Inverted Pendulum Apparatus PP-300

The KRi Inverted Pendulum Apparatus PP-300 is a low cost pilot plant designed for teaching advanced control systems theory in the laboratory. Compared to conventional linear pendulums, it occupies very little bench space. This apparatus is useful to illustrate how to design control algorithms for balancing a pendulum - ranging from classical controllers to modern fuzzy-logic controllers. For example, in swing up mode, open-loop schemes can be compared with feedback-based optimal controllers. In balancing mode, the pendulum allows demonstration of phase-lead compensators, fuzzy-logic controllers or variable-structure controllers. It also demonstrates the use of linear models for a non-linear system and requires the realization of mode switching in controllers from swing up to balance. Thus one simple and compact apparatus successfully provides a point of comparison amongst the rich variety of classical and modern algorithms.