CertHE Automation and Instrumentation

In this module, you will learn the basic mathematical tools needed for a technical career in the engineering domain. The module will cover basic arithmetic, algebra, functions, plots, derivatives and integrals. You will also learn vectors, matrices and basic operations related to these. Statistical operations such as calculation of the mean and standard deviation will also be taught. There will be a strong link between the maths concepts taught here and the Programming Fundamentals (MATLAB) module.

The module will be delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials and guided self-study. Assessments and activities will provide the opportunity for reflection and self-evaluation.

In this module, you will learn the basics of programming using the MATLAB technical environment. You will learn how to write scripts to carry out technical calculation operations. You will design the programme flows, logic operations and use various loop structures. Data forms such as vectors, matrices and structures will be taught alongside various methods of data analysis and visualisation. 

Assessments and activities will provide the opportunity for reflection and self-evaluation.

In this module, you will learn the fundamental physics needed to understand and work with sensing and control systems. The module will start off with covering basic concepts such as force, motion, energy and power, together with material properties such as Young's modulus and stress/strain/pressure. This will be followed by coverage of basic electrical/electromagnetic concepts such as electric field and potential, leading to capacitors and inductors. Analysis of DC and AC linear circuits will be covered, followed by an introduction to semiconductor devices, such as diodes. 

The concepts will be taught in lectures and tutorials, accompanied by lab experiments. Assessments and activities will provide the opportunity for reflection and self-evaluation. 

This module will continue the fundamental physics needed to understand and work with sensing and control systems. The module will start off with fluid dynamics, including gas and fluid flow, pressure and viscosity. This will be followed by coverage of basic thermal physics concepts such as thermal conduction and expansion, heat capacity, gas kinetics, phases of matter and the laws of thermodynamics. 

This will be followed by mechanical wave theory and electromagnetic waves, with associated phenomena such as diffraction and interference. Finally, the photon model of light will be introduced.

The concepts will be taught in lectures and tutorials, accompanied by lab experiments. Assessments and activities will provide the opportunity for reflection and self-evaluation.

In this module, you will learn the fundamentals of sensor technologies, electronic instrumentation and different types of sensors. You will also learn how to analyse and design electronic interfaces to connect sensors to other subsystems. In the second part, the concept of open loop and closed loop control systems will be introduced. The concepts of linear systems, transfer functions and system stability will be introduced, together with PID control concepts. Finally, the basics of electric drive technology for DC and AC (single-phase, three-phase) will be presented.

Assessment and activities will provide the opportunity for reflection and self-evaluation.

In this lab module, you will work with an educational training tool to gain hands-on practical experience with a variety of sensors for measuring different physical quantities. You will also learn how to interface these sensors with the PC environment using MATLAB. Alongside this, other instrumentation topics will be taught, such as the use of operational and differential amplifiers, and analogue to digital converters and digital to analogue converters.

Assessment and activities will provide the opportunity for reflection and self-evaluation.