Performance Evaluation of a Quadcopter by an Optimized Proportional–Integral–Derivative Controller

• Published in: Applied sciences Vol. 13; no. 15; p. 8663
• Main Authors: Chen, Joy Iong-Zong, Lin, Hsin-Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2023
• Subjects: Accelerometers; Aircraft; Control algorithms; Controllers; Drone aircraft; Governors; inertial measurement unit (IMU); Performance evaluation; PID; PWM; Sensors; Software; unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); Unmanned aerial vehicles; Vehicles; Velocity
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app13158663

This paper presents an analysis of a quadcopter’s stability and its sensors’ data reading using an IMU (inertial measurement unit). Firstly, the angular velocity and acceleration data are read by an Stm® development board embedded with an Stm32f401ccu6 microcontroller. The altitude of the measurement instrument platform was determined using an MS5611 barometric pressure sensor combined with a temperature sensor. The quadcopter’s control was achieved by connecting a brushless DC motor to the Stm® board, which received four PWM (pulse-width modulation) signals via the output port. An electronic governor was utilized to control the brushless DC motor, while a pre-existing remote control was designated as the transmitter. The quadcopter receiver received a 2.4 GHz signal from the transmitter using the BLE (Bluetooth low-energy) protocol, which was used to ensure the simultaneous operation of the four brushless DC motors. Finally, a PID (proportional–integral–derivative) controller was employed for parameter adjustment. The collected PID parameter program was developed in the Simulink software as a simulation platform, allowing for the execution of the Simulink model on the Stm® MCU. The Stm® module facilitates monitoring of the performance of the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and enables immediate parameter adjustments to ensure flight stability. This research aims to reduce calculation errors in sensor and controller usage and improve the efficacy of the remote machine module for future industrial applications.