Editing Control system (section)

{{short description|System that manages the behavior of other systems}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2022}}
{{More citations needed|article|date=December 2010}}

[[File:Loaded centrifugal governor (New Catechism of the Steam Engine, 1904).jpg|thumb|The [[centrifugal governor]] is an early [[proportional control]] mechanism.]]

A '''control system''' manages, commands, directs, or regulates the behavior of other devices or systems using [[control loop]]s. It can range from a single home heating controller using a [[thermostat]] controlling a domestic boiler to large [[industrial control system]]s which are used for controlling [[Process (engineering)|processes]] or machines. The control systems are designed via [[control engineering]] process.

For continuously modulated control, a [[feedback controller]] is used to automatically control a process or operation.   The control system compares the value or status of the [[process variable]] (PV) being controlled with the desired value or [[Setpoint (control system)|setpoint]] (SP), and applies the difference as a control signal to bring the process variable output of the [[Plant (control theory)|plant]] to the same value as the setpoint.

For [[Sequential logic|sequential]] and [[combinational logic]], [[software logic]], such as in a [[programmable logic controller]], is used.{{Clarify|date=July 2022}}