Compact, energy-efficient electro-hydraulic architectures for multi-actuator control of mobile cranes

Engineering notes

Key topics: autonomous driving, control. See the paper for implementation details and experimental results.

Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为端到端自动驾驶、BEV感知、3D目标检测、轨迹预测、路径规划、LiDAR感知等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

In mobile machinery, conventional valve-controlled hydraulic systems are characterized by substantial throttling losses, limited energy recuperation, and high power demand. Direct-driven electro-hydraulic actuators represent a more energy-efficient alternative. However, their practical adoption is limited by the need for a dedicated electro-hydraulic converter (EHC) for each cylinder, which increases the system’s size, cost, and complexity. This dissertation addresses the implementation of electro-hydraulic actuation based on centralized or shared EHC architectures without compromising machine usability or productivity. The objective is to formulate and validate compact EHC-sharing actuation principles supported by architecture-aware control algorithms. This research combines the design of actuation system architectures, an analysis of energy losses, dynamic simulations, and laboratory experiments on a log crane PATU 655. Two main approaches are formulated and evaluated. The first approach uses the unidirectional loading of the lift cylinder, enabling its single-chamber direct-driven actuation, while the remaining cylinders are supplied by the same EHC through directional control valves. Laboratory experiments demonstrate a significant reduction in energy consumption, with median savings of 53.83% during log loading and 62.05% during log unloading cycles compared to a reference valve-controlled load-sensing (LS) system without compromising operational productivity. The second approach introduces automatic sequential actuation of crane cylinders using a single EHC by switching connections between them. Experimental results confirm reduced energy consumption, with median savings of 62.6% during log loading and 49.8% during log unloading cycles compared to a reference LS system. The results demonstrate that substantial energy reduction and multi-actuator operation in mobile cranes can be achieved using a single EHC. The identified limitations provide a basis for future research on practical machine implementation and on-field validation.

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