Comparison of two approaches to automated PI controller tuning for an industrial weigh belt feeder

Abstract

In this paper, two advanced PI controller tuning methods, unfalsified control and fuzzy control, are applied to an industrial weigh belt feeder that has significant nonlinearities. Both methods do not require an explicit plant model. The advantage of the unfalsified PI control design method is that it is able to directly incorporate multiple performance criteria, while the advantage of fuzzy logic is that it is able to directly incorporate human reasoning in the design process. Experimental results exhibit the effectiveness of both control methods. A detailed comparison of the two approaches is given in the areas of allowed design specifications, process knowledge requirements, computational requirements, controller development effort, transient performance, and the ability to handle motor saturation.