Tuning and digital implementation of a fractional-order PD controller for a position servo

Fractional-order calculus offers flexible computational possibilities that can be applied to control design thereby improving industrial control loop performance. However, before theoretical results can be carried over to an industrial setting it is important to study the effects of fractional-order control by means of laboratory experiments. In this paper, we study the practical aspects of tuning and implementing a fractional-order PD controller for position control of a laboratory modular servo system using FOMCON (“Fractional-order Modeling and Control”) toolbox for MATLAB. We provide an overview of the tools used to model, analyze, and design the control system. The procedure of tuning and implementation of a suitable digital fractional-order controller is described. The results of the real-time experiments confirm the effectiveness of used methods.