PID control

How it is used

Found in temperature, pressure, flow, speed and position control, in PLCs, drives and stand-alone controllers. Engineers talk about P, I and D gains, a PID loop, PID tuning and a PID block in the PLC. Said letter by letter: P-I-D.

Example sentences

1. The tank level uses PID control, but the integral gain is too high and it keeps oscillating.

2. We added a PID control block in the PLC for the extruder temperature.

Common collocations

• PID loop
• PID controller
• PID tuning
• proportional gain
• PID block

Related terms

• closed-loop controlControl in which the actual output is measured and fed back, so the controller keeps correcting its command until the output matches the target.
• tuneTo adjust the parameters of a controller, such as PID gains or servo settings, so that the system responds quickly and smoothly without oscillating.
• setpointThe target value a control system tries to reach and hold, such as a temperature of 60 °C, a speed of 1,500 rpm or a pressure of 6 bar.
• overshootThe amount by which a controlled value goes past its setpoint before settling, for example a temperature rising to 85 °C when the target is 80 °C. It is often given as a percentage.
• process variableThe measured value of the quantity being controlled, such as the actual temperature, pressure or level, which the controller compares with the setpoint.

More terms: Control Systems

• controller
• feedback
• open-loop control