Saeid Bayat

Saeid Bayat

Postdoc at the University of Michigan. Interested in control co-design, multidisciplinary design optimization, renewable energy systems, AI-based design, data-driven surrogate modeling, mechatronics, and hardware-in-the-loop experimentation.

Teaching Assistant – Digital Control Systems (SE 420/SE 511)

Graduate course, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering, 2023

Course Description

Digital Control Systems covers the theory, analysis, and design of discrete-time control systems implemented on digital computers. Topics include linear discrete-time models, sampling and reconstruction, Z-transform methods, digital filters, closed-loop stability, state-space representation, state estimation, pole placement, and implementation issues such as quantization and computational delay. Laboratory work and MATLAB/Simulink exercises reinforce real-world applications. This course is offered for 4 undergraduate or 4 graduate credit hours. Prerequisite: SE 320.

Teaching Assistant Role

I served as the primary teaching assistant for SE 420/511 during Fall 2023. My responsibilities included supporting students in modeling, analysis, and real-time implementation of digital control algorithms. I worked closely with the instructor to help students connect theoretical results with simulation and practical applications.

Responsibilities

  • Held weekly office hours to assist students with discrete-time system modeling, stability analysis, and controller implementation.
  • Guided students through MATLAB/Simulink labs involving:
    • Z-transform analysis
    • Discrete-time root locus
    • Digital PID tuning
    • Discretization of continuous-time controllers
    • State feedback and observer design
  • Supported students in homework assignments, exam preparation, and conceptual understanding of sampling, aliasing, pole placement, and state estimation.
  • Assisted with grading of problem sets, exams, and design-focused assignments.
  • Provided debugging help for numerical issues, discretization errors, and simulation instability.
  • Offered supplemental examples demonstrating implementation challenges such as quantization, zero-order hold behavior, and computational delay.

Topics Covered

  • Discrete-time system modeling and difference equations
  • Z-transform and transfer functions for digital systems
  • Sampling, reconstruction, and aliasing
  • Digital filter design and implementation
  • Closed-loop stability analysis (Jury test, root locus)
  • State-space representation and discrete-time controllability/observability
  • Design of state estimators and observers
  • Discretization of continuous-time controllers (ZOH, Tustin, pole matching)
  • Practical implementation limits in digital control systems