The Coupled Tanks system is a process control experiment ideal for teaching and research of control topics related to liquid level control.
Designed in association with Prof. Karl Åström and Prof. Karl Henrik Johansson, the Coupled Tanks system consists of a single pump with two tanks. Each tank is instrumented with a pressure sensor to measure the water level. The pump drives the water from the bottom basin up to the top of the system. Depending on how the outflow valves are configured, the water then flows to the top tank, bottom tank, or both. The rate of flow can also be changed using outflow orifices with different diameters. The ability to direct water flow, together with variable outflow orifices allows for several interesting Single Input Single Output (SISO) configurations. Further, two or more Coupled Tanks can be combined together for Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) experiments.
The following additional components are required to complete your workstation, and are sold separately:
QLabs Virtual Coupled Tanks is a fully instrumented, dynamically accurate digital twin of a Quanser Coupled Tanks system. It behaves in the same way as the physical hardware and can be measured and controlled using MATLAB®/Simulink® and other development environments. With QLabs Coupled Tanks, you can enrich your lectures and activities in traditional labs, or bring credible, authentic model-based lab experiences into your distance and online process control course.
A critical component of any mechatronics course or program is an understanding of the theory and application of sensors used in mechatronic systems. The Quanser Mechatronic Sensors Board introduces students to various sensors that measure pressure, strain, temperature, contact, distance, angular displacement, and dynamics.
The Rotary Flexible Joint module is ideal for modeling a flexible joint on a robot when mounted on the Rotary Servo Base Unit. It is also useful in the study of vibration analysis and resonance. This experiment uses a sensor to measure joint deflection, to address the control problems encountered in large, geared robot joints where flexibility is exhibited in the gearbox. Students will learn how to model the system using state-space and design a feedback controller with pole-placement.
The Active Suspension Experiment teaches cutting-edge technology that has brought a new generation of vehicles to life.
