Performance Comparison of PID and LQR Controllers for Control of Non-Linear Magnetic Levitation System

Magnetic Levitation System (MLS) has become a current study in the field of engineering due to its advantages such as low energy consumption and minimum friction. MLSs are nonlinear unstable systems. Due to the complexity of the structure and the difficulty of the controls, many advanced control theories can be applied on these systems and the performance of the controllers can be evaluated. In this article, Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) and Linear-Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controller methods are applied on MLS mathematically modeled in MATLAB environment. Controller performances were compared in the results found. The results obtained on the applicability of PID and LQR control methods for MLS were evaluated. In addition, the system performance of the controllers was compared with five parameters. These are rise time, settling time, maximum overshoot, overshoot and steady-state error. LQR controller produced great stability and homogeneous response compared to PID controller.