Instrumentation & Control Development

QinetiQ North America Technology Solutions Group has been providing end-to-end instrumentation and controls development for more than 40 years. Our skill set ranges from the theoretical aspects of modeling and control algorithm design through to implementation in hardware controlled by custom embedded software.

Controller Synthesis -- Controller synthesis involves creating a controller structure/algorithm and selecting gains in that structure so that system performance requirements are met. This aspect of instrumentation and controls development can be subtle and mathematically intensive. We employee engineers who have studied control theory at the graduate level and also have years of experience implementing these algorithms in hardware. The result is control schemes that are thoroughly innovative yet practical to implement

Sensor Development -- Since the individual projects we address are usually unique, there is often no adequate off-the-shelf sensing technology suited to the control challenges they present. Our staff includes experts in sensor development who can develop custom sensing technologies to meet any need.

Software Development -- Nearly all controls applications we address include a software component. We have in-house experts to handle this aspect of project development too. We adhere to a carefully documented Software Development Plan that dictates the details of the process to ensure the production of on-time, high-quality software.

Hardware Development – We are experienced in developing controller hardware to meet a wide range of specific applications. Controller requirements often can be met using commercial off-the-shelf hardware such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) or PC-104 systems. In these cases, we are experienced in selection and integration of commercial components. Other cases require high-performance specialty controller hardware that we can design and build.

Modeling -- The first stage in controller development is the creation of a system model. Using this model, it is possible to determine critical design aspects of the control systems, such as the number of sensors, what type of closed-loop performance is feasible with a given set of control inputs, what constraints affect the system, and, ultimately, which controller realizes the desired performance. We also have this capability.

For more information, please email TSGinfo@QinetiQ-NA.com