Kontrolteknik

Kontrolteknik, or control engineering, is the field that studies how to influence the behavior of dynamical systems to achieve desired performance. It encompasses modeling, analysis, and design of controllers that regulate variables such as position, speed, temperature, or pressure. The goal is to ensure stability, accuracy, robustness, and efficiency in the presence of disturbances and uncertainty.

Central concepts include feedback, which uses measured outputs to adjust inputs, and system modeling, which expresses the dynamics of plant and environment. Controllers can be continuous or discrete, analog or digital, and are implemented through hardware such as sensors, actuators, and processors, or through software in embedded systems and PLCs.

Control design methods are traditionally divided into classical (frequency-domain) approaches and modern (state-space) techniques. Classical methods include PID controllers and root-locus design; modern methods cover state feedback, observers, robust control, adaptive control, and optimization-based strategies such as model predictive control.

Applications span industrial process control, robotics, aerospace, automotive systems, energy management, and building automation. Control engineering integrates with mechanical, electrical, and software disciplines and often requires system identification, testing, validation, and safety assessment.

Education and research typically cover control theory, signals and systems, digital control, estimation, and numerical methods, with emphasis on real-time implementation and hardware-in-the-loop testing. The field continues to advance with advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and distributed control of networked systems.