Implementation of optimal control for ball and beam system

The ball and beam system is a widely used tool for learning classical as well as advanced control techniques. The system with highly non linear characteristics is an excellent tool to represent unstable systems. The paper presents an optimal control strategy for controlling the position of ball on the beam. The system is an open loop unstable system. The control problem is a challenging one as the ball position continuously changes with the beam angle. The control strategy includes PID control for both ball position control and servo position control. The control parameters are tuned using Genetic Algorithm. The results are verified experimentally using real time ball and beam system.