Dynamic Control of a Distributed Embedded Electro-Hydraulic System

This paper presents the hardware and software architectures, and the control approaches for a distributed embedded electro-hydraulic system, a telescopic handler. The distributed architecture is justified not only by the complexity of the vehicle architecture, consisting of mechanical, electrical and hydraulic components, but also by the existence of multiple types of communication protocols. The distributed architecture enables a hierarchical control strategy with the system-level control algorithms developed in Matlab/Simulink and implemented for the vehicle's two primary subsystems, work and propel-by-wire.