säätösuureen

A säätösuureen, which translates to "control variable" or "controlled variable" in English, is a fundamental concept in control systems engineering. It represents the specific physical quantity or parameter that a control system aims to maintain at a desired setpoint or within a target range. Examples of säätösuureet include temperature in an oven, speed of a motor, pressure in a tank, or position of a robotic arm. The control system's primary objective is to continuously monitor the current value of the säätösuureen and adjust its outputs to counteract any deviations from the setpoint.

The säätösuureen is distinct from the manipulated variable, which is the quantity that the control system directly changes to influence the säätösuureen. For instance, in an oven, the säätösuureen is the air temperature, while the manipulated variable might be the power supplied to the heating element. The control system uses feedback from a sensor measuring the säätösuureen to determine how much to adjust the manipulated variable. The effectiveness of a control system is often measured by how closely and quickly it can keep the säätösuureen at its desired value, even in the presence of disturbances. Understanding the säätösuureen is crucial for designing and analyzing any system intended for automatic regulation or control.