Asian Journal of Control, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp.

1065–1080, July 2013

Published online 19 September 2012 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/asjc.602

ADAPTIVE CONTROL OF THE ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC

SERVO-SYSTEM WITH EXTERNAL DISTURBANCES
Piotr Wos and Ryszard Dindorf

ABSTRACT
The paper deals with the structure of the adaptive control electro-hydraulic servo-system (EHSS) with external load
disturbances, practical verification of the identification, and control algorithms. The electro-hydraulic servo system composed of
a servo-cylinder controlled with a servo-valve is discussed. It is a strongly nonlinear object with parameters changing over time.
Adaptive adjuster parameters were determined by means of current identification resulting in the parametric model. Identification
was conducted on the basis of measurement of the controlling size and regulated size objects. The identified model of the object
was applied to carry out the on-line synthesis of the proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller. The selected problems
connected with obtaining the algorithm of adaptive control are presented. The computer program for implementing the algorithm
with numerical simulation and identification of the control physical model object were calculated. The aim of the research was
to examine the effectiveness of the adaptive control method in an electro-hydraulic servo system, both theoretically and
experimentally.
Key Words: Electro-hydraulic servo-system, system identification, adaptive control algorithm, forgetting adaptive control

I. INTRODUCTION time, depending on external load. In the classical approach

Electro-hydraulic servo-systems (EHSSs) have wide
application in the positioning and synchronization of aircraft,
mobile and industrial machines, robots, and manipulator
movements. The electro-hydraulic servo-drive control has
been the subject of research in various scientific centers for
many years. A serious problem connected with control of
these systems is caused by the internal interferences includ-
ing pulsations of the pressure, changes of friction forces
particularly in the range of small velocity, and changes of
the compressibility and viscosities of the working liquid in
the pressure and temperature function. Nonlinear properties
of the electro-hydraulic control system are caused by high
inertia of motion, forces, friction, and elasticity of the
mechanical components, fluid compressibility and control
valve characteristics. Changes to dynamic parameters of the
electro-hydraulic servo-drives are connected with their load
and velocity of move. They are also influenced by other
factors related to fluid properties and have a crucial impact on
the control system. The mismatch of control structures is
caused by large forces, or moment loads, of the servo-
hydraulic drive system. In addition, the requirements for high
precision position and velocity control may not be fulfilled in
their wide range because these conditions often vary over
Manuscript received October 16, 2011; revised May 2, 2012; accepted June 26,
2012.
The authors are with Kielce University of Technology, al. Tysiaclecia Panstwa
Polskiego 7, 23-314 Kielce, Poland.
Piotr Wos (corresponding author, e-mail: wos@tu.kielce.pl).
control algorithms describe the dynamic of the electro-
hydraulic servo-drive system as a set of linear control objects
for which the classical types of regulators are applied. Such
an approach is still used in industrial control systems, but it
does not always provide adequate quality control. In carrying
out the motions with a large scale of changes, it is important
to identify the non-stationary control system, whose proper-
ties change over time due to external load changes. The effect
of basic nonlinearities of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive on
its properties are presented in [16]. The modern controls of
adaptive electro-hydraulic servo-drives are built as systems
with software selection of settings (called gain-scheduling)
[20], self-tuning systems [17], and adaptive systems of the
reference model (Model Reference Adaptive Systems) [19].
The electro-hydraulic servo-drive control processes running
in the repeated conditions, often use software tuning control-
ler parameters. Electro-hydraulic servo-drive control systems
are presented in the literature [1, 9, 13, 14, 15] are described
on the assumption that model is nonlinear and its coefficients
are stable over time. The authors of [1, 9, 15] applied nonlin-
ear controllers using the Lyapunov method algorithms. They
were used to determine the equilibrium stability point of a
nonlinear system. However, due to the difficulty of finding a
suitable Lyapunov function for parametric systems, this
method is rarely used.
Yousefi, Handroos, and Soleymani [27] presented a
control system that uses variables of process. The parameter
controller, which is programmed as a function of mass, force
or pressure loading in the hydraulic cylinder, is gain control.

