Brick Escalator Controller - MATLAB Assignment

Running head: BRICK ESCALATOR CONTROLLER
ELE5PRB MATLAB ASSIGNMENT
BRICK ESCALATOR CONTROLLER
Name of the Student
Student ID
Date

1BRICK ESCALATOR CONTROLLER
Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Aim:............................................................................................................................................3
Method:......................................................................................................................................3
MATLAB code:......................................................................................................................6
Result and Discussion:...............................................................................................................8
Plot:.........................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................9
References:...............................................................................................................................11

2BRICK ESCALATOR CONTROLLER
Introduction:
PID control algorithm is used in most advanced motion control application for
increased accuracy and efficiency. There are three control loops that can be controlled using a
PID controller which are torque, velocity and position respectively. In vehicles which do not
have the electronic controls do not have the linear motion though same power is transferred
independently to the wheels. The non-linear motion of the vehicle is caused mainly by the
mechanical vibrations and the difference in the surfaces in which the vehicle operates. Hence,
for minimizing deviation of vehicle from straight direction a closed loop PID controller that
changes the power input the motors of the vehicle based on the change in their rotation [1].
Basically, the PID controller minimizes the gap between the measured power and the desired
power to the wheels to maintain linear motion by changing the control inputs of the system.
In this assignment, the vehicle is a brick escalator which moves in an incline plane from base
to about 10 meters of height in full loaded condition [1]. The angle of inclination of the plane
is about 45 degrees and the cart is moved through the rails installed in the inclined plane. The
PID controller is installed in an Arduino board and the controller settings as specified below
is written in MATLAB environment as given in the later sections [2]. The Arduino board is
installed in the brick cart and the total weight of the cart is 200 kgs.
Aim:
The aim of the assignment is to move the loaded brick cart from base through the rails
in the inclined plane to the top of the plane which is 10 meters above the ground. PID control
system must be employed to control the movement of the brick cart.

3BRICK ESCALATOR CONTROLLER
Method:
The PID controller is designed in the Arduino board installed in the brick cart that
provides signals and supply voltage which drives the motors of the engine coupled with the
cart wheels. Hence, at first the hardware design of the PID controller components are is
installed in the Arduino board followed by electric motor with supply installations in the cart
[2]. Then the MATLAB programming is done in some capable machine and the motion of the
cart will be controlled remotely via some signal transmitter installed in the machine and
signal sensors installed the cart and work with the hardware system in synchronism.
The inclined track followed by the brick cart is given by following schematic diagram.
Fig 1: Inclined track and the brick cart
The programming of the PID controller is done in the trainsim.m MATLAB file with the
given environmental conditions and the initial conditions of the brick cart.