Simulation and Field Experiments With an Agricultural Tractor of a Robust Control for a Complete Fluid Power Circuit Using a New Electro-Hydraulic Pump: Part II—Control

The plant under control is the hydraulic circuit arranged by CNH in a prototype agriculture tractor of medium segment, where instead of the conventional main hydraulic pump, a new device electronically piloted, is installed. The main purpose is basically to obtain some advantages according to the energetic point of view, by means of an appropriate control structure, managing the electronic variable displacement pump. The frontier of the new systems requires the employment of the advanced control techniques, in order to assure the levels of precision, reliability, robustness demanded from systems. The control design methodology employed in the present case is based on robust H∞ optimization techniques, where robust stability properties are guaranteed in presence of unaccountable dynamics and other destabilizing factors. The effectiveness of the proposed control approach is tested on the demonstrative tractor realized from the CNH Agriculture at Modena plants, in all real conditions.