Control strategy for reducing energy consumption in a two wheel self-balancing vehicle

The principle of the inverted pendulum can be found in several applications as navigation systems for missiles, satellites, military vehicles, among others. This widespread use demands the development of energy-efficient control systems. Self-balancing robots use an inertial system (based on the principle of the inverted pendulum), consisting of a gyroscope and accelerometers to detect changes in inclination and displacement. The controller and motors act to always keep it at an angle of 0 degrees from the vertical. The same physical principles are related to several applications found in power distribution, transmission, and generation, as well as in industrial machinery. The current stage of technological development points out that nature-inspired optimization plays an important role in engineering. The purpose of this research is to present a model and devise a controller for a self-balancing robot. The tuning of this PID controller is achieved through Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), which finds a balance between maximum performance and minimum power consumption.