The Department of Process Control offers a Bachelor’s Degree Course (first level) in Automatics and Metrology field of study. At this level students do not choose any specialization.
It also prepares graduates for Master’s Diploma (second level) in the specialization of:
Automatics and metrology
The Automatics and Metrology specialization is available within the framework of full time and extra-mural studies, after finishing which the students obtain M.Sc. degree.
The plans and programmes of the course are constructed in a way that enables students to move from full-time to extra-mural courses, and the other way round. The B.Sc. courses are aimed at preparing graduates to perform basic tasks as regards designing and operating control systems. The M.Sc. studies develop an engineer’s knowledge and consequently he/she is able to formulate and analyse problems, as well as to conduct research.
During the studies graduates gain necessary theoretical and practical knowledge concerning methods of describing, designing, building, testing and applying various control systems. It is all studied in the course of general and specialist subjects, such as Metrology, Hydraulic and Pneumatic Drive and Control, Control Theory, Identification of Technological Processes, Industrial Controllers, Operation of Automation Systems, Supervisory Control Systems, Industrial Measuring and Control Systems, Automated Manufacturing Systems, Management and Marketing.
Putting this knowledge into practice, as well as developing it, takes place in the form of writing progress reports and dissertations. Students may also actively participate in the work of the scientific circle, camps and symposiums.
Our graduates are well prepared to solve technical problems concerning industrial systems and the systems of automatics and automation. Additionally, they are able to conduct scientific research at universities and research and development centres.
Study Program
Below you will find timetables for bachelor and master degree courses. The plans are presented in the pdf format, available for download.
Automatics and Robotics field of study. Full time Bachelor Studies (first level).
Automatics and Metrology specialization realised within Automatics and Robotics field of study. Full time Master Degree Studies (second level).
Subjects
Below we present chosen subjects taught in our department.
Components and Systems of Control Engineering
Industrial processes are continual, binary, discrete. The hierarchical structure of industry processes, properties of algorithms hierarchically connected. Objectives, interferences, variables of the basic layers of the structure. Hardware structure of automation systems. Analogue and digital machines in process controlling. Computer control systems: supervisory, direct, advisory. Digital elementary and complex units of hardware structure. Combinative and sequential systems.
Production Process Automation
Industrial processes. Usefulness and possibilities of automation. The structure of automated industrial processes. Automation of selected operations. The principles of designing automated workstations with production robots. Automation and robotization of selected production processes: assembly, welding, palletising, painting, operating numerically controlled machines. Examples of robotic workstations in some industries. Project on automation for selected production processes.
Digital Control
Classification of digital elements. Stages of digital system design. Discreet models of continuous objects.Basic structures of the digital control systems. The basic algorithms of digital control. Unconventional algorithms of digital control. Selecting parameters of the digital control algorithms. Digital compensation systems. Control systems with fuzzy controllers. Adaptive digital control systems. Digital structures for visualization and computer supervision of industrial processes.
Operation of Automation and Robotics Systems
Operation characteristics. Design of operational features. Theory of faults. Methods of operational testing. Operating conditions and their influence on the reliability of automation systems. Designing the reliability of complex systems. Structural reliability. Operating system support. Reparability and renewal of the systems. Computer simulation of reliability. Diagnostic testing. Redundant systems. Control of the technical systems operating.
Fluid Power Control Systems
Hydraulic components of automation systems. The properties of servo valves and proportional selector valves. Servo valve technique used in hydraulic control systems. Analysis and synthesis of the systems and hydraulic components. Selected models of volumetric and throttling control systems. Pneumatic components of the automation systems. Selected sub-assemblies and parts of the pneumatic components. Proportional valve control systems. Energy-efficient valve systems. Electronics in pneumatic and hydraulic components.
Signal Analysis and Identification
Deterministic and stochastic processes and their mathematical description. Identification of linear dynamic SISO and MIMO systems. Discrete dynamic models of technical systems. Identification of discrete dynamic models. Rules of dynamic model creation for technical systems. Identification of models for technical systems with feedback control.
Intelligent Measuring Transducers
Components of the intelligent system. Methods of knowledge representation and acquisition. Reasoning methods. Reasoning with incomplete and uncertain information. Classification and the structure of intelligent measuring transducers. The structure and functioning of semiconductor detectors for measuring. Data acquisition in intelligent measuring – controlling systems. Fuzzy transducers. Self-learning transducers. Expert transducers. Methods of designing intelligent fuzzy transducers.
Advanced control systems
The structures of computer controlling systems. Controlling layers. The design and selection criteria for controllers (SIEMENS, OMRO, GE-FANUC). Practical realization of PID controllers in control systems. Selection of the proper program structure and directives to create time-optimized software. Methods of data transmission between controllers and industrial networks: information (ETHERNET), controlling, fittings (Profibus DP, DeviceNet, ASI). Controller installation: recognizing types of the interference, selection of casing types, start-up of installation, protection against overvoltage and earthing.
