Improving performance/activity ratio for PID controllers

Derivative (D) terms in PID controllers are infrequently used in practice due to precise tuning requirements and noisy controller output. The first problem can be alleviated by using several modern tuning methods, while substantial decrease of controller activity can be achieved by filtering controller output. However, introducing additional filter at controller output can destabilise control loop if the PID controller parameters are not properly re-tuned. It has been shown that both problems can be solved simultaneously by using the magnitude optimum (MO) and disturbance rejection magnitude optimum (DRMO) tuning method. Moreover, it is shown that the PID controller performance can be higher than of the PI controller even at lower controller activity. The best controller performance vs. activity ratio is achieved with the second or the third order filter at controller output.