An educational fuzzy temperature control system

Abstract

Control engineering is one of the important engineering topics taught at many engineering based universities around the world in most undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The control engineering curriculum includes both the classical feedback based control theory and the state space theory. The modern control theory is based on the intelligent control algorithms utilizing the soft computing techniques, such as the fuzzy control theory and neural networks. Laboratory work is an important part of any control engineering course. The problem with the modern control theory laboratories is that it is essential to offer simple experiments to students so that they can easily put the complex theories they have learned in their courses into practice and see and understand the results. This paper describes the design of a low-cost fuzzy based microcontroller temperature control system using off the shelf products. The developed system should provide a low-cost fuzzy control experiment in the laboratories for students studying control engineering.