engleski

Real-time control of fluid power systems using open source software

Commercial software for real-time system control is costly and often customized for industrial applications. A clear majority of education institutions and all size companies are turning to open source software instead of using commercial software packages to reduce IT costs. This paper attempts to explore ways to design and implement real-time control of a hydraulic system using open source software (OSS) which includes a Linux-based operating system, the Scilab/Xcos modelling software and associated Real-Time Application Interface (RTAI) and necessary drivers for control and measurement devices. The article reports technical description of the experimental system for translational motion control of hydraulic actuator. The system structure can be divided into the main part, which represents a hydraulic cylinder which is controlled by using a proportional directional control valve and on the part that allows setting different amount of load. The simulation results for position control of hydraulic actuator obtained using Scilab/Xcos free open source software and the experimental results with commercial based platforms using the same set of hardware are given. In order to compare the control characteristics three following devices have been used: CompactRIO system programmed using graphical program LabVIEW, programmable logic controller – PLC using WinCC flexible software and PC with DAQ card using Matlab/ Simulink/RTW program. Also, the other requirements that make up a useful real time application such as reliability, ease of programming and robustness will be discussed. The experimental system presented in this paper consists of reconfigurable components, providing the possibility of performing various control devices which give insight into the physical behavior of the real system and provides great opportunities for education and research in the field of electrohydraulic systems control.

fluid power systems; open source software; real-time control

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