Particle Swarm Optimization for PID Tuning of a BLDC Motor

This paper applies a particle swarm optimizer to tune the PID gains for a brushless DC motor. This motor is used in a milling machine that moves in coordination with three additional motors to carve out transtibial and transfemoral prosthetic sockets. Three motors move in the X, Y, and Z coordinate axes, while one motor rotates in a clockwise/counterclockwise rotation. The BLDC motor of interested is responsible for controlling the movement along the X axis. Performance improvements using the PSO PID gains are analyzed in the motor controlling the X axis by comparing the performance of the motor obtained by an optimizer program provided by the manufacturer of the milling machine and the brushless DC motor model developed in this paper.