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ISO 4409 is the most important international standard for measuring the efficiency of hydraulic pumps and motors, the latest edition being 4409:2007. The standard describes methods for determining the steady-state performance in terms of overall efficiency. It also defines equations for calculating the volumetric efficiency of pumps and motors. The hydromechanical efficiency is only defined for motors, not for pumps. This paper analyses the efficiency and losses of pumps and motors in an alternative way. The preference is on loss analysis instead of efficiencies. Especially the effects of the bulk modulus are considered in a different and more inclusive manner. The new methodology results in a higher total loss for motor and a lower total loss for pumps than the current ISO 4409 standard. Furthermore, it results in significant changes of the hydro-mechanical and volumetric losses. The differences between the new methodology and ISO 4409 become larger for high load pressures. The new methodology demands knowledge about the minimum volume of the displacement chamber. The ratio between this volume and the full displacement of a single displacement chamber strongly influences the hydro mechanical and volumetric losses of the pump or motor. The new methodology is valid for all positive displacement hydrostatic pumps and motors. The volumetric efficiency, as defined in ISO 4409, can still be used as a flow rate factor, but should not be regarded as an energy conversion efficiency. The importance of adopting the proposed methodology is further demonstrated by analyzing and comparing the measurement data about a fixed displacement pump and motor, showing the differences in the loss analysis by means of ISO 4409 and the new equations. The methodology, observations and validation results presented in this paper are significant and can pave the road for improving the current ISO 4409:2007 standard, which would ultimately benefit the industry.

Noise is a well known challenge in hydraulic systems. Hydrostatic machines are amongthe largest noise contributors in a hydraulic system. The noise from the machine originatesfrom flow pulsations at the discharge and suction ports, as well as pulsations inpiston forces and bending moments. This article investigates the dynamic behaviour ofunsteady flow through a valve plate in an axial piston pump. The proposed extension ofthe steady state restrictor equation includes a dynamic internal mass term and a resistance.The results from 1D model are validated with a 3D CFD model. Different valveplates’ configurations and pump sizes are easily simulated with the two simulation models.The simulation results show very good comparison with experimental tests. Theproposed method is verified with a hydraulic pump application but it can probably alsoapply for original restrictors too.

This paper analyses the damping of a flow controlled cylinder with a mass load and an outlet orifice. By using linear models, a mathematical expression for the damping is derived. It is shown that the volumes on each side of the piston have a high impact on the damping. In case of a small volume on the inlet side, the damping becomes low. However, the most important thing is to design the outlet orifice area properly. There exists an optimal orifice dimension; both smaller and larger orifice areas give low damping independently of the size of the volumes. In this paper a design is proposed of the outlet orifice area that optimizes the damping of the system. Experimental results which confirm the theoretical expectations are also presented. The conclusions are that without an outlet orifice, the hydraulic system will not contribute with any damping at all. Furthermore, large dead volumes in the cylinder will increase the damping, but at the expense of the system’s efficiency.

Interest has increased in flow controlled systems in the field of mobile fluid power. The capital distinction between traditional load-sensing (LS) systems and flow controlled systems is that the pump is controlled based on the operator’s total flow demand rather than maintaining a certain pressure margin over the maximum load pressure. One of the main advantages of flow controlled systems is the absence of the feedback of the highest load pressure to the pump controller. In this paper, a dynamic analysis is performed where flow controlled and LS systems are compared. It is shown how instability can occur in LS systems due to the pump controller and proven that no such instability properties are present in flow controlled systems. A drawback with one type of flow controlled system is that the highest load dynamically will disturb the lighter loads. This paper shows a novel way to optimize the damping in such systems by controlling the opening position of the directional valve independently of the flow. The mentioned disturbance between the highest load to the others can thereby be reduced.