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
1066 Asian Journal of Control, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 1065–1080, July 2013
In this system there are constraints of control. All changes of
dynamic properties of the control object, not described by a
leading variable, are not included in the adjustment process.
These methods are used in stationary processes. For electro-
hydraulic actuators working in varying load conditions of
unknown or unpredictable variability during the state of the
process, should be analyzed throughout its whole duration. In
the adaptive control systems theory of formulating the task
popular method is to define model reference adaptive systems
(MRAS), in which stable control of the parameters is accom-
plished by comparing the output signal with output signal of
the object reference model. The difference of those signals is
the starting point for the correction of controller settings [18,
28]. In [18] the authors discuss the discrete model of adaptive
control with a reference model used to control the electro-
hydraulic servo system. The adaptive algorithm is applied to
a periodic trajectory tracking and disturbance rejection. Also,
[28] used a MRAS for position tracking of the electro-
hydraulic servo system. This system uses a linear model,
which has been improved by adding static nonlinearity pre-
sented in the proportional electro-hydraulic control valve.
System performance is increased by reducing the dead-band
of the control system occurring at the opening of the electro-
hydraulic valve. Problems related to stabilization of the
velocity hydraulic cylinder piston with a constant pressure
have been the subject of research [4, 12]. The influence of
load disturbances, changes in system parameters and input
variables on the reaction rate as well as characteristics of the
conventional PI controller were analyzed. Constant velocity
with the changing load conditions was obtained by applica-
tion of observer forces and adaptive compensation of control
system. There were numerous works dealing with robust
control for electro-hydraulic servo-drives [3, 12, 26]. In [3],
Bu Yao presents a desired compensation adaptive robust
control (DCARC) of a single-rod electro-hydraulic actuator.
Compared with the existing adaptive robust control (ARC)
algorithm, the DCARC algorithm presented here has a unique
feature, that is the adaptive model compensation part depends
on the reference trajectory and parameter estimations
only. Effects of interference measurement are limited to a
minimum, and estimation of the controller parameters
doesn’t depend directly on actual state measurements.
Despite significant advances in the design of adaptive
control algorithms on-line, there is still a need for the design
of such servo control systems, which monitor variability of
algorithm and controller parameters.
II. DISTRIBUTED REAL-TIME
CONTROL SYSTEM
For the electro-hydraulic servo-system control algo-
rithms, the experimental test stand presented in Fig. 1 was
© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
constructed. The electro-hydraulic servo-system consists
of two separately controlled control objects composed of
hydraulic cylinders, controlled by servo-valves (proportional
4/3 valves). The load in the analyzed electro-hydraulic servo-
drive resulted from slide and resistance movement caused by
load cylinder. The proposed electro-hydraulic servo-drive
control system contains two computers, target PC and host
PC, where the first computer directly controls the hydraulic
servo-drive and second controls functions as the operator
towards direct control layer. In the computer marked as the
host PC the software MATLAB and SIMULINK, together with
xPC Target for identifications and real time control, were
installed. The target PC possesses an analog and digital I/O
card and a Real-Time xPC Target system which activates
measurement data and controls hydraulic servo-drive. The
host PC and target PC communicate with each other by means
of the TCP/IP protocol [21].
Converters of PCI–DAS1602/16 type, manufactured
by Measurement Computing Corporation (Norton, MA,
USA), were used in the system measurement hydraulic
cylinders DAC and ADC. Piston displacement y(t) of the
hydraulic servo-cylinder was conducted by optical trans-
ducer means. To measure pressure values in the cylinder
chambers p1(t) and p2(t), and pressure in the supply line p0 as
well as the force F exerted by the load cylinder, tensometric
transducers were used. The implemented software enables
effective design of adaptive control systems by developing
methods and techniques of identifying objects and their
mathematical models off-line or in the real time. The dis-
tributed control system enables rapid prototyping of adaptive
controllers, resistant to random interferences resulting from
sudden changes of mass and load, forcing the electro-
hydraulic servo-drive. In hydrostatic servo-drives, attempts
are made to work out such control algorithms which would
be insensitive to outer disturbances caused by load mass and
external forces and would ensure high precision of position-
ing and good dynamic properties.
III. MODEL REFERENCE OF THE
ADAPTIVE CONTROL
To design electro-hydraulic servo-system control algo-
rithms the parametric modelling autoregressive moving-
average (ARMA) [11]
B ( q −1 )
yt = ut − d ,
A ( q −1 )
(1)
was used with the autoregressive with external input (ARX):
B ( q −1 ) 1
yt = ut − d + ξt (2)
A ( q −1 ) A ( q −1 )
 P. Wos and R. Dindorf: Adaptive Control of the Electro-Hydraulic Servo-System with External Disturbances 1067

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the electro-hydraulic servo-system [7].

where yt, ut are the output and input signals in discrete time t,
respectively; d, is the discrete delay; Tp is the number of
sampling periods; xt, is the controlled system interferences; q,
is the backward shift (delay) operator, and A(q-1), B(q-1) are
polynomials in the back shift operator q-1:

A ( q −1 ) = 1 + a1q −1 +  + anAq − nA,

B ( q −1 ) = b1q −1 +  + bnB q − nB.
(3)

For nA, nB polynomials the model was parameterized by the

vector:

θ = [ a1, … , anA, b1, … , bnB ] .

