A Portable PID Control Learning Tool by means of a Mobile Robot

摘要

A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is a classical controller that has been applied in numerous applications. One learning lesson of PID control theory is to tune its proportional, integral, and derivative parameters so that the performance of system is optimal. Besides, teaching PID control theory verbally is challenging especially when transient response characteristics e.g. overshoot, rise time, and settling time are introduced. Thus, this study investigates the feasibility of a low cost mobile robot in conveying the knowledge of PID control theory. First, an inexpensive open-source mobile robot was modified so that the position of the robot can be recorded and visualized wirelessly. Second, a graphical user interface was built to visualize the movement of the robot. Lastly, the PID parameters were tuned and their effects were recorded and analyzed quantitatively. Findings show that the proposed method is capable of demonstrating the effects of P and D parameters correctly.