Nicolas Minorsky, father of the PID controller

by Dermot Tynan in Control Theory

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Posted on Sunday, April 02, 2023 at 12:11

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Nicolas Minorsky is a name that might not be well-known to most people, but his contributions to the field of control engineering are significant. He is credited with developing the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller, which has become a standard tool in the control of dynamic systems. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the life and work of Nicolas Minorsky, and how his inventions have revolutionised the field of control engineering.

Nicolas Minorsky was born in Russia in 1885. He graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps in 1905 and began his career in the Imperial Russian Navy. He was later sent to France to study ship design, where he became interested in the field of control engineering. In 1915, he left the Navy to join the American engineering company, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., where he worked as a researcher.

It was during his time at Westinghouse that Minorsky developed the PID controller. The PID controller is a feedback system that uses three components to control a process: proportional, integral, and derivative. The proportional component calculates the difference between the desired setpoint and the current value of the process variable. The integral component calculates the area under the curve of the error signal over time, which can help to eliminate steady-state errors. The derivative component calculates the rate of change of the error signal, which can help to prevent overshoot and improve stability.

The PID controller has become an essential tool in the control of dynamic systems, from industrial processes to robotics and even spacecraft. It is used to maintain a desired setpoint by continuously adjusting the control input based on feedback from the system. Without the PID controller, it would be much more difficult to achieve precise control over complex systems.

In addition to his work on control engineering, Minorsky also made significant contributions to the field of naval architecture. He developed a theory of ship stability that is still used by naval architects today. His work on the control of ships in rough seas helped to improve the safety of ships and their crews.

Nicolas Minorsky passed away in 1970, but his contributions to the field of control engineering continue to be felt today. His invention of the PID controller has had a significant impact on the control of dynamic systems and has become a standard tool in the field.

Nicolas Minorsky was a pioneer in the field of control engineering. His invention of the PID controller has revolutionized the control of dynamic systems, and his other contributions to the field, including the phase margin and the circle criterion, are still used today. His work on ship stability and control has also had a significant impact on the safety of ships and their crews.

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