T
(4)

For the electro-hydraulic servo-system presented in Fig. 1 the

estimates algorithm was used according to the block diagram
in Fig. 2. Fig. 2. The block diagram of the controlled estimate system.
The recursive identification enables the determination
of the parameters of the controlled system on-line, within one where jt is a vector of known regressive variables which are
sampling period: delayed samples of control and output signals of the
controlled system:
A ( q −1 ) yt = B ( q −1 ) ut − d (5)
ϕ t = [ − yt −1, … , − yt − nA, ut − d −1, … , ut − nB − d ] .
T
(7)
in which the regressive variable is present:
The model parameters estimators were determined by the
yt = ϕ tT θ (6) standard least squares algorithm:

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
1068 Asian Journal of Control, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 1065–1080, July 2013

Estimated parameters
3
2
a3
1
0 a2
-1
-2 a1
-3
-4
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
time [s]

0,4
b3
Estimated parameters

0,2

b2
0,0

-0,2
b1

-0,4

-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
time [s]

Fig. 3. Estimated parameters of A(q-1), B(q-1), n = 3 polynomials in ARX model.

Pt −1ϕ t recursive least squares (WRLS) method with exponential

θˆt = θˆt −1 + εt (8)
forgetting. The WRLS method involves introducing into the
1 + ϕ tT Pt −1ϕ t
control algorithm a so called “forgetting factor” determining
Pt −1ϕ tϕ tT Pt −1 the “length” of the algorithms memory. The estimates of q
Pt = Pt −1 − (9)
1 + ϕ tT Pt −1ϕ t should be determined on the measurement basis of input and
output values in order to follow up change in current param-
where:
eters. To make the matrix Pt independent of past data, a
ε t = yt − ϕ tT θ t −1 (10) certain weight parameter lt, called the exponential forgetting
The jt vector contains values of parameters measured in t-1 factor, must be introduced. The exponential forgetting factor
time, but covariance matrix Pt depends upon the values of all lt reduces the effect of past data upon current evaluation of
measurements jt, i = 1, . . . , t. estimate parameters.
Fig. 3 presents the estimated parameters of A(q-1), ⎛ P ϕ ϕT P ⎞ 1
B(q-1), n = 3 polynomials of the electro-hydraulic servo- Pt = ⎜ Pt −1 − t −1 Tt t t −1 ⎟ (11)
⎝ 1 + ϕ t Pt −1ϕ t ⎠ λt
system model to ramp input function.
The estimates determined by conventional methods are From (11) the vector of estimated parameters is obtained:
based upon the whole history of the observation process and Pt −1ϕ t
are the averaged values obtained in the full registration θˆt = θˆt −1 + εt (12)
λt + ϕ tT Pt −1ϕ t
period. The iterative algorithm doesn’t keep up with the
changes of the controlled system parameters “overloaded” The weight coefficient lt changing in time is applied to
with random interferences. Additionally, the control system is accelerate the algorithm’s convergence:
overloaded with a substantial number of measurements as an
increased dimension result of the Pt matrix and jt vector. λt = λ 0λt −1 + (1 − λ 0 ) (13)

The value of the forgetting factor is fixed on the speed basis

3.1 Algorithm based on WRLS
at which the parameters of the identified controlled system
Adjusting the iterative algorithm to follow up control change their values and interference level in measurement
system parameters changing in time, leads to the weighted data. Assuming l0 = l0 = 1 the coefficient has a value

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
 P. Wos and R. Dindorf: Adaptive Control of the Electro-Hydraulic Servo-System with External Disturbances 1069

λ= 0,97
1,0

Forgetting factor λ λt
0,8

0,6

0,4

0,2

0,0

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
time [s]

Fig. 4. Change of exponential forgetting factors.

