Investigating the Impact of Update Frequency on PID Controller Performance in Autonomous Robotics

This paper examines the relationship between the performance of Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers and their update frequency, using the Pololu 3pi+ 32U4 robot as a testbed. Through a series of experiments conducted across a frequency range of 2 to 500 Hz,a non-linear correlation is identified where both high and low update frequencies negatively impact control performance. The findings indicate that an optimal frequency range of 40 to 120 Hz significantly enhances the PID controller’s ability to achieve target tracking with minimal overshoot and reduced setting time. This study highlights the importance of update frequency as a critical, yet often overlooked, parameter in the design and implementation of PID control systems [1] [9], providing insights for future research and practical applications in robotics and automation.