A review of recent and current research on individual metering fluid power systems is presented. An overview of different systems and their pros and cons is given. General challenges related to independent metering fluid power systems are discussed. The major choices in the design of these systems are the hardware layout and the control strategy. The evolution of existing independent metering fluid power systems from the 1970s until the present day is also presented., DOI does not work: 10.1243/09596518JSCE1111

Noise is a well known challenge in hydraulic systems. Hydrostatic machines are among the largest noise contributors in a hydraulic system.The noise from the machine originates from flow pulsations at the discharge and suction ports, as well as pulsations in piston forces and bending moments. This article investigates the dynamic behaviour of unsteady flow through a valve plate in an axial piston pump. The proposed extension of the steady state restrictor equation includes a dynamic internal mass term and a resistance. The results from 1D model are validated with a 3D CFD model. Different valve plates’ configurations and pump sizes are easily simulated with the two simulation models. The simulation results show very good comparison with experimental tests. The proposed method is verified with a hydraulic pump application but it can probably also apply for original restrictors too.

In conventional machines, the pulsations are periodic and originate from the uniform placement of a given number of pistons. This paper discusses the possibilities to introduce non-uniform placement of the pistons. The pulsations periodicity is thus changed, which can have a major impact on the noise level and how the noise is experienced. A number of approaches are presented, evaluated and ranked and the usefulness of the modifications is assessed. This study employs a transfer function methodology to map simulated internal pump dynamics, such as piston forces and bending moments, to audible noise. Using these transfer functions, it is possible for instance to predict how changed valve plate timing affects simulated piston forces and bending moments and in turn how this will affect audible noise. Copyright © 2009 by ASME.

Interest has increasingly shifted from load-sensing (pressure controlled) systems to flow controlled systems. In this paper an interesting configuration that uses pre-compensated valves with flow sharing properties is studied. The fundamental difference between a traditional load sensing (LS) system and a flow controlled system is that the pump is controlled based on the operator’s total flow demand rather than maintaining a certain margin pressure over the maximum load pressure. One of the main advantages with flow controlled systems is the absence of the feedback of the highest load pressure to the pump. Flow controlled systems also present some challenges, one being how to handle auxiliary functions with unknown flow demands. Auxiliary functions are typically support legs, external power takeouts etc. This paper analyses one kind of flow controlled system and shows one way of dealing with auxiliary functions.

Noise is a well-known challenge in hydraulic systems and hydrostatic pumps are one of the largest noise contributors in a hydraulic system. The existing noise reduction features, such as pressure relief groove and pre-compression filter volume, are more or less dependent on the working condition. It is essential to know the amount of free air when designing a quiet pump; however, it is not evident how much free air the oil contains. The free air content is different if the suction port is boost pressured or self-priming. The amount of free air in a well-designed system can be as low as 0.5% while in others up to 10%.This paper uses the three-transducer method to measure the amount of free air in the oil. The oil's compressibility can be measured for different working conditions and the free air content can then be calculated. The pre-study is performed with an extensive simulation model. Various noise reduction features' sensitivity to free air content is considered.

Structure borne noise in a machine rises from piston force and bending moments among others. This noise arises directly from the pump shell. In this study, a transfer function methodology is employed for mapping simulated internal pump dynamics, such as piston forces and bending moments, on to structure borne noise. Using these transfer functions, it is possible to predict how, for instance, changed valve plate timing affects simulated piston forces and bending moments and in turn how that will affect audible noise. Hence, it is possible to design an objective function that directly reflects audible noise. The transfer functions are experimentally obtained and are valid for a specific machine shell and to some minor extent the room’s acoustical properties. Also, fluid borne noise is important to consider when designing a quiet machine. Fluid borne noise arises mainly from flow pulsation created inside the machine. Simulation of the internal pump dynamics, and optimisations, are carried out using a pump model developed in the simulation tool HOPSAN. The design application is a hydraulic machine of bent axis type with seven pistons. The theory outlined and the method proposed in the paper can also be applied to other types of hydraulic machines. The paper shows how both structure borne noise and fluid borne noise can be considered using multi-objective optimisation. The paper shows how different noise reduction features affect the sound pressure level and the flow pulsation. The paper also compare the pump and motor case.

In this study, a transfer function methodology is employed for mapping simulated internal pump dynamics, such as piston forces and bending moments, on to audible noise. Using these transfer functions, it is possible to predict how, for instance, changed valve plate timing affects simulated piston forces and bending moments and in turn how that will affect audible noise. Hence, it is possible to design an objective function that directly reflects audible noise. The transfer functions are experimentally obtained and are valid for a specific machine shell and to some minor extent the room’s acoustical properties. Simulation of the internal pump dynamics, and optimisations, are carried out using a pump model developed in the simulation tool HOPSAN. The design application is a fixed hydraulic machine of bent axis type with seven pistons. The theory outlined and the method proposed in the paper can also be applied to other types of hydraulic machines. The paper shows how different noise reduction features affect the sound pressure level and also motor mode compared to pump mode.

