General System Theory

In order to deepen my understanding of automation, I am here to ‘throw bricks and attract jade’ and look forward to further exploration. I think that overall, the ideological foundation of automation can be considered and confirmed from three aspects: systems theory, control theory, and information theory.

General System Theory

The object pointed to by automation or control is a system, which means we treat the controlled object according to the system’s thinking.

Whether it is industry, agriculture, national defense, technology, education, healthcare, or even society, the specific objects in the world are diverse and complex. According to certain standards, these vastly different objects must be “extracted by common divisors”, that is, classified and defined as systems for analysis, research, and management (control).

Control Theory

Automation is the automation of a system, a system is an automated system, and the essence of automation is that the system can be controlled. So, one of the purposes of studying and understanding systems is to effectively control and manage them.

Information Theory

Information theory is also a mature science. There are connections between various parts within the system and between the system and the outside world, and the medium of communication is information. Therefore, in order to correctly understand and effectively control the system, it is necessary to understand and master the flow and exchange of various information in the system, and information theory provides general methodological guidance for this. Information theory originated in the field of communication and has now become one of the three pillars of modern civilization, along with materials and energy. The concept of information has permeated into various fields of human society.

The object of automation control is systematic and organically separable; In principle, the system is interconnected with the outside world and various parts within the system; The medium of communication is information; In summary, the system is controllable (here, it is only a visual description, without excluding the observability of the system in theory or the existence of uncontrollability). This is the logic behind automation.

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