l = lt = 1. This value is used for extremely low frequency changes and the level of interference [25]. Fig. 4 presents
tracking control system parameters. changes of the exponential forgetting factor lt with adaptation
and forgetting factor l without adaptation.
For l = 1, the matrix Pt is always dependent on all
3.2 Algorithm based on AWRLS
previous data. Because they have undergone a change during
The major task of our research was to construct an the tuning of parameters there is no linear relationship
algorithm of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive control which between elements of vector θ t . Fig. 5 compares changes to
would accelerate adaptation for dynamic changes of the the a1 parameter of the ARMA model polynomial A(q-1) with
control parameters. The adaptive weighted recursive least adaptation lt, and without l adaptation of the exponential
squares (AWRLS) algorithm was used to adapt the exponen- forgetting factor.
tial forgetting factor lt. In the AWRLS algorithm the lt factor Adoption of l = const is difficult for practical imple-
is upgraded in each sampling period [2]: mentation, as demonstrated by tests carried out. In order to
−1
enable tracking of the values of model parameters the rapidly
⎧ ⎡ (υ + 1) ηt ⎤ ζ ⎫ evolving improved method described in Section 3.1 is used,
λt = ⎨1 + ln (1 + ζ t ) + ⎢ t − 1⎥ t ⎬ (14)
⎩ ⎣1 + ζ t + ηt ⎦ 1 + ζ t ⎭ by applying the adaptation of the exponential forgetting
factor lt so as to reflect the change in input and output
where: parameters during identification of the object.
υt = λt −1 (υt −1 + 1) (15)
3.3 Model verification
( )
2
yt − ϕ tT θˆt −1
ηt = (16) To find the best method of electro-hydraulic servo-
αt system’s identification the final prediction error (FPE) was
used with the purpose of determining the variance of the one
⎡
( ) ⎤⎥
2
step prediction error [10]:
⎢ yt − ϕ tT θˆt −1
α t = λt −1 ⎢α t −1 + ⎥ (17) ( N + n) 1 N 2
1 + ζt
( N − n) N ∑
⎢⎣ ⎥⎦ σ k2+1 = ε k = FPE (19)
k =1

ζ t = ϕ tT Pt −1ϕ t where, ek is the one-step prediction error, k = 1 . . . N is the

(18)
The lt factor is an adaptive weight parameter considerably
influencing the speed and convergence of the control algo-
rithm. It is expected that lower values of lt will cause more
rapid updating of the model, which is beneficial for rapid
adaptation, while small values of lt result in higher variation
the instantaneous value of the estimated coefficients, which is
not desirable. The value of the forgetting factor lt is selected
depending on the speed of the object identified parameter
number of samples, and n is the number of factors of the
model.
The values of the FPE for ARMA model polynomials of
n = 2 and n = 3 order were determined during identification
by means of recursive least squares (RLS), weighted recur-
sive least squares (WRLS), and adaptive weighted recursive
least squares (AWRLS) algorithms with different sampling
times Tp. Fig. 6 compares the averaged FPE values obtained
in five measurements taken during the identification process

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
1070 Asian Journal of Control, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 1065–1080, July 2013

-1

a1λ

Estimated parameters -2 a1

-3

-4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
time [s]

Fig. 5. Comparison of changes to the a1 parameter of the ARMA model polynomial A(q-1) with and without adaptation of exponential
forgetting factors.

n=2 n=3
1E-5
1E-4
RLS WRLS AWRLS
1E-6
1E-5
RLS WRLS AWRLS
1E-7
Tp =0.01 1E-6
Tp =0.01
Tp =0.002
1E-8 Tp =0.002
Tp =0.001 1E-7
FPE
FPE

Tp =0.001
1E-9
1E-8

1E-10
1E-9

1E-11
1E-10

Fig. 6. Comparison of the averaged values of the FPE for RLS (l = 1), WRLS (l = 0.97) and AWRLS (lt) algorithms with different
sampling times Tp.

