Robust Non-Chattering Observer Based Sliding Control Concept for Electro-Hydraulic Drives

This paper presents an observer-based sliding mode control concept with chattering reduction, generally applicable for position tracking control of electro-hydraulic valve-cylinder drives (VCD's). The proposed control concept requires only common data sheet information and no knowledge on load characteristics. Furthermore the proposed scheme only employ pistonand valve spool positions- and pressure feedback, commonly available in industry. The main target is to overcome problems with linear controllers deteriorating performance due to the inherent nonlinear nature of such systems, without requiring extensive knowledge on system parameters nor advanced control theory. In order to accomplish this task, an integral sliding mode controller designed for the control derivative employing state observation is proposed, based on a generalized reduced order model structure of a VCD with unmatched valve ow- and cylinder asymmetries. It is shown that limited attention can be given to bounds on parameter estimates, that chattering is reduced and the number of tuning parameters is reduced to the level seen in conventional PID schemes. Furthermore, simulation results demonstrate a high level of robustness when subjected to strong perturbations in supply pressure and coulomb friction force, and that tracking accuracy may be reduced to the level of noise. Furthermore, the proposed controller tolerates signicant noise levels, while still remaining stable and accurate.