Web-Based Control Education in Matlab

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to point out how Matlab can be exploited in Internet-based control education. As it is known, Matlab is the mathematical software package that was originally developed for computations with matrices. Later, its functionality was completed with Simulink and a number of various toolboxes. Simulink was designed for simulation of dynamical systems. Its graphical interface enables easy manipulation with blocks that form basic dynamical components of a system. In spite of a great number of these predefined blocks the interested user is given by a possibility to create his/her own elements or to group blocks together. Matlab toolboxes are developed for many areas, e.g. symbolic computation, statistics, finances, identification, virtual reality, control, etc. Control education has to cover many topics that lead to the robust implementation of controllers in practice. Starting from system identification, continuing to analysis, controller design and verification via simulation, and ending with implementation on real plants. All these steps can be realized using Matlab, too.

Matlab was primarily oriented to computations that were carried out on a local computer without interaction with any additional equipment. Later, its expansion was also addressed to the development of toolboxes that enabled interaction with other software, applications or even real devices.

Successful running of a local application in Matlab represents only the first step on the way to Internet-based control of Matlab applications. Actually, such applications can be divided into two groups: virtual experiments and remote experiments. Both have their pro-and-con. Matlab computations, simulations, animations belong to virtual experiments. Their advantage consists in the fact that the user can make his/her own decisions, but he/she can also make errors. The process of interactive learning through testing, evaluation, decision-making, and error correction creates a much stronger learning environment than passive instructions. By real experiments the user realizes that the control algorithm designed for the simulated simplified mathematical model may not work properly. It is necessary to take into account the presence of noise, possible delays and unmodelled dynamics. In the case where real experiments are available via the Internet one can talk about remote experiments or remote laboratory, respectively.