by means of three selected algorithms with different forget-
ting factors.
3.4 Adaptive estimate of PID controller parameters
The idea of the proportional–integral–derivative (PID)
controller is generally known in the literature [2, 6] and the
main advantage of this type of controller is widely used in
industry. There is, however, a problem in the process of tuning
the controller. There are many classical techniques that allow
for the choice of controller parameters, i.e., methods devel-
oped by Ziegler-Nichols tuning in the frequency domain,
based on the optimization criteria, and the distribution of
elements closed-loop control. All these methods are used in
stationary systems and are selected “permanently” at the
“beginning” of a control process. Appropriate selection of
parameter adjustments are made on the basis of the engineer-
ing practice after start-up. We can make choices about the
control parameters to increase its robustness, but it is a dif-
ficult and laborious process. In the case of structural and
parametric system changes the tuning process must be done
again. An update of the controller settings of the electro-
hydraulic drive control system was attempted during opera-
tion. This is the idea of the general principle of adaptive
control. The PID controller parameters are calculated from
critical (ultimate) proportional gain Ku and the critical (ulti-
mate) period of oscillations Tu. These critical parameters are
obtained by progressively increasing the proportional gain of
the output of a closed loop that is on the border of stability.
The PID controller, based on discrete values of control
error, defines a sequence of discrete control signal values uk:
⎡ T T ⎤
uk = K P ⎢ek − ek −1 + D ek + D ( ek − 2ek −1 − ek − 2 ) ⎥
⎣ TI TP ⎦ (20)
+ uk −1

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
 P. Wos and R. Dindorf: Adaptive Control of the Electro-Hydraulic Servo-System with External Disturbances 1071

where uk is the controller output, Kp is the proportional gain

(a tuning parameter), TD is the derivative time (a tuning
parameter), TI is the integral time (a tuning parameter), Tp is
the sampling time, and ek = wk - yk is the error.
In the form of a recursive algorithm

uk = q0ek + q1ek −1 + q2ek − 2 + uk −1 (21)

where

⎛ T T ⎞ ⎛ T ⎞
q0 = K p ⎜1 + p + D ⎟ , q1 = − K p ⎜1 + 2 D ⎟ ,
⎝ TI T p ⎠ ⎝ Tp ⎠
(22)
⎛T ⎞
q2 = K p ⎜ D ⎟ . Fig. 7. Method of PID controller tuning: P, proportional
⎝ Tp ⎠ controller; w, u, y, input signals, control signal and
output control process.
Selection of parameters q0, q1, q2 for the discrete
implementation of algorithm (21) was determined
(Ziegler-Nichols): entire system). If the control system depends only on the gain
factor controller transmittance is:
K p = 0.6 K u, TI = 0.5Tu , TD = 0.125Tu
U ( z)
where: Ku, Tu is the critical (ultimate) proportional gain and GR ( z ) = = Kp (25)
E ( z)
the critical (ultimate) period of oscillations.
Transmittance of a discrete PID algorithm becomes: Then the discrete signal values uk are:
U ( z ) q0 + q1 z −1 + q2 z −2 uk = K p [ wk − yk ]
GPID ( z ) = = (23) (26)
E ( z) 1 − z −1
Transmittance for the closed loop control is:
and in another form
Y ( z) GR ( z ) Go ( z )
U ( z) Gz ( z ) = = (27)
GPID ( z ) = W ( z ) 1 + GR ( z ) Go ( z )
E ( z)
⎛ T 1 TD 1 − 2 z −1 + z −2 ⎞ By substituting (24) and (25) into (27) it is considered a
= K P ⎜1 + P + .
⎝ TI 1 − z −1 TP 1 − z −1 ⎟⎠ discrete control system:

The purpose of construction of the virtual electro-hydraulic Y ( z) z − d K P B ( z −1 ) L ( z)

servo-drive system was to determine parameters based on the
controlled system model in real time. The control system
parameters of the PID controller parameters are determined
with the use of non-stationary object parameters.
The basis for tuning the adaptive PID controller is
model (24). When replacing q-1 (1) with z-1 we obtain:
Y ( z) z B ( z
−d −1
)
Go ( z ) = =
A ( z −1 )
(24)
U ( z)
Where A(z-1), B(z-1) are polynomials identified in the
controlled object model, and d is the discrete delay defined as
the number of sampling periods Tp.
Fig. 7 presents a method of PID controller tuning.
In this method, the optimum setting of the PID control-
ler depends on the gain factor Ku and the oscillation period Tu
set at the stability limit for the P controller (the process of
tuning the controller takes place in real time throughout the
Gz ( z ) = = = .
W ( z ) A ( z −1 ) + z − d K P B ( z −1 ) M ( z )
(28)
According to the assumptions regarding the stability of
discrete systems, in next part the denominator of the equation
is considered in order to determine its stable poles:
M ( z ) = A ( z −1 ) + z − d K P B ( z −1 ) = 0 (29)
The task is to select gain factor Kp = Ku(Tp) so that the control
closed system is stable, which means that the characteristic
equation has roots zi and complies with the condition zi < 1
for i = 1, 2, . . , m. In Figs 8 and 9 the signal locations for
selected trajectories are presented with corresponding
graphic plots of poles locations.
As a result of adaptive algorithm selection Ku, Tu, their
values are determined at the time of electro-hydraulic servo-
drive with load force. In Figs 10 and 11 the parameters of Ku,
Tu for selected trajectories are presented.

