K Gain

This paper presents an optimal controller for fuel efficiency of a hydraulic mobile machine with hydrostatic drive (HSD). The solution is validated using a semi-empirical simulated research platform. The drive transmission of the machine includes one variable displacement hydraulic pump and four two-speed hub motors. There is no energy storage installed. Thus, the structure of the HSD and presented improvements in fuel economy are comparable to traditional machines. The optimal controller is compared to a baseline controller that intuitively keeps the components at their high efficiency regions. In simulated hill tests, fuel economy was improved by up to 25.9 % depending on the slope of the hill and velocity reference. NOMENCLATURE BSFC Brake specific fuel consumption F Forc