Riassunto analitico
As a result of the technological growth of the last years, agricultural machines are filled by electronic devices and functionalities more than ever before. The presence of electronics on this type of machines has reached levels which are comparable to that of the automotive industry allowing a more comfortable work experience coupled with an increased system potentiality and safety.
In this context, the need of developing smarter products has arisen also in sectors which have traditionally been mostly mechanical. This is the case for compact hydraulics, a field of hydraulics where the target is the production of valves which permit the execution of different tasks on a off-road vehicle. For example, this thesis project focused on valves for load-holding and lowering functions. The kind of valves commonly developed for this type of application are completely hydraulic or simple electrically-piloted ones.
Bosch Rexroth Oil Control S.p.A (Nonantola (MO), Italy) has decided to move forward and to develop a stand-alone solution composed by a revamped electro-hydraulic valve design, the so-called E-Valve, and an on-board electronics directly mounted on the valve. The on-board electronics consists of a controller and a series of pressure sensors which allow to extend the valve functionalities thanks to a software written and parameterized for each specific valve. Moreover, the solution can be integrated with a communication protocol in order to dialogue with the main controller of the vehicle and to quickly perform real-time parameterizations or troubleshooting actions. Besides the introduction of more advanced functionalities, the advantages that this solution will offer are various, from the easier integration customer-side to the cost reduction for the company.
The aim of this thesis was to create the hardware infrastructure needed to support the aforementioned new concept and the development of the software governing its operation. In particular, the first prototype was developed and tested on a Telehandler, an off-road vehicle characterized by the presence of a telescopic arm for material handling. Therefore, load-holding and lowering valves are of particular importance on this type of working machine and the studied solution could result in an improvement of the performances.
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Abstract
As a result of the technological growth of the last years, agricultural machines are filled by electronic devices and functionalities more than ever before. The presence of electronics on this type of machines has reached levels which are comparable to that of the automotive industry allowing a more comfortable work experience coupled with an increased system potentiality and safety.
In this context, the need of developing smarter products has arisen also in sectors which have traditionally been mostly mechanical. This is the case for compact hydraulics, a field of hydraulics where the target is the production of valves which permit the execution of different tasks on a off-road vehicle. For example, this thesis project focused on valves for load-holding and lowering functions. The kind of valves commonly developed for this type of application are completely hydraulic or simple electrically-piloted ones.
Bosch Rexroth Oil Control S.p.A (Nonantola (MO), Italy) has decided to move forward and to develop a stand-alone solution composed by a revamped electro-hydraulic valve design, the so-called E-Valve, and an on-board electronics directly mounted on the valve. The on-board electronics consists of a controller and a series of pressure sensors which allow to extend the valve functionalities thanks to a software written and parameterized for each specific valve. Moreover, the solution can be integrated with a communication protocol in order to dialogue with the main controller of the vehicle and to quickly perform real-time parameterizations or troubleshooting actions. Besides the introduction of more advanced functionalities, the advantages that this solution will offer are various, from the easier integration customer-side to the cost reduction for the company.
The aim of this thesis was to create the hardware infrastructure needed to support the aforementioned new concept and the development of the software governing its operation. In particular, the first prototype was developed and tested on a Telehandler, an off-road vehicle characterized by the presence of a telescopic arm for material handling. Therefore, load-holding and lowering valves are of particular importance on this type of working machine and the studied solution could result in an improvement of the performances.
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