Comparison of different DC motor positioning control algorithms

A comparison between different DC motor positioning control algorithms is performed in this work. Transient responses while employing a PID controller, a cascade controller and a state-space controller are considered. LabVIEW programming environment with a suitable acquisition card and a miniature DC motor with an integrated encoder are used for experimental assessment. Calculations and control system simulations are made using Matlab. The PID controller is implemented via the predefined PID block in LabVIEW. In turn, the state-space controller is modelled by using Matlab while the accuracy of the results is confirmed experimentally using LabVIEW. The cascade controller is developed as a series of two Proportional-Integral (PI) controllers, one representing the positioning and the other the velocity loop. The obtained results allow establishing that positioning control via the state-space controller has the fastest response and the lowest settling times.