Experimental study on linear displacement measurement sensor using RGB color variation technique with PID controller

Abstract

This study is based on experimental approach to linear displacement measurement using RGB color coding algorithm. This system is based on the auto-calibration procedure which can be implemented in a circuit, based on the temporal changes in the intensity of light, with the help of a light dependent resistor (LDR). The system consists of two LDRs and an LED placed on one side and an RGB color coded reflective paper on the opposite side. PIC microcontroller is used for powering the LED, processing of data for feedback control and to display the output on an LCD. LDR1 reading is used for displaying the relative linear distance, by mapping the voltage as a function of distance. This reading is used as a feedback to a PID controller to correct for the deviation in the measurement. Extensive experimental observations are conducted to analyze the reliability of the results in accordance to the wavelength of light reflected, the signal voltage and power output of the system. Investigation of the optimum positioning of the LED and the reflective RGB color coded paper is performed by repeatability analysis and hysteresis effects. Furthermore, the efficiency of the system is increased by implementing a PID controller upon investigating the different controller design, viz. P, PI and PID. A high resolution of 0.1 [mm] is obtained for such a simple and economical system, thereby making it highly efficient, in both minute measurements as well as over the entire bandwidth range of the visible light spectrum.