Control of Hybrid Hydromechanical Transmissions

Abstract: This thesis deals with control aspects of complex hybrid hydromechanical transmissions for heavy mobile working machines. Control problems are identified and solved to facilitate the implementation and use of these systems.Fuel prices and environmental concerns have increased the interest in hybrid hydromechanical transmissions for heavy mobile working machines. Hybridisation, the introduction of a secondary energy source in the transmission, offers attractive improvements in terms of both fuel efficiency and performance. These improvements are, in turn, enabled by software control. A complex transmission architecture has several components that need to interact in a stable manner. In addition, optimal utilisation of the added energy source is required to maximise fuel savings. Meanwhile, there is a strong trend towards automation, where many of the operator’s difficult control tasks need to be managed by computers. Sophisticated control strategies are therefore needed, along with a deeper understanding of dynamic properties.Previous research on the control of hybrid hydromechanical transmissions has primarily focussed on on-road applications. The working conditions of heavy working machines place different requirements on the transmission, which is also reflected in the control strategy.This thesis highlights the importance of fast response of the variable displacement pump/motors used in hybrid hydromechanical transmissions. Their central position in the interface between hydraulics and mechanics makes their dynamic performance a limiting factor both for the stability of the transmission control loops and in the realisation of smooth mode shifts in multiplemode transmissions. Dynamic models and control strategies for displacement actuators are derived and validated in simulation and experiments. A linear model for dynamic analysis of a general hybrid hydromechanical transmission for heavy working machines is derived and a powertrain control strategy based on decoupled control is proposed. The strategy is verified in simulations and experiments in hardware-in-the-loop simulations, and may be used in a working machine with or without a human operator.