Manipulated variable
below: control , closed loop action, in which the manipulated variable input variable for the controlled system is
The manipulated variable is the output (the position) of the control and in the control technology used actuator by means of which a targeted intervention in the control or control system is carried out. Your current value is the control value.
In a control system , the input variable of the actuator is called a reference variable ; in a closed-loop control system, it is called a control variable (the reference variable is part of the input variable into the controller ).
An example of the manipulated variable is the opening state of a valve . Its reference variable is, for example, the position of the handwheel with which the valve is operated. A valve with an actuator is used for control. With a pneumatic drive, its input variable is the pressure on the membrane, which is controlled by a pneumatic regulator .