LQR controller performance via particle swarm optimization and neural networks

The inverted pendulum‐cart (IPC) control problem has long been a benchmark in the field of control systems due to its inherent instability and nonlinear dynamics. The linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control technique has been proven to be effective in stabilizing the inverted pendulum; however, the challenge lies in finding the optimal control gains that provide the best performance. This article presents a method to address the LQR control design problem for the IPC system which is compared against a particle swarm optimization based LQR and a neural network optimized LQR. The method provides a deterministic approach to finding the weighing matrices Q and R in accordance with the time domain characteristics chosen by the designer, such as settling time and maximum peak overshoot. Results from MATLAB simulations indicate that the suggested strategy has good performance.