An I + PI Controller Structure for Integrating Processes with Dead-Time: Application to Depth Control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

TL;DR

This paper proposes a combined feedforward and feedback I + PI controller structure for integrating processes with dead time, demonstrating its effectiveness through simulations on an autonomous underwater vehicle's depth control.

Contribution

It introduces a novel I + PI controller design with gain selection guidelines for integrating processes with dead time, validated via simulations on an underwater vehicle.

Findings

Controller structure effectively manages integrating processes with dead time.

Simulation results show improved depth control of an autonomous underwater vehicle.

Guidelines assist in selecting controller gains based on process specifications.

Abstract

The paper presents a feedforward plus feedback controller structure with I and PI controllers for control of an integrating process with dead time. Guidelines for controller gain selection based on time domain specifications of damping factor and natural frequency are provided along with simulations indicating the selectivity of process response. The utility of proposed controller structure is shown by simulating the depth control of a nonlinear autonomous underwater vehicle system by the proposed controller structure.