Experiment class of the “principles of automatic control” has always been a main course for automation and related majors. The course has been opened in Wuhan University for more than 20 years, mainly served for over thousand students every year majoring in automation, electrical engineering and automation, energy power and automation, mechanical design and automation, material forming and automation, energy chemistry and so on. More than 4000 students selected this course since the first course, which is a rare online experimental course.

NCSLab, a networked control platform of Wuhan University, has been open to the public since 2015. Every user, no matter where their geographical location is, as long as they are connected to the Internet, they can pass the unified website anytime and anywhere  https://www.powersim.whu.edu.cn/ncslab, to log in NCSLab and operate the experimental equipment of Wuhan University through remote virtual experiment. NCSLab platform has now opened 6 remote physical experiment platforms and more than 20 virtual experiment platforms, with nearly 6000 registered users.

Based on NCSLab, this course explains the common knowledge of automatic control discipline, such as proportional, integral and differential control, closed-loop control, anti-windup integral algorithm design and system identification. The specific course contents are as follows:

Chapter 1 introduces the emergence, current research background and application of online experiment in detail;

Chapter 2 introduces how to use NCSLab to carry out remote experiment, including two parts: closed-loop control experiment of physical fan, and water level control experiment of physical double tank;

Chapter 3 explains the virtual simulation experiment using NCSLab, specifically the virtual ball-beam proportional differential control experiment;

Chapter 4 describes how to write proportional integral control S-function with anti-windup integral algorithm;

Chapter 5 explains and demonstrates how to obtain the fan system parameters through NCSLab and carry out the fan system mathematical model identification experiment.

This course is the first experiment MOOC in China cooperated with the online experimental teaching platform for experimental teaching, which is also a very cutting-edge exploration and attempt in the world. And it is highly promotional in engineering education.

1. Comprehend and master the control functions of proportion, integral and differential, and learn to use the remote experimental platform NCSLab to carry out relevant experiments to verify the theoretical knowledge;

2. Learn to design control algorithms and use the platform to verify creative ideas;

3. Learn to write S-function and realize anti-windup integral function;

4. Use remote experimental platform NCSLab for system identification.

Basic concepts of automatic control principle, control function of proportion, integral and differential, basic knowledge of MATLAB, basic concepts and methods of system identification.

NCSLab, Networked Control System Laboratory of Wuhan University, https://www.powersim.whu.edu.cn/ncslab

Q : What if there are questions about the course and experiment that cannot be solved?

A : Leave a message in the course comment area, or contact the course assistant by email at guanshiqi@whu.edu.cn