Quadcopter PID Controller Simulation

This project simulates a quadcopter's flight dynamics using a PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) controller. The program computes the quadcopter’s behavior in terms of roll, pitch, and yaw stability based on a simulated PID control system, using numerical integration for dynamics and visualizations for understanding the quadcopter's motion.

Table of Contents

• [Introduction]
• [Features]
• [Usage]
• [Files]
• [References]

Introduction

PID controllers are widely used for stabilizing drones by controlling their roll, pitch, and yaw. In this project, a simulation of a quadcopter using a PID controllers is implemented in Python. The program integrates the drone's dynamics over time and applies the PID controller to achieve stability and maintain the desired roll, pitch, and yaw.

Features

• PID Control: Three independent PID controllers (for roll, pitch, and yaw) to stabilize the quadcopter.
• Dynamic Simulation: Uses the drone's physical parameters and integrates motion over time to simulate realistic behavior.
• 3D Visualization: A 3D animation of the quadcopter’s movements over time.
• Performance Metrics: Calculation of key performance metrics like steady-state error, rise time, settling time, and overshoot.
• Logging: Logs the simulation data, initial conditions, and PID parameters with timestamps for tracking multiple simulation runs.

Usage

To run the simulation, execute the main.py file:

python main.py

The parameters are changed on config.py and control.py

Files

• main.py: Main script that runs the simulation, applies the PID controller, and generates visualizations.
• dynamics.py: Contains the dynamics equations of the quadcopter (e.g., angular velocity, motor thrust computation).
• control.py: Implements the PID control algorithm.
• visualization.py: Generates the visualizations of the quadcopter’s movement.
• performance.py: Calculates performance metrics for the system.
• config.py: Defines initial parameters for the simulation.

References

• Borase, Rakesh P.; Maghade, D. K.; Sondkar, S. Y.; Pawar, S. N. (2020). A review of PID control, tuning methods, and applications. International Journal of Dynamics and Control, doi:10.1007/s40435-020-00665-4
• ISA - Fundamentals of PID Control (June 2023). Link
• Medium - Drones and PID Control: An Introductory Guide to Aerial Robotics Link
• Medium - Understanding PID Controllers: Stable Flight in Drones and Beyond Link