Research on steering control performance of electric forklift with steer by wire

Chuan Feng

doi:10.1051/ijmqe/2020018

Abstract

Forklift plays an important role in cargo handling in the warehouse; therefore, it is necessary to ensure the stability of the forklift when turning to guarantee the safety of transportation. In this study, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was improved by a genetic algorithm (GA), and the parameters of the proportion, integration, and differentiation (PID) controller were calculated using the improved algorithm for forklift steering control. Then simulation experiments were carried out using MATLAB. The results showed that the convergence speed of the improved PSO algorithm was faster than that of GA, and its adaptive value after convergence stability was significantly lower than that of the PSO algorithm; whether it was low-speed or high-speed steering, the three algorithms responded to the steering signal quickly; the yaw velocity and sideslip angle of the forklift steering under the improved PSO algorithm were more suitable for stable steering, and the increase of the steering speed would increase the yaw velocity. The novelty of this paper is that the traditional PSO algorithm is improved by GA and the particle swarm jumps out of the locally optimal solution through the crossover and mutation operations.

Highlights

With the progress of science and technology, the power source of vehicles has gradually changed from human and animal power to steam power, fuel power, and electric power [1]
This study mainly introduced the steer-by-wire system and active steering control strategy of the forklift
The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was optimized by genetic algorithm (GA), and the parameters of the PID controller were optimized

Summary

Introduction

With the progress of science and technology, the power source of vehicles has gradually changed from human and animal power to steam power, fuel power, and electric power [1]. The angle torque sensor installed on the steering wheel detects the rotation angle and transmits the rotation angle signal to the main controller. The road sensing feedback module [7] installed at the rotating shaft will apply resistance on the rotating shaft after receiving the signal from the main controller to replace the inherent limitation of the traditional mechanical control and provide the driver with road feel feedback. The main controller receives the actual steering wheel angle signal from the angle sensor, converts it into the road sensing feedback signal, and transmits it to the road sensing feedback module. In addition to the above functions, the control module will collect the real-time movement status of the forklift through the sensors installed on the vehicle body, including the travel speed, sideslip angle, yaw velocity, etc. When the forklift deviates from the normal motion state too much due to a sudden situation, the steering control algorithm in the main controller will perform a compensation control on the steering motor to make the forklift body stable

Results

Discussion

Conclusion