In Example #2 (cruise control), was “b” damping and “k” the gain?
Submitted by: lars Submitted on: September 29, 2003 Identifier: L1.1 Yes, on both counts. In this example the first equation represents a model of the dynamics of the vehicle. The constant “b” is a damping factor on the speed of the vehicle (with units of “force per velocity”). The second equation represents the control algorithm for the cruise control. The constant “k” represents a gain factor on the error in the velocity (the desired velocity minus the actual velocity). This determines how “aggressive” the cruise controller will be. [Back to Top] • What is “control gain”, and how is it used? Submitted by: lars Submitted on: September 29, 2003 Identifier: L1.1 The term “control gain” refers to the constant multiplier that appears in any controller description. For example, in the cruise control example from lecture (“Example #2”), the equation that described the controller was uengine = k*(vdes-v). In this controller, the control gain is the constant k. In terms of how it is used, in
