ERROR SIGNAL
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1171 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
The difference between the reference value of some controlled function and the value observed by the control system's comparator.
The perception of an error signal triggers a specific correction, but only through a well constructed regulator.
Atlernatively W.T. POWERS describes it as a signal that “produces an action that tends to correct the error” (from POWERS homepage).
- “If the control system is very sensitive to small errors, it won't take much of an error to produce an output large enough to prevent any further drift …”(Ibid)
In fact, the basic point is about the degree of complexity of the environment , as related to the system.
In a thermostat, the error signal is obtained from a very simple device measuring a unique well defined variable , easy to install and to organize for perceiving specific inputs .
In a human driver - the example given by POWERS - the error signal becomes much more complex in itself and supposes an also highly complex integrated regulator: the nervous system , including the whole of the neuronal network in the brain .