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
1072 Asian Journal of Control, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 1065–1080, July 2013

140
Trajectory
120
Displacement [mm]

Measurement
100

80

60

40

20

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
time [ s ]

Fig. 8. Root positions on unit circle discrete transmittance of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive control system G(z) for ramp input near
displacement piston cylinder from initial position ystart = 0.015 m to set position yset = 0.125 m and for a set velocity
vset = 0.0275 m/s.

250
Trajectory
Measurement
Displacement [mm]

200

150

100
0,48 Hz

50

0
1 2 3 4
time [ s ]

Fig. 9. Root positions zi on unit circle of discrete transmittance the electro-hydraulic servo-drive control system G(z) for forcing
sinusoidal trajectory with initial position yset = 0.125 m, for a set frequency of 0.48 Hz motion.

390
81,2m
of oscillations Tu [s]
Critical gain Ku

81,1m
Critical period

389
81,1m

81,0m

388 81,0m
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
time [s] time [s]

Fig. 10. Parameters Ku, Tu of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive position control system for ramp input near displacement piston cylinder
from starting position ystart = 0.015 m to set position yset = 0.125 m, Tp = 0.002 s.

Figs 12 and 13 present parameters of Ku, Tu for selected hydraulic servo-system control algorithms [22, 23, 24]. The
trajectories for quick increase of cylinder load force Fload. test stand consists of two separate control objects composed
of hydraulic cylinders (type CJ8D-160-40/22/250 Mecman)
controlled by proportional valves (Bosch-Rexroth, type
IV. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS 4WRPH 6 C B24L-2X/G24Z4/M-855). The position of
carriage was measured in relation to the body position using
The test stand presented in Fig. 14 was constructed in encoder OPC’s Heidenhein LS 403. Carriage velocity was
order to conduct experimental investigation of the electro- calculated by differentiation the position of cylinder rod.

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
 P. Wos and R. Dindorf: Adaptive Control of the Electro-Hydraulic Servo-System with External Disturbances 1073

389,0 0,08110

of oscillations Tkr [s]

0,08108
Critical gain Ku

388,5

Critical period
0,08106
388,0
0,08104
387,5
0,08102
387,0
0,08100
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6
time [s] time [s]

Fig. 11. Parameters Ku, Tu of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive position control system for sin input set position yset = 0.125 m and set
frequency of 0.48 Hz motion.

420 0,090

of oscillations Tu [s]
0,088
Critical gain Ku

400 Critical period 0,086

0,084

380 0,082
0,080
0,078
360
2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6
time [s] time [s]

Fig. 12. Parameters Ku, Tu of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive position control system for ramp input near displacement piston cylinder
from starting position ystart = 0.015 m to set position yset = 0.125 m with load force increase Fload from 0.5 to 4.6 kN for
Tp = 0.002 s.

Analyzed load of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive results V. THE VELOCITY INFLUENCE ON

