A Comparison of Performance Simulation Between PID and Fuzzy Logic Controller for an Autonomous Trajectory of a Floater Glider

In industrial processes, PID controllers are commonly used for their simplicity and effectiveness on linear and non-linear systems, while fuzzy logic controllers excel in mimicking human decision-making and handling uncertainties in control systems. The performance of a control system for a floater glider at a specific location is crucial. In this comparative study, simulations have been conducted to evaluate the performance of a fuzzy logic controller and a PID controller implemented through a mission planner software in generating actual trajectories for the floater glider system. The desired trajectory has consisted of a rectangular path with 16 waypoints. Disturbances have been introduced, including scenarios without disturbances and waves with heights of Hs = 0.5 m and 1 m. For the PID method, the gain values of Kp = 0.2, Ki = 0.3, and Kd = 0.02 have been utilized based on previous studies. On the other hand, the fuzzy logic method has been employed to model the rectangular trajectory, employing selected member functions (NB, NM, NS, ZE, PS, PM, PB) for inputs and outputs, resulting in a rule base comprising 49 combinations. The results of the comparative study indicate that the fuzzy logic method produces significantly smaller errors compared to the PID method, particularly when the floater glider experiences higher disturbances. This highlights the superior performance of the fuzzy logic method in controlling the trajectory and mitigating disturbances.