Design and Implementation of Remote Lab PID Controller Experiment Based on IoT

Abstract

The education sector has increasingly embraced distance education to ensure a safe and uninterrupted learning process, especially in wars or epidemics. This paper focuses on designing and implementing a PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) controller experiment in remote laboratories utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT). Also, a laboratory experiment was developed using a naturally unstable system, specifically a cart-inverted pendulum. The experiments aim to enhance students' understanding of PID controller tuning within a real-world context. This system was chosen due to its dual motion characteristics, with a linear motion for the cart and a circular motion for the pendulum. Two controllers were designed and implemented for the system to enable control and feedback. Additionally, the Blynk platform was integrated into the experiment setup, allowing for real-time visualization of the system's response, control of PID parameters, and the ability to view the video stream via platforms like Skype. For remote connectivity, NodeMCU, an IoT development board, controlled the pendulum, collected system parameters, and transmitted them to the cloud through the Internet. Moreover, the sensors and the system were mathematically modeled, and their transfer functions were extracted. That allows the students to do the PID experiment theoretically and practically and compare the results. This complete setup enables local and remote access to the experiment, ensuring students can experiment regardless of their physical location. As a result of the study, designing and implementing a remote laboratory PID controller experiment utilizing IoT technology provides students with an innovative and immersive learning experience.