Tudić, V.; Kralj, D.; Hoster, J.; Tropčić, T. Design and Implementation of a Ball-Plate Control System and Python Script for Educational Purposes in STEM Technologies. Sensors2022, 22, 1875.
Tudić, V.; Kralj, D.; Hoster, J.; Tropčić, T. Design and Implementation of a Ball-Plate Control System and Python Script for Educational Purposes in STEM Technologies. Sensors 2022, 22, 1875.
Tudić, V.; Kralj, D.; Hoster, J.; Tropčić, T. Design and Implementation of a Ball-Plate Control System and Python Script for Educational Purposes in STEM Technologies. Sensors2022, 22, 1875.
Tudić, V.; Kralj, D.; Hoster, J.; Tropčić, T. Design and Implementation of a Ball-Plate Control System and Python Script for Educational Purposes in STEM Technologies. Sensors 2022, 22, 1875.
Abstract
This paper presents the process of designing, fabrication, assembling, programming and optimizing a prototype of a nonlinear mechatronic Ball-Plate System (BPS) as a laboratory platform for STEM engineer education. Due to the nonlinearity and complexity of BPS, task presents challenging issues, such as: 1) difficulties in controlling the stabilization of a given position point known as steady state error, 2) position resolution known as specific distance error and 3) adverse environmental effects - light shadow error, also discussed in this paper. The laboratory BPS prototype for education was designed, manufactured and installed at the Karlovac University of Applied Sciences at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Study of mechatronics. The low-cost two degrees BPS system uses a USB HD camera for computer vision as feedback and two DC servomotors as actuators. Due to controlling problems, an advanced block diagram of control system is proposed and discussed. An open-source control system based on Python scripts that allows the use of ready-made functions from the library allows changing the color of the ball and the parameters of the PID controller, thus indirectly simplifying control system and directly the mathematical calculation. The authors will continue their research on this BPS mechatronic platform and control algorithms.
Keywords
Ball-Plate System; STEM; USB HD camera; Python scripts; ready-made functions; PID controller
Subject
Engineering, Control and Systems Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
