
Monitoring a patient in hospital for vital signs Turning street lights on at night and turning
such as heart rate, temperature, and so on. them off again during daylight.
Checking for intruders in a burglar alarm Controlling the temperature in a central
system. heating/air conditioning system.
Checking temperature levels in a car engine. Controlling the traffic lights at a road junction.
Monitoring pollution levels in a river. Operating anti-lock brakes on a car when
necessary.
Controlling the environment in a greenhouse.

How a monitoring and control system works?

Step # 1: Sensors continuously take readings and sent to processor.
Step # 2 Analog sensors reading are converted to digital using ADC so that computer can
process them.
Step # 3: Microprocessor process sensors readings by comparing sensor reading to a
stored pre-set value.
Monitoring System:
Step 4: If data is outside acceptable range, a warning message is sent to a screen or an
alarm is activated.
Step # 5: Microprocessor has no effect on what is being monitored – it is simply ‘watching’
process.
Control Systems:
Step # 4: If data is outside acceptable range, microprocessor sends signals to control
valves, motors and so on.
Step # 5: Output from system affects next inputs from sensors.
Step # 6. Computer takes action by sending a digital signal to specific actuator.
Step# 7: Processor produce digital signal but actuator may require analog signal therefore
Digital to Analog Converter (ADC) is required.
Step # 8: Actuator will turn off / on device like heater, door etc.
Monitoring Applications:

a) Monitoring of patients in a hospital:

 Sensors are attached to patient to measure temperature, heart rate, breathing rate.
 Sensors are attached to computer system and sensors constantly send data back to the
computer system. Computer samples the data at frequent intervals.

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 3.4 Monitoring and Control System

 Range of acceptable values for each parameter is preset in to the computer. Computer
microprocessor compares values from the sensors with preset value.
 If anything is out of acceptable range, signal is sent by computer to sound alarm. If data
from sensors is within range, values are shown in graphical form on screen.
 Monitoring continues until sensors are disconnected from patient.
b) Burglar Alarm System:
Burglar alarm monitoring system will carry out following actions:
 System is activated by keying in a password on a keypad.
 Infra-red sensor picks up movement of person in building, Acoustic sensor picks up sounds
such as footsteps and Pressure sensor picks up weight of person coming through window.
 Sensor data is passed through ADC to convert analogue data into digital data.
 Microprocessor will sample digital data coming from these sensors at a given time and
data is compared with preset values by microprocessor.
 If any of incoming data values are outside acceptable range, then microprocessor sends a
signal to:
• A siren to sound the alarm, or • A light to start flashing.
 Alarm continues to sound/lights continue to flash until system is reset with a password.
Control Applications:
a) Control of Street lighting:
Microprocessor is used to control operation of street lamp.
 Lamp is fitted with light sensor which constantly sends data to microprocessor. Data value
from sensor changes according to weather (sunny, cloudy, raining or night time).
 Light Sensor sends data to ADC which will convert Analogue Signal to Digital Signal and
sends it to the microprocessor. Microprocessor samples the data every minute.
 If data from sensor is less than Preset value stored in memory then signal is sent from
microprocessor to street lamp and lamp is switched on.
 If data from sensor is greater than preset value stored in memory then signal is sent from
microprocessor to street lamp and lamp is switched off.
b) Anti-Lock Braking Systems:
 ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEMS (ABS) on cars use Magnetic Field Sensors to stop wheels
locking up on car if brakes have been applied too sharply.
 When one of car wheels rotates too slowly (i.e. it is locking up).
 Magnetic field sensor sends data to microprocessor.
 Microprocessor checks rotation speed of other three wheels.
 If they are different (i.e. rotating faster), microprocessor sends a signal to braking system
and braking pressure to affected wheel is reduced, wheel’s rotational speed is then
increased to match other wheels.

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 Monitoring and Control System

 Checking rotational speed using these magnetic field sensors is done several times a
second and braking pressure to all wheels can be constantly changing to prevent any of
wheels locking up under heavy braking; this is felt as a ‘judder’ on brake pedal as braking
system is constantly switched off and on to equalize rotational speed of all four wheels.
 If one of wheels is rotating too quickly, braking pressure is increased to that wheel until
it matches other three.
List Down Difference between Monitoring and Control System:
• Monitoring system does not control any process means there are not actuators involved
while control systems control some process.
• Control system output effects input, there is continues feedback.

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Computer Science IGCSE, O & A level By Engr M Kashif 03345606716