Abstract: By applying the graphical user interface (GUI) and the optimal toolbox under the MATLAB environment, a practical and convenient software has been developed to meet the purpose of optimizing the parameters of a PID controller. With the parameters obtained from Ziegler-Nichols tuning as the initial value, a set of excellent PID parameters was gained by means of finding the minimum of an object function known as ITAE rule. Testing results indicate that the control system's dynamic characteristics can be improved observably after being optimized with the above method.

Key words: PID controller, object function, MATLAB, GUI, optimization