Reducing Delays in RT Control: The Control Action Interval

Abstract Industrial application of digital control requires the synergy between well designed control algorithms and carefully implemented control systems. The design of digital controllers considers different parameters when selecting the appropriate algorithms. However, the control performances can be reduced if the system is implemented with several control loops (tasks) which are not considered in the design phase. In this paper, we analyze the control theory and the effects of the multitasking control loops from the data acquisition and output actuation. The paper shows how the output actuation can vary significantly and proposes a method to reduce the jitter effects and the parameters to schedule the tasks. This reduced action interval (Control Action Interval) can be considered in the control design phase in order to properly adjust the control algorithm.