Hydraulic pressure-flow rate control of a pallet handling robot for an autonomous freight delivery vehicle

The current paper presents an upgrade of a pre-installed hydraulic system for the operation of a pallet handling robot for a freight delivery vehicle known as FURBOT (freight urban robotic vehicle). The automated forklift installed on FURBOT for loading/unloading of cargo is powered with the help of hydraulics. The previous hydraulic system worked via a classical approach with a fixed displacement pump and a bypass valve, making it work on full power when in use. An alternative design was proposed, simulated and installed on FURBOT; it uses a fixed displacement pump and changes the rotation speed in real time using a pressure sensor. Novelty was attained with the use of gear pumps for said scenario. A control algorithm is implemented in the processing unit for controlling the speed of the motor driving the pump. The main advantage of this approach is better use of energy for the vehicle’s battery. The aim of this research is to control both the speed and maximum force exerted by the actuators with the help of a single sensor and an inexpensive pump.