from load cylinder in the 200–8200 N range.
The proposed hydraulic servo-drive control system con-
tains of two computers, Target PC and Host PC, where the
first computer directly controls the hydraulic servo-drive and
the second functions as the operator towards the direct control
layer [8]. In the computer marked as Host PC the software
MATLAB-SIMULINK, together with xPC Target for identifica-
tions and real time control, were installed. The Target PC
possesses an analog and digital I/O card and a real-time xPC.
The block diagram of control system with adaptive controller
is presented in Fig. 15.
It is the Target system which activates measurement
data and controls hydraulic servo-drive. Host and Target com-
municate with each other by means of the TCP/IP protocol. In
the measurement system of hydraulic cylinders DAC and
ADC, converters of PCI—DAS1602/16 type manufactured
by Measurement Computing Corporation were used [5]. The
pressure values in the cylinder chambers and supply line, as
well as the force exerted by the load cylinder, were also
measured. Experimental investigation of the electro-
hydraulic servo-drive control system was carried out using
the adaptive PID controller.
DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF THE
ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC
SERVO-DRIVE
The authors conducted analysis of the quality of the
electro-hydraulic servo-drive control system for different
velocities. An interesting issue is the ability to quickly adapt
the controller settings for a wide range of values of velocity
displacement the hydraulic cylinder piston. Fig. 16 presents
the basic features of the adaptive PID controller for the electro-
hydraulic servo-drive. The system for pre-identification and
identification of parameters of the reference model for station-
ary process vary slightly.
For low velocity displacement two negative events
are observed, i.e. impact of inadequacy of the identification
algorithm to stimulate nonlinearity friction forces. A sudden
change of the friction forces in the initial phase of the cylinder
piston movement was compensated at later regulation stage.
The lack of adequate stimulation AWRLS control algorithm
has an important impact on the current adaptive controller
settings. Table I presents the quality values of the electro-
hydraulic servo-drive control.

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
1074 Asian Journal of Control, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 1065–1080, July 2013

2,0 expected ones, obtained for frequencies from 0.16 Hz (1 rad/

Force load Fload [kN]

sec) to 0.8 Hz (5 rad/sec). Fig. 18 presents the change effects

1,5
in movement frequency of the piston cylinder on the quality
1,0 control.
For practical applications such as high positioning
0,5
accuracy, the control algorithm AWRLS gives satisfactory
0,0 results for the regulation of frequencies 0.8 Hz (5 rad/sec).
2 3 4 5 6 7 After analyzing the research results it can be concluded that
time [s]
the electro-hydraulic servo control algorithm has good
391 dynamics and the ability to keep up with “dynamic” changes
of electro-hydraulic system. Both the choice of model param-
390
Critical gain Ku

eters (1) and control parameters (20) takes place in real time
389
(on-line). An additional difficulty in the choice of the adaptive
388 PID control parameter AWRLS, is the use of such an algo-
387 rithm for determining the gain Ku and critical period Tu, so as
not to lead to an unstable behavior of control system. At
386
2 3 4 5 6 7 higher frequencies, there is an adverse effect of inertia forces.
time [s]

0,083 VII. ROBUST CONTROL OF THE

ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC SYSTEM TO
of oscillations Tkr [s]

0,082 EXTERNAL LOAD FORCE CHANGES

Critical period

0,081
0,080
0,079
2 3 4 5
Fig. 13. Parameters Ku, Tu of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive
position control system for ramp input near
displacement piston cylinder from starting position
ystart = 0.015 m to the set position yset = 0.125 m with the
pulse load force Fload = 0.5 ⫼ 1.6 kN, Tp = 0.002 s.
In the analyzed electro-hydraulic control system, the
positioning error doesn’t differ from the classical methods
and oscillates between 18 and 22 mm. In steady-state, this
error is dependent on the size of the interference caused by
the inertia drive system, stiffness and clearances occurring in
the structure, sensitivity of the proportional control valve, and
resolution of the measurement systems and controls.
VI. THE INFLUENCE OF REFERENCE
FREQUENCY SINUSOIDAL TRAJECTORY
ON DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF THE
ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC SERVO-DRIVE
In this section the effect of the frequency of the piston
hydraulic cylinder according to the sinusoidal trajectory was
analyzed. Fig. 17 presents the results of control process for
algorithm AWRLS about frequencies 0.16 Hz, 0.48 Hz,
0.8 Hz and 1.59 Hz.
The experimental investigation presents that for the
AWRLS control algorithm results are consistent with the
An important factor limiting the uniformity of
follow-up control the electro-hydraulic servo-drive is behav-
ior in transient states. In particular, it relates to the state in
6 7 which the electro-hydraulic servo-drive system it’s located
time [s]
during changes in load force. This state is determined by time
settling cylinder piston velocity of the initial value vp to new
set velocity v. Fig. 19 presents position and velocity charac-
teristics of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive for rapidly
changing load force Fload from 0.7 kN to 8.1 kN, for the
selected control algorithm AWRLS.
If drive load with step force, the apparent defect in the
control system becomes an advantage (the proper intensity of
signal is needed for the correct operation of the control
system). Sudden changes in the load drive system rapidly
adapts to the identified model parameters and controller
settings.
The uniformity degree is determined by the static coef-
ficient of non-uniformity velocity:
vp − v
δ vs = (30)
vp
Where vp is the initial velocity, and v is the final velocity of
the piston cylinder movement after time tr.
The coefficient of non-uniformity velocity dvs depends
on the load changes size, technical condition of the electro-
hydraulic servo-drive system, and quality control. In the
transient states movement of piston cylinder uniformity
was determined by the dynamic factor of non-uniformity
velocity dvd:

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
 P. Wos and R. Dindorf: Adaptive Control of the Electro-Hydraulic Servo-System with External Disturbances 1075

Fig. 14. Test-stand diagram for electro-hydraulic servo-system.

