Trajectory tracking of differential drive mobile robots using fractional-order proportional-integral-derivative controller design tuned by an enhanced fruit fly optimization

This work proposes a new kind of trajectory tracking controller for the differential drive mobile robot (DDMR), namely, the nonlinear neural network fractional-order proportional integral derivative (NNFOPID) controller. The suggested controller's coefficients comprise integral, proportional, and derivative gains as well as derivative and integral powers. The adjustment of these coefficients turns the design of the proposed NNFOPID control further problematic than the conventional proportional-integral-derivative control. To handle this issue, an Enhanced Fruit Fly Swarm Optimization algorithm has been developed and proposed in this work to tune the NNFOPID's parameters. The enhancement achieved on the standard fruit fly optimization technique lies in the increased uncertainty in the values of the initialized coefficients to convey a broader search space. subsequently, the search range is varied throughout the updating stage by beginning with a big radius and declines gradually during the course of the searching stage. The proposed NNFOPID controller has been validated its ability to track specific three types of continuous trajectories (circle, line, and lemniscate) while minimizing the mean square error and the control energy. Demonstrations have been run under MATLAB environment and revealed the practicality of the designed NNFOPID motion controller, where its performance has been compared with that of a nonlinear Neural Network Proportional Integral Derivative controller on the tracking of one of the aforementioned trajectories of the DDMR.