2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper presents a three-part laboratory sequence designed to bridge the gap between the mathematical rigor of automatic control theory and the practical skills required to develop and implement a feedback control system. The laboratory immerses students in a realistic development scenario centered on the design of an automatic door system. Framed as a hypothetical yet authentic engineering application, the project requires students to complete (1) analytical system modeling, (2) experimental model validation, and (3) real-time controller implementation.

In the first phase, students develop a theoretical actuator–plant model and design a closed-loop controller in simulation, which is tuned to meet preliminary performance objectives. The second phase emphasizes experimental validation, during which students test the physical hardware to refine model parameters, characterize feedback sensor behavior, and identify potential nonlinear effects such as dead-zones (biases) and saturation (thresholds). The validated model is then used to re-tune and verify the controller in simulation. In the final phase, students implement their closed-loop control system on the physical hardware under more demanding performance requirements, including precise door position tracking. Achieving these objectives requires students to design custom time-based reference trajectories to replace the step inputs commonly used during controller tuning.

Assessment of student performance is based on the accuracy of the identified system models, the ability of the designed controllers to meet specified performance criteria, and the successful execution of the real-time control implementation. The laboratory sequence provides a cohesive, hands-on progression from theoretical modeling to hardware deployment, reinforcing core feedback control concepts while emphasizing model-based design and analytically driven engineering decision making. The sequence has been implemented successfully over multiple semesters, with assessment results and instructor observations indicating high student engagement and consistent attainment of the intended learning outcomes.