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What is Computer Control?
Computers are used to control many types of devices such as robots. The computers controlling the robots must be programmed with instructions to tell them what to do. The programs are written in computer languages. Logo is one such language.
Equipment and devices are controlled
by pressing buttons either on a control panel or on a remote control.
Some equipment, like burglar alarms,
work when they receive a message from a sensor placed in a room or
outside.
Examples of Equipment and Devices which use Computer Control
Inside the Home |
Outside the Home |
- Washing Machine
- Cooker
- Central Heating
- Microwave
- TV/Video/Hi-Fi
- Burglar Alarm
- Telephone
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- Traffic Lights
- Pelican Crossings
- CCTV Cameras
- Parts of Car Engines
- Barcode Scanners
- Aircraft
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Why use computers to control things?
Computers are used because they:
- never get tired,
- never lose concentration,
- don't make mistakes,
- can repeat the same instructions over and over again in exactly the same way,
- are cheaper to employ than humans.
How does it work?
The CPU
All the systems that use control technology have a CPU, a central
processing unit, just like a computer. This is the brains of the equipment.
It stores
all the information it needs to make the equipment work. Microchips are
CPUs.
When a message is sent to a CPU by pressing buttons on a control panel or activating sensors, the CPU responds by looking at what it has stored in its memory so it can follow the instructions.
Procedures
To make things work there must be a procedure. A procedure is
a sequence of instructions or commands that a CPU stores. It is important that the procedure is written correctly so that things happen in the correct order.
What is Computer Monitoring?
Computer monitoring involves the use of sensors for two main purposes:
- As a scientific measuring tool to record information about
environmental changes over a period of time.
The resulting
information can be examined in a table or as a graph. This is usually
known as data logging.
- To provide feedback for a control system.
Control and Monitoring in the National Curriculum
At Key Stage 1 pupils should recognise that control is integral to many
everyday devices. They should be taught how to plan and give instructions
to make things happen, and describe the effects of their actions.
By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils will have been taught how to create,
test, improve and refine sequences of instructions to make things
happen and to monitor events and respond to them.
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