G azərbaycan respublikasi təHSİl naziRLİYİ azərbaycan texniKİ universiteti M. M. QƏNDİLova e. Q. İsmayilova

UNIT II

The more we learn,

the more we know.

AUTOMATION AND AUTOMATIC CONTROL

(Part II)
During the past years significant gains have been made in the fields of science, industry and engineering. What is new today becomes history tomorrow. Desirable changes and growth require some decisions and the latter require reliable data that are instantly available and that can be transmitted rapidly. For example, it has been said that if the paper used for making calculations for the Apollo space program were stacked in one pile that stack of papers would reach the moon before the space capsule itself would get there. Moreover, it is often stated that if the telephones of the USA were still under the old operator system, all women in the USA over 21 years of age would be needed as switchboard operators.

The period of the 1960’s has been an extraordinary decade. The nearest future of the world may be described in this short word “computers”. The reason is simple. Computers can handle large amounts of information rapidly and accurately. Without computers the space age would not be possible. When a satellite is launched the thousands of computations that should be made and coordinated could not be accomplished by human minds in the shortest time available. However, the computer can handle the job. The growing demands for instant data have resulted in the invention of the electronic computer system for processing records. In many respects it is a new and revolutionary system. Besides that it is a rapid one. It makes maximum use of the automation principle.

The space age demands that the control engineer should master the necessary techniques and obtain the needed knowledge for solving non-linear control system. It means that he must acquire deeper knowledge of modern mathematics and then the systems and components in their non-linear range of operation. At last he must become well acquainted with the capabilities of limitations of modern digital, analog and hybrid computers.

Computers and automated production control systems are being used on an ever greater scale in the world economy.