I saw many threads trying to answer the question 'What is the difference between a regulator and a controller'.
This is important and I was taught lecturers that a regulated system is open loop (i.e. no feedback). In fact the operator is the feedback because as the load changes the instrumentation relayed back to him advises that he must adjust the setpoint and thus 'regulate' the system.
A controller is by description autonomous and thus will attempt to execute an output dependant on load and the feedback signal derived to create a controller error and thus a via a function execute a change to the output to control the process.
Summarising then a regulator does not use feedback and a controller does.
This is important and I was taught lecturers that a regulated system is open loop (i.e. no feedback). In fact the operator is the feedback because as the load changes the instrumentation relayed back to him advises that he must adjust the setpoint and thus 'regulate' the system.
A controller is by description autonomous and thus will attempt to execute an output dependant on load and the feedback signal derived to create a controller error and thus a via a function execute a change to the output to control the process.
Summarising then a regulator does not use feedback and a controller does.
