Study on the Integrated Programmable Multifunction E/H Valve

摘要

This paper presents an integrated programmable multifunction electro-hydraulic (PMEH) valve which integrates the electronic control unit with the hydraulic control circuit. The features and the functions of this valve are investigated by analyzing the programmable capabilities and the multifunction of the PMEH valve with intuitional diagrams. The comparison of control performance is also demonstrated by using conventional EH valve and the PMEH valve to control a hydraulic cylinder individually. While four or more single valves are applied in other approaches, this research attempts to use a two-valve scheme to achieve similar control functions compared to the four-valve one. The results show that the two-valve PMEH method is more feasible to be implemented in practical industry than the four-valve approach. Moreover, by using the PMEH valve (both two-valve scheme and four-valve scheme) to control the flow into/out the cylinder independently, higher efficiency can be achieved with comparison to the results of traditional single valve controls. Simultaneously, the response performance can also be improved by integrating specific control logic with the PMEH valve.