Simulation is a great tool to help the development of products. For simulation to be a validtool there are high demands on the models, where they need to be accurate and fast, regardingcomputational time. This work is a first step to model and implement a 4 wheel drive system.The system is electronically controlled and the torque transferred by the system is dependenton the pressure built up by the hydraulic system. This work focuses primary on the develop-ment of the solenoid pressure control valve model. In order to perform simulations, the valvemodel needs to be connected to the rest of the system. The supply pressure is provided froma piston accumulator, that is implemented only to provide the right functionality at this stage.The load in this system is composed of a wet multiplate clutch, that is implemented only as astatic model based on measurements. The modeling of the valve was divided into studying theelectromagnetical part and hydromechanical part separately. The electromagnetical part, i.e.the solenoid, is modeled as a resistor in series with a nonlinear inductor. The electromagneticcharacteristics is modeled with the help of a curve fitting technique. A testbench was developedfor this purpose. The simulation results of the solenoid agrees well with measured results. Alinearized analysis of the hydromechanical part was performed in order to better understand thedynamics of the valve and see the most dominant effects. Two valve configurations resultedfrom this work. One includes more dynamics and has the possibility to change more param-eters in order to study different effects. The other configuration was based on the linearizedanalysis and therefore includes only the most dominant dynamics. This model is much fasterto simulate. Both configuration shows accurate results when compared to measurements of thesystem.

This paper deals with the control of an individual metering fluid power system. There are a number of reasons to use individual metering technology, one is flexibility. In traditional valves there is a mechanical connection between the meter-in orifice and the meter-out orifice. By control this orifices individually one valve can be used in different applications without hard- ware modifications. Instead of change spool the software is changed. Since there are more control signals and thereby more outputs to control there is also an opportunity of improve- ments of the dynamics compared to a conventional system. In this paper an approach with LQ-technique is presented for improvements of system dynamics. Since all states in the sys- tem can not be measured a state observer is also considered in the control design. These work present simulations, implementations in a real world forwarder application and results from ve- rifying experiments.

This paper deals with the control of individual metering systems. This paper deals with the control of an individual metering system that could be used for reducing metering losses by enabling recuperation and regeneration operation. A system that utilizes individual metering is more flexible than a conventional system since there are more control signals and thereby more outputs to control. Energy saving aspects is among the main reasons for the research on this kind of system, but there is also an opportunity of improvements of the dynamics compared to a conventional system. In this paper an approach with LQtechnique are presented for improvements of system dynamics. Since all states in the system can not be measured a state observer is also considered in the control design. These work present simulations, implementations in a real world forwarder application and results from verifying experiments.

In load sensing systems, the pump pressure is controlled in a closed loop control mode. In this paper, a system solution where the displacement of the pump is controlled directly from the operator's demand is studied. Both the stability and the response is thereby improved. It also implies a better energy efficiency since the pump pressure will be adapted according to the point of operation with no additional pressure margin needed. In some mobile applications, pressure compensation is required to avoid load interference. When using common pre compensators in a displacement controlled system, the pump and the valve will both control the flow. A better solution would be to control the flow by the pump and utilize the valve as a flow divider. This can be achieved by using flow sharing compensators. It also allows further energy savings since the maximum restriction area of the main spool at one of the loads can be utilized independent of the flow delivered by the pump. This paper addresses the problem with using common pre compensators in displacement controlled systems and analyses and compares both a traditional load sensing system and an open controlled pump solution with flow sharing compensators. Measurements on a wheel loader application equipped with the system presented in this paper shows a decreased energy consumption of 14 % for the working hydraulics compared to a load sensing system during a short loading cycle, provided that the pump is not saturated.

Today’s mobile machines most often contain hydraulic valve controlled drives in an open loop-circuit. For the purpose of saving energy the constant pressure pumps have, in the past, often been replaced by load-sensing pumps and load-sensing valves. In mobile applications these load-sensing solutions have significantly reduced the energy consumption. However, in applications with unequal drive pressure levels the load sensing systems still result in energy losses, referred to as metering losses. Throttling losses associated to load lowering have also been paid more attention to in the energy debates. By instead adopting direct pump displacement control, with the capability of energy recuperation in lowering motions, many of these losses can be avoided. In this article the author has studied a hydraulic system configuration where each actuator/supply system comprises a variable displacement pump/motor working in an open-circuit together with four separate electrically controlled valves. The four valves render a solution versatile in control, as the cylinder chambers can be connected to pump and/or tank as well as be closed at any time. The pump is electrically controlled and is used either in pressure control mode or flow control mode depending on the state of operation. Along with the hardware described above, the open-circuit solution requires a number of electronic sensors as well as a microprocessor control system, hence the system is a mechatronic system. In contrast to a conventional hydraulic system the control objectives in this concept are not strictly defined by the hardware configuration, but instead many of its critical parameters can be adjusted in software, thus an increased flexibility in system design is obtained. Consequently, defining the desired system properties becomes even more important. Furthermore system robustness must be considered to a greater extent, due to the increased number of sensors and components. The main focus in this paper is to

Noise is a well known challenge for hydraulic systems and hydrostatic machines is one of the largest noise contributors in a hydraulic system. The noise from the machine originates from flow pulsations in the discharge and suction ports, as well as pulsations in piston forces and bending moments. To the design a quite hydraulic machine is a difficult task where many different objectives need to be considered. This paper presents a generic method for how optimization based on simulation models could be used to design quieter hydraulic machines. In order to stay competitive on a global market an efficient product development process is essential for all manufacturing industries. By using simulation-s tools in the design process, the product can be analysed before the actual product is manufactured. Furthermore, in order to find an optimal design of the machine with respect to noise, a comprehensive dynamic simulation model is needed. The model contains all important noise contributors. In the paper, the simulation models are used together with a non-gradient optimization method in order to find the best possible design. A vital part when using optimization to support design is always to formulate the objective function. As mentioned above, noise is generated from different sources and all these sources need to be considered when the objective function is formulated. For example a design that minimizes flow pulsations in the suction port will surely perform badly in some other objective. Therefore noise minimization could be looked upon as a typical multi-objective optimization problem. It is also not evident how the different objective should be ranked because the observed noise level is strongly depending on the system in which the machine is to be used. The paper also considers whether the objective function should be formulated in time or frequency domain. Traditionally, simulation of machine performance is conducted in the time domain, but the human ear hears nois

Noise is a well-known challenge in hydraulic systems and hydrostatic pumps are one of the largest noise contributors in a hydraulic system. The existing noise reduction features, such as pressure relief groove and pre-compression filter volume, are more or less dependent on the working condition. It is essential to know the amount of free air when designing a quiet pump; however, it is not evident how much free air the oil contains. The free air content is different if the suction port is boost pressured or self-priming. The amount of free air in a well-designed system can be as low as 0.5% while in others up to 10%. This paper uses the three-transducer method to measure the amount of free air in the oil. The oil's compressibility can be measured for different working conditions and the free air content can then be calculated. The pre-study is performed with an extensive simulation model. Various noise reduction features' sensitivity to free air content is considered.

This is one of the earliest publications of the proposed energy efficient individual metering system shown in chapter 5, section 5.3.3. This paper introduces the novel system design, which utilizes independent meter-in and meter-out valves. This system design has the potential to increase energy efficiency considerably in a system that consists of a pump connected to more than one fluid power actuator. The system proposed here is not dependent on pressure transducers for either flow control or mode selection. The main difference between the work presented in this paper and earlier work is the control strategy. The output signal choices in the closed loops are new. Some functionality is kept in hardware to avoid critical sensor dependency. The presented system uses pressure compensators to achieve desired flows.

This paperexamines the dynamic properties of the pilot stage in a poppet typetwo-stage flow control valve ofthe -Valvistor- type. The particular valve studied is ascrew-in Valvistor valve of NG16 size. There are severalbenefits to this valve type: it has a high closed loopbandwidth and the design allows big flow capacities. Anattractive feature of this two-stage valve is that the pilot flowcontributes to the total flow giving higher steady state flowefficiency.The dynamic characteristics of the main stage werediscussed in an earlier paper. In this paper the aim is tostudy the influence of the pilot stage of the valve. Thebandwidth of this type of valve is often unexpected low.Due to the high bandwidth of the Valvistor element thepilot dynamics is often dominating.In this paper it is shown by measurements the influenceof different parts in the pilot valve that limits itsbandwidth. Flow forces are used in this valve tocompensate the pressure dependency in the flow. It is acommon way of design in so called pressurecompensated valves. It is discussed in the paper howthis flow forces influences the dynamic properties of thepilot valve. The mentioned flow forces interact togetherwith the mechanical spring in the pilot valve.Although the studied valve is just one of many variantsof the Valvistor principle, we will investigate it closelydue to the interest for this valve among otherresearchers.One important conclusion is that the inductance of thepilot solenoid is often limiting the bandwidth of the valveas a whole.

These days, energy efficient mobile fluid power systems are of great interest. A mobile system containing several different cylinder drives supplied with a single load sensing pump (LS-pump) has a number of advantages as well as disadvantages. One fo the main advantages is the need of only one system pump. This makes the fluid power system compact and cost-effective. A challenge is to keep the hydraulic losses at a low level, especially losses at smaller loads. This paper introduces a fail-safe proportional valve element that is based on the Valvistor poppet valve. Due to the demands of flexibility the poppet valve is bi-directional. The valve has an innovative hydro-mechanic layout that makes it fail-safe, unwanted lowering loads, for example, never occur. The new valve includes simple sensors that are suitable for identificaiton of mode switches, e g between normal, differential and regenerative modes. It is also possible to manoevre the system with maintained velocity control in case of sensor failure. In a less complex system the concept has benefits as well. For example in systems where fail-safe bi-directional on/off valves are needed, then without mode sensing capabilities.

This paper examines the dynamic properties of a two-stage flow control valve of the "Valvistor" brand. There are several benefits to this: the valve ha a high closed loop bandwidth, the design allows big flow capacities etc. An attractive feature of this two-stage valve is that the pilot flow contributes to the total flow giving higher steady state flow efficiency. This paper presents an analythical model of this particular type of valve. A simplified model with relevant approximations is also presented. Measurements on the valve were made to validate the valve model. The paper also includes a further discussion about the pros and cons of the valve in open and closed loop applications.

Den här presentationen behandlar en metod som effektivt reducerar flödespulsationer i variabla hydraulmaskiner, genom att förskjuta dödpunktens läge. Det realiseras genom att införa en fast inklinationsvinkel vinkelrätt mot den normala deplacementsvinkeln. Genom att förskjutningsvinkeln ändrar kolvarnas dödpunkt kommer förkompressionen och efterexpansionen att variera när deplacementet ändras.Tidigare arbeten visar, både teoretiskt och experimentellt, fördelarna med förskjutningsvinkeln för pumpar men inga utförligare utredningar för maskiner som arbetar både som motor och pump.

The source admittance method offers a new way to measure flow ripple. Compared to earlier methods such as the two-microphone method, the main benefit is that there is no need for a model of the outlet channel - the source flow is measured through an additional pressure transducer inside the pump. This makes the source admittance method easier to use and less modelling skill is needed. Furthermore, the method is more reliable because the somce flow is measured, i.e. pressure at the creation spot, directly. In earlier studies, the method proved to work very well for pumps with simple discharge channels but less well for pumps with complex discharge channels. The experimental test object is a pump with a simple outlet channel. Its internal impedance can easily be changed in a controlled manner; complexity can thus be added step by step. The paper contributes to the understanding of how complexity of the pump's discharge channel influences the usefulness of the source admittance method.

This paper considers using the cross-angle in variable displacement hydraulic machines. The cross-angle is a fixed displacement angle around the axis perpendicular to the normal displacement direction. The cross-angle changes the angles to the pistons top and bottom dead centres as a function of the fraction of displacement in such a way that the valve plate timing is varied and different pre-compression and decompression angles are obtained. A non-gradient optimisation technique, the Complex method, is used together with a comprehensive simulation model in order to find the optimal cross-angle for a variable displacement hydraulic motor. The paper shows that the cross-angle can be used to reduce noise in variable displacement motors. One issue that makes the motor application more difficult is the increased dependence between outlet and inlet flow ripple which is not found in pump applications. Furthermore, the paper discusses how to use the cross-angle for machines which can work both as a motor and a pump.

Dennapresentation belyser utvecklingen av hydraulsystem, med tonvikt påenergieffektivitet. Den tar sin utgångspunkt i ettforskningsperspektiv med exempel hämtade från FluMeS egnaerfarenheter från de gångna 30 åren, dvs sedan de förstahydraulikdagarna som hölls 1977.

Detta paper presenterar en modellering av den kända Valvistorventilen samt en ny utvidgning av denna ventil som ger den proportionalegenskaper i två flödesriktningar på ett fail-safe sätt.

One of the most important drawbacks with hydraulic systems is noise and vibration, which mainly originate from the hydrostatic pump. A great number of noise-reducing design features have been developed, but they are all, to a greater or lesser extent, sensitive to variations in operational conditions. The present paper is concerned with optimal design and experimental verification of the cross-angle in an axial piston pump. The cross-angle is a small fixed incline of the swash plate in the direction that is perpendicular to the traditional displacement direction. It enables effective noise reduction throughout the whole range of displacement angles. Simulation-based optimization is used to design a pump with optimal cross-angle and a matching valve plate. The design is manufactured and experimentally evaluated. Source flow measurements using the two-microphone method show good agreement between simulation and experiments, which verifies the applicability of the simulation model used. The benefits from using the cross-angle are then verified by comparing it with a pump with a traditional swash plate design, i.e. without the cross-angle. Both source flow measurements and sound level measurements in an anechoic chamber show good improvements from using the cross-angle.

This paper investigates the chattering effect occurring in power steering systems. Chattering is experienced as noise and vibration in steering systems and occurs when the steering system is activated by the driver or driven by the load, aligning torque. Chattering is a problem, which is a result of poor system layout with regards to system stability. The problem can reduce the performance of the system but is mainly a quality problem from the user´s point of view. In this paper, the phenomena is investigated with the help of a linear model of the system where the stability margin is analyzed for different characteristics of the valve.

This paper deals with energy efficient mobile valves with cylinder loads. In recent years, the need for energy efficient fluid power systems has increased. The reason is the increasing price of oil as well as tougher environmental regulations. One way of achieving an energy efficient directional valve is to use individually controlled meter-in and meter-out orifices and transfer functionality from hardware to the software controller. This type of solution makes it possible to keep metering losses low. Energy recovery is also made possible since both speed and lowest cylinder chamber pressure can be controlled. The challenge in such a controller is to decouple the chamber pressures in the MIMO (multi-input-multi-output) hydraulic system into independent SISO (single-input-single-output) systems. In this paper, a decoupling based on a linear analysis of the physical system has been implemented and tested in a cylinder position control application. The controller is evaluated in terms of performance and robustness. In the near future, this project will continue with other approaches as well, as there are several interesting control approaches available., Volume 1, No. 4

Two main drawbacks with hydraulic systems are noise and vibrations, mainly created from flow pulsations in positive displacement pumps. The flow ripple can be divided in two parts; kinematic and compressible. Kinematic flow ripple is created due to the limited number of pumping elements. Compressible flow ripple is created due to cornpressibility effects in the pumping chambers and is the dominating effect at high pressures. There are well proven methods to decrease noise in specific operation conditions, but there is an urgent need for new techniques in machines working under varying operation conditions. There is also a need for improved measurement methods to be used in product development and to judge new inventions to decrease noise. Simulation techniques are useful in the early stages of the development process. There are useful and accurate simulation models capable of predicting source flow ripple in hydrostatic pumps and thereby useful for optimisation purposes. Simulation results are, however, of less practical use before they are experimentally verified . The experimental methods must be simple and straightforward if they are to be accepted in industry. This paper describes a new method to measure source flow. It is called the source admittance method. Compared to earlier methods such as the two-microphone method, the main benefit is that there is no need for a model of the outlet channel - the source flow is measured through an additional pressure transducer inside the pump. The method works very well with a tested fixed bent-axis pump with a rather simple outlet channel. Experiments have also been performed with a variable in-line pump with added complexity to the out let channel. Although the overall impression is positive, these experiments show that the method needs to be further to be used for such machines. In both cases, the new method is compared with earlier verified simulation models and with measurements based on the two-microphone method. Apa

This project describes how the Active Pinion hydraulic steering system can be used to replace a electric power steering actuator in the Parking Pilot automatic parking system. Customer demand for fully or semi automatic parking systems in passenger cars, are getting higher with increased cost of parking related body damage repair coupled with restricted rearward sight and the larger dimensions of modern cars. This, however, puts new demands on the steering actuator. An automatic parking system requires full control of the steering servo, which is not possible with current hydraulic actuators. Instead these systems have to rely on electric servos which allow for the needed controllability. All current electric steering servos have the drawback that it is impossible to use them on anything but small or medium sized cars. Since a parking system can be seen as a premium accessory, which is more likely to attract customers who buy larger cars, this is a major hindrance for the success of automatic parking systems. A solution to the problem is to construct a controllable variant of the hydraulic steering servo, the Active Pinion. In this concept a small electric pilot motor is added to the traditional hydraulic valve, which adds one additional degree of freedom to the servo, accomplishing full four-quadrant operations. The project discusses how the Active Pinion concept is introduced in the Parking Pilot parking system and how different demands on the parking system relates to the performance of the actuator. The parking system is installed in a prototype car and simulation of the Active Pinion concept is accomplished with HWIL simulation in a load simulator.

This paper describes how a hydraulic power steering system with increased flexibility, Active Pinion, can be applied as the actuator to an automatic parking system, Parking Pilot. The requirements on the actuator from the parking system and how the actuator's performance translates into parking maneuver performance is studied. The system have been installed in a test rig and in a demonstrator car.

The traditional way of assisting car drivers during steering is with the help of hydraulic power assisted steering (HPAS) systems, which were introduced in the 1960's. In these systems, the torque the driver applies to the steering wheel is used to open a spool valve, which then modulates the load pressure in a hydraulic piston in the steering gear, thus assisting the driver. Such systems are regarded as cost effective and robust, but at the same time associated with limited flexibility. Since the broad introduction of electric power assisted steering (EPAS) systems during past years, the possibility to freely control steering wheel torque has been achieved. Steering wheel torque control is utilized both by comfort and safety functions, such as park assist systems and lane keeping assist systems or the next generation of active yaw control functions. In this paper, a solution to the controllability problem is presented for conventional HPAS systems. The solution is based on a traditional hydraulic power steering unit with modification to the valve. Added to the valve is an extra pilot motor, which enables the valve to be actuated electrically without compromising the basic robust mechanical solution of a traditional hydraulic power steering unit. Control strategies for position control and offset torque control have been presented together with test results carried out in a hardware in the loop test rig. An important advantage of the proposed solution is its low electric energy consumption. The electric motor has to compensate for the tiny sealing friction in the hydraulic spool valve. In other respects it relies on the power gain capability of the hydraulic system. This concept is called Active Pinion.

Hydraulic pumps give rise to flow ripples in both discharge and suction lines. The flow pulsations transform into pressure ripples which in turn create vibration and audible noise. With a careful design of the valve plate timing, flow ripple can be minimised. Much research is dedicated to the design of discharge port commutation, i.e. the pre-compression dynamics. This work, however, focuses on the suction port timing. Besides controlling flow ripple in the tank line, suction port timing influences fluid air-release which in turn has substantial impact on the effective system bulk modulus. lncreased air-release implies reduced cylinder filling performance, reduced volumetric efficiency and increased flow pulsations. In addition, the cylinder decompression at suction port commutation directly affects the resulting piston force profile and internal bending moments which largely contributes to pump housing vibration and noise emissions. Thus. the design of the suction port timing is crucial for flow ripples, air-release, pump housing vibrations and direct noise emissions from the pump. Also. the risk for cavitation is controlled. This paper also investigates the efficiency of an Air Drain Groove, ADC, as an alternative to conventional pressure relief grooves at suction port commutation. Correctly designed, the ADG reduces the cylinder pressure at piston top dead centre by bleeding off a very small amount of cylinder fluid to the housing drain. The air-release hereby obtained is directed into the pump casing instead of into the suction port and should thereby give rise to a higher system bulk modulus. Experiments reveal, however, that the efficiency of the ADC is not preferable to a conventional pressure relief groove, neither regarding air-release, nor noise emissions.