PID Controller 1

Abstract
In systems requiring control, the majority use a controller involving a PID controller. The acronym PID stands for
Proportional, Integral, and derivative respectively. PID controllers are well understood throughout the industry
and have been implemented in several applications because when designed properly, a well-tuned PID controller
meets or exceeds the control objectives of a system.

Introduction
When designing a control system, no controller has successfully stabilized a system as much as the PID controller.
The PID controller is the most widely used design technique because when its tuned properly, it has the capacity
to provide satisfactory performance, which is the reason its become the standard controller in industrial settings.
As technology has advanced, so has the PID controller. The digital form of the controller is widely used with the
advancement of technology compared to the design of the controller through the use of electrical components
such as operational amplifiers. According to the article, Basics of PID Control, because of the progression and
development in digital technology and in software, this has led to a significant growth in the research for PID in the
control field. The research involved has been responsible for the new effective tools that has improved the
analysis and design methods of the basic algorithm as well as for the improvement of the additional functionalities
that are implemented with the basic algorithm in order to increase its performance (Syafiie Syam).

Theory of PID Control

When building and designing a control system, a control loop feedback is typically used because feedback provides
higher precision and higher accuracy. In the design of robotics, feedback allows the system to work for a definite
distance and time. The feedback will continuously monitor and correct the system. Most PID controllers use a
control loop feedback. The controller first computes a value of error as the difference between a measured
process variable and preferred set-point. It then tries to minimize the error by increasing or decreasing the control
inputs or outputs in the process, so that process variable moves closer to the set-point (Anthony K. Ho, 2003). By
tuning and adjusting the parameters of the controller, the performance can be increased. A control example that
uses a PID controller can be seen in the figure below. The block diagram below depicts a system that uses a
heating process. The system wants the temperature of the system in this case, the furnace, to be set at a given
value by adjusting the gas valve. The temperature of the furnace is measured and feedback to the controller. The
feedback value is compared to the set-point and an error value is calculated. Then the PID algorithm determines
the appropriate valve position to correct the error.

January 20, 2013 by Isauro Ramirez

 PID Controller 2

1. Proportional
The proportional constant decides the reaction based on the current error. It examines the magnitude of
the error and it reacts proportionally.
2. Integral
The integral constant determines the reaction according to the total errors. The integral constant
attempts to correct small offset. It will examine the error over a period of time. The integral increases
the response of the system to a given error over time until it is corrected.
3. Derivative
The derivative constant controls the response using the rate at which the errors have been changing. It
looks at the rate of change of the error signal.

A mathematical model of a PID controller can be seen in the following equation.

= + +
The proportional term, Pout, is expressed as:

Where:
Pout: Proportional portion of controller output
Kp: Proportional gain
e: Error Signal, e = Set-Point Process Variable
The integral term, Iout, is expressed as:

where:
Iout: Integral portion of controller output
Ki: Integral gain
e: Error Signal, e = Set-Point Process Variable
The derivative term, Dout, is expressed as:

Where:
Dout: Derivative portion of controller output
Kd: Derivative gain
e: Error Signal, e = Set-Point Process Variable

These three outputs constitute what makes up a PID controller.

Tuning the Parameters: PID Controller

By tuning the parameters in the PID controller, the controller can deliver control action designed for specific
control objectives. When designing a control system, one can understand how the system behaves by viewing the
step response of the system. When observing the step response of a system, one is looking at specific
characteristics in a system. These characteristics include but are not limited to: rise time, percentage overshoot,
settling time, and stead state error. In order to figure out which parameters to tune, determining what
characteristics of the system need improvement are important. Therefore, having a solid background in the
analysis of a control system is important. However, many people have been able to tune the parameters of their
controller to improve the response of the system without the background of control theory. Through the
examination of several control systems throughout its history, trends began to develop when tuning the
parameters of a PID controller. The effects of increasing each of the controllers parameters can be summarized
with the following table:

January 20, 2013 by Isauro Ramirez

 PID Controller 3

Response Rise Time Overshoot Settling Time Steady-State Error

Kp Decrease Increase No trend Decrease
Ki Decrease Increase Increase Eliminated
Kd No trend Decrease Decrease No trend

Most typical systems, we want to decrease the rise time through the use of the proportional gain, reduce the
percentage overshoot and settling time through the use of the derivative gain, and eliminate the steady-state error
through the use of the integral gain. However, this method does not always work and most systems are manually
adjusted until the objectives are met.

References
1. PDHengineer Anthony K. Ho, Fundamentals of PID Control, Houston, Texas: Decatur Professional
Development.
2. Syafiie Syam, Basics of PID Control, Serdang: UPM.
3. Robert A. Paz, The design of the PID Controller, University of Tehran: ECE.
4. Jinghua Zhong, PID Contoller Tuning: A Short Tutorial, Purdue University: Mechanical Engineering.

January 20, 2013 by Isauro Ramirez