Control Systems

Control systems perform a vital role in the increasingly automated society of today. In fact, wherever the behaviour of a process or system is to be altered to reach an objective, control systems are required. That is, the function of a control system is to observe and correct process behaviour to meet desired objectives.

Examples abound in every day life, from temperature regulation in air conditioners and hot water systems, to the stabilization and manoeuvring of air and spacecraft. Indeed, control systems also abound in nature, from the regulation of body temperature to the flight of birds.

 

 

Undergraduate Course

Areas addressed in the control systems field of study include process modelling, stability analysis, linear and nonlinear control systems analysis and design, continuous and discrete time implementation of control systems, optimal control and estimation.

Research

The research interests of the Department currently fall within the following broad areas: Intelligent control systems, expert diagnostic and decision support systems, adaptive systems,optimal control strategies and process modelling. Distributed control architectures, industrial process control, physiological control systems.

The staff members whose research interests lie in this area are;

Mr Graeme Rathbone, Senior Lecturer
ARMIT DipED SCVH MEngSc Melb , MIE Aust , CPEng(Biomed).

Physiological control systems, muscle modelling. Bioinstrumentation, joint sounds analysis, patient data monitoring systems, biosensors, transducers and chemical instrumentation.

Dr Song Wang, Senior Lecturer
PhD Melb

The research interests of Dr Song Wang lie in the area of Mobile Communications and Control Systems.

 

Scholarships may be available to well-qualified applicants. For more information on scholarships available at La Trobe University click here . For further information on research degrees at La Trobe University click here .

Detailed information on undergraduate and postgraduate courses is available from the La Trobe University handbook. Further information regarding the Department of Electronic Engineering may be obtained by writing to: