Fuzzy-immune control strategy of a hydro-viscous soft start device of a belt conveyor

Considering the control difficulties of a hydro-viscous soft start (HVSS) device of a belt conveyor, a fuzzy-immune control algorithm was derived. A fuzzy-immune PID controller was designed based on immune feedback regulations and adaptability of the fuzzy logic inference. Using MATLAB software, we simulated the controller and compared the HVSS device with a conventional PID controller and a fuzzy PID controller. The simulation results show that the controller is not only very reliable as a PID controller, robust and requires only a short adjustment time of fuzzy control, but possesses also capacity of global optimization of the immune algorithm. To verify our theoretical analysis and simulation, a HVSS test-bed was developed. The experimental results demonstrate that the fuzzy-immune PID controller managed to start the belt conveyor softly and to follow an S-shaped curve while the output speed correctly followed the preset speed with only small fluctuations in speed.