Optimization and numerical methods
The mathematical fundamentals in algebra and matrix theory. Defining the conditional extrema for the functions. Static optimization, classification of the algorithms for locating the minimum value, locating the minima with and without limits. Dynamic optimization. Concepts of dynamic programming, the role of optimization, the principle of optimality, the principle of the maximum value, time-optimized controlling, optimal controlling with quadratic quality rating taken into consideration. Discrete optimizing.
Measurement and Instrumentation
Basic concepts in metrology. The SI units system, standards. Performing measurements. The elements of the measurement track. Measurement methods. Accuracy and measurement errors. Elaboration of measurement results. Static and dynamic properties of the measurement track elements. Classification of measuring detectors. Standardization of measurement signals. Analogue and digital measurement. Selected measurement techniques. The objectives of measurement systems.
Hydraulic and Pneumatic Drive and Control
Transmitting energy in hydraulic drives. Classification, construction, movement parameters and graphic symbols of hydraulic components. Component interconnection and selected hydraulic drives and controllers. Basis of calculations for hydraulic drives. The structure of the pneumatic drive. The intended use, classification, construction and graphic symbols of pneumatic elements. Selected examples of hydraulic drives and control systems. Construction and movement parameters. Basis of calculation for pneumatic drives.
Control Theory Fundamentals
Basic terms and notions, simple and feedback control. Mathematical models of elements and systems. Laplace’s transformation and transfer function. Elements of control systems. Time and frequency characteristics. Block diagrams. Characteristics of objects. Controllers. Requirements of control systems. Stability of control systems. Static accuracy and dynamic quality. Digital control systems. Switching systems.
Designing Hydraulic and Pneumatic Drive and Control Systems
Structure of hydraulic system. Hydraulic systems under volumetric and throttling control. Electro-hydraulic systems. Synthesis of schematic diagrams. General principles of designing systems. Computer aided design. Structure of a pneumatic system. The rules of selecting power transmission systems and air preparation unit. The principles of designing pneumatic systems. Selection of the control system elements. Analysis of the system operation. Computer programs used in pneumatic system design.
Measurement Systems
The objectives of the measurement tracks. Measurement systems. Measuring transducers for non-electric values. Mechanical, electric and specialized transducers. Hardware structureof digital measuring tracks. Functional structure and equipment requirements in measuring systems. Synchronous and asynchronous measuring. Automation of measuring. Functional structure and equipment requirements of automated measurement systems. The structure and aims of selected measuring systems.
Programmable Logic Controllers – PLC
Classification of digital control systems. The structure of programmable logic controllers (PLC). Programming commands. Methods of programming PLC. Utilizing the interrupts in digital control systems. The principles of selecting PLC configurations. PLC network systems and Internet protocols. Cooperation between PLC and visualization software, control programs and computer supervision of industrial processes.
Supervisory Control Systems
Hierarchization of control structures. Controlling layers. Structures of adaptive control systems. Optimal and extreme controlling systems. Extreme control in open and loop control systems. Self-learning systems. Multiprocessor control systems. Parallel data processing. Language of parallel programming. Multiprocessor controllers. Heuristic algorithms in supervisory controlling. Structure of diagnostic supervisory control systems. Monitoring systems. Design of an adaptive control system.
Artificial Intelligence and Automatic Control
Classification and construction techniques for smart control systems. Heuristic control algorithms. Methods of machine learning. Expert control systems. Structure of the meta-system. Fuzzy control systems. Design of fuzzy logic control system. Self learning systems based on neural networks. Neural network in diagnostics. Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems. Application of fuzzy logic controllers for nonlinear objects with variable parameters. Neural network in adaptive systems.
Microprocessor engineering
Basics of Boolean algebra. Digital information coding. Logical gates, triggers, memories. Combination and sequence blocks. Programmable logical structures. Microprocessor system. Microprocessors and microcontrollers. Microprocessor architectures. Programme algorithm creation. Serial and parallels buses. Digital signal processors. Application of microcontrollers in control systems and data acquisition systems.
Continuous control
Linear control SISO systems. Control analysis with the use of root lines. Linear controllers in control systems. Parametric synthesis of controllers. SISO control systems with time-delay. Stability of time-delay control systems. Critical time-delay. Synthesis of linear controllers for time-delay systems. Non-linear SISO control systems. Static characteristics of non-linear systems. Systems with relay controllers.
Automata theory
Automaton as a model of a switching system. Analytical description of the switching system structure. Switching functions. Switching functions minimization. Relation between logic systems and automata. Combination systems. Static and dynamic hazard. Structure and methods of description and synthesis of sequential systems. Minimization of the number of internal states. Structural synthesis. Race condition phenomenon. Application of switching systems.
Multitasking operating systems
General-purpose operating systems. Multi user and multi-purpose aspects of real-time operating system. System architecture, installation, limitations in resource protection, register design, register operating, mating the systems with external devices. SQL server. Introduction to programming. Methods of integrating various operating systems.