CAMBRIDGE – COMPUTING 9608 – GCE A2

3.6 MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS

3.6.1 OVERVIEW OF MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS

REAL-TIME APPLICATIONS

A real-time system is one that can react quickly enough to data input to affect the real world. If this
is true, it implies that the output from the system must be produced quickly enough to produce the
effect on the outside world before that world has enough time to change. Consider the case of the
airline booking system. The “world” that we are talking about is the world of the database that
contains all the booking details. The use of a real-time system here refers to the concept that if a
ticket is bought by a member of the public, the database must be updated before the next person
has a chance to book a ticket. Notice that the idea of working “incredibly fast” or “in a billionth of a
second” does not apply here. In some real-time applications these comments may be reasonable,
but it depends on the ‘world’ that the application is concerned with.

When asked to describe a real-time application, the first thing that needs to be described is the
world of the application. Everything else falls into place. Students should then describe the hardware
necessary to allow input and output from that world and the decisions that the software must take.

A nuclear reactor may start to react too violently and sensors inform the computer controlling the
reaction that this is happening. The computer takes the decision to insert the graphite rods to slow
the reaction down. This is a real-time application. The world of the application has been identified,
the input devices are the sensors that inform the computer of the state of the reaction, the
computer makes an immediate decision and the graphite rods are now moved into place. Notice
that the rods moving is not immediate but will take place over a period of time, however the
decision was taken immediately. Note also that the sensors simple report on the state of the world,
there is no hint at decision making on the part of the sensors. Many students would phrase their
answer in the form of “The sensors spot that the reaction is too violent and the processor makes a,
b, c, d changes”. Here, the sensors are being credited with having processing power in that they can
interpret the readings that are produced.

Students should also be able to identify when a real-time system is appropriate as opposed to a
system where the decision making is in some way delayed.

CONTROL SYSTEMS

A control system typically comprises of a computer or a microprocessor, a control program which

handles data from sensors and sends signals to output devices and an interface box to convert
signals between the sensors and the processor.

 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.

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 CAMBRIDGE – COMPUTING 9608 – GCE A2

Computers are now used to control many types of devices such as:

 Air conditioning and central heating systems in large buildings.

 Security systems and burglar alarms.
 Manufacturing process.
 Traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

SENSORS

A sensor is an input device that captures physical data. It converts physical quantities into electrical
voltages. It is also known as “input transducer”.

Examples:

 LDR converts brightness (of light) to resistance.

 Thermistor converts temperature to resistance.
 Microphone converts sound to voltage.
 Variable resistor converts position (angle) to resistance.

Tactile Sensors are employed wherever interactions between a contact surface and the environment
are to be measured and registered. Tactile sensors are useful in a wide variety of applications for
robotics and computer hardware. In robotics, tactile sensors provide useful information about the
state of contact between a robot hand and an object in pretension.

Use of sensors:

 Light sensors can be used to detect low light levels so that street lighting is turned on. It could
also be used to detect the light reflected from a barcode.
 Temperature sensors are used for example, in central heating systems to keep the temperature
of a house constant. Or in air conditioners to keep the room at a constant temperature.
 Sound sensors are used by environmental health officers to record the level of sound coming
from shops, houses, etc. where loud music is being played.
 pH sensors are used to find out how basic or acidic a solution is.
 Humidity sensors are used to determine the amount of moisture present in the air or in the soil.

Using sensors in hospitals:

 Respiration
 Blood pressure
 Temperature
 Electrical activity of the heart and pulse

All the above can be measured by the sensors. A computer is used to continually monitor the results
from the sensors and if the patient’s condition changes suddenly, then an alarm sounded to alert the
medical staff.

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 CAMBRIDGE – COMPUTING 9608 – GCE A2

One last point about sensors, there are many different sensors as there are physical quantities that
need measuring, but their reports need to be kept as simple as possible to allow the processor to
make decisions quickly. The idea of a sensor being a TV camera because it can show the processor
what is going on in a large area is unrealistic because it would be providing too much information.
What would be possible would be a TV picture which could be scanned by a processor for any kind
of movement in order to indicate the presence of a burglar. Never forget that the processor is
limited in the amount of data that can be interpreted just like the software that the processor is
running.

ACTUATORS

An actuator is a device used to carry out the physical requirements of a computer. Alternatively, an
actuator is the device that can accept a signal from the computer and turn it into a physical
movement. It is also known as output transducer.

Examples include:

 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.

An actuator motor would, for example, be used to open a window in a greenhouse when it gets too
hot inside.

ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL CONVERSION

Data such as pressure, light and temperature is analogue data. Computers only work with digital
data. An interface box or an analogue to digital converter (ADC) is needed to convert the analogue
data from sensors into digital data for the computer to process.

FEEDBACK CYCLE

The diagram below shows a control program for maintaining the water level in a fish tank.

The control program stores the highest and the lowest acceptable water levels and what action to
take if they are exceeded. This process is continuous and is referred to as a feedback cycle.

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 CAMBRIDGE – COMPUTING 9608 – GCE A2

A COMPUTER-CONTROLLED GREENHOUSE

To get the best plant growing conditions, temperature and humidity (moisture in the air) have to be
controlled.

The greenhouse therefore has temperature and humidity sensors linked to a computer, and the
computer has a control program storing the details of the correct temperature and humidity
settings. The greenhouse is fitted with a heater, sprinkler and window monitor is also linked to the
computer.

 If the humidity falls below the values stored in the program, the computer activates the
sprinklers and closes the windows.

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 CAMBRIDGE – COMPUTING 9608 – GCE A2

 If the temperature falls outside the values stored in the program, the heater is activated by the
computer.

The system monitors the conditions day and night with immediate response to any changes. To alter
the growing conditions, the values in the computer program can of course be changed.

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