Automatic control
Automatic control is "The sience of automated systems". Automatic control Engineering is a broad and exciting area of technology with a long history. Already in the 1700s they used Centrifugalregulator to ensure that windmills spinning at constant speed and the same system was applied later for steam engines. Control systems have long been used in automatic pilots for airplanes and boats. Already in 1912 designed the American inventor Elmer A. Sperry, an autopilot for the aircraft.
Simply put, automatic control theory is about to control systems so that they behave as desired.
Some examples where automatic control technology is used are space travel, skyscrapers in order to reduce the sway-tion, or for climate control in buildings and vehicles. Control is also used in telecommunications to create interference broadcasting and in a processing plant, there may be thousands of control loops for controlling pressure, temperature, flow, etc. Many systems in the human body can also be described in terms of control engineering, such as regulation of body temperature and light control in the eye.
The use of computers has revolutionized automatic control technology, and there is a constantly evolving with new applications in all possible areas. The subject has also been a renaissance in intelligent functions are introduced in different types of embedded systems.
Research profile
The research group at the university has several long-term collaborative projects based in industry needs to streamline its processes. Project focus is the development and application of control theory. Currently we are working with companies such as. ABB, SSAB, LKAB, Boliden, SCA, Skellefteå Kraft and Volvo CE.
From theory to application
The group is known for the research findings to reach out to industry, primarily through a strong involvement in the Process IT Innovations. Research in Control has resulted in commercial products including cranes, paper machines and coal injection plants.
Courses in control engineering at both undergraduate and graduate level are given in many college and engineering program at the university, for example Bilsystemteknik, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Applied Physics and Electrical.