Fig. 15. SIMULINK block diagram showing control system with adaptive controller.

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
1076 Asian Journal of Control, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 1065–1080, July 2013

a) b)
0,6
measurement 0,024

Static deviation e [mm]

0,5 approximation measurement
Overshoot k [mm]

approximation
0,4 0,022
0,3
0,020
0,2
0,1 0,018
0,0
0,016
-0,1
0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6
velocity v [m/s] velocity v [m/s]

c) d)
0,4 0,020
signal position δy [mm]

speed signal δv [m/s]

measurement
0,3 measurement

Absolute deviation
Absolute deviation

0,015 approximation
approximation
0,2
0,010
0,1
0,005
0,0

-0,1 0,000
0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6

velocity v [m/s] velocity v [m/s]

Fig. 16. Set velocity effect vref piston hydraulic cylinder on the control process quality: (a) overshooting, (b) static deviation, (c)
displacement error, (d) velocity error, and (e) time control.

Table I. Control quality results for various values of set velocity vref piston hydraulic cylinder.

Absolute follow-up error

Velocity Overshoot Control time Positioning error Position Velocity
vref [m/s] kmax[mm] tr [s] emin [mm] dy [mm] dv [m/s]
0.0307 0.0945 0.2925 0.01837 0.0438 0.0045
0.0766 0.1865 0.2923 0.01928 0.0730 0.0053
0.1773 0.2722 0.2911 0.01963 0.1273 0.0078
0.2824 0.3341 0.2887 0.01987 0.1660 0.0086
0.4530 0.3662 0.2755 0.02028 0.2308 0.0116
0.5814 0.3901 0.2521 0.02107 0.2571 0.0146

The experimental test presents the finding that a clear

vmax − v p
δ vd =
vp
where vmax is the maximum piston velocity.
The effect of change in load force (Fload) on control
quality is shown in Fig. 20.
The best results were obtained in the positioning accu-
racy due to the initial load of system with step signal ystart =
0.015 m, and then continue working according to set trajectory
(Fig. 18 and Fig. 19). The rate of the initial signal shortens
control time. Signal intensity results in a rapid determination
of the parameter values of the identified model (1), which
significantly impacts the choice of control parameters (20).
(31) disturbance of the piston velocity occurs in transient states i.e.
at the start as well as at the end, and the effect of rapid
changes in load force Fload. If the piston hydraulic cylinder
moves with constant velocity then changing its force load
results in a decrease in the velocity and then increase in the
movement velocity to the value vmax. The natural decline in
velocity as a result of force load is quickly compensated by
adaptive control of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive system.
Research results are limited by available experimental param-
eters of the test stand: maximum supply pressure of
p0 = 8 MPa, valve flow characteristics, control signal -7 V to
+7 V allows proper operation of the electro-hydraulic control
system for (Fig. 20) external load force to 4.6 kN.

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
 P. Wos and R. Dindorf: Adaptive Control of the Electro-Hydraulic Servo-System with External Disturbances 1077

a) b)
100 100
Trajectory Trajectory

Displacement [mm]
Displacement [mm]

80 Measurement 80 Measurement

60 60

40 40
0,16 Hz
0,48 Hz
20 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
time[s] czas[s]
c) d)
100 100
Trajectory
Displacement [mm]

Trajectory

Displacement [mm]
Measurement
80 Measurement 80
0,8 Hz 1,59 Hz

60 60

40 40

20 20

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
czas[s] czas[s]

Fig. 17. Displacement of the piston cylinder for control algorithm AWRLS, according to the sinusoidal trajectory: (a) 0.16 Hz (angular
frequency 1 rad/sec) (b) 0.48 Hz (angular frequency 3 rad/sec), (c) 0.8 Hz (angular frequency 5 rad/sec), (d) 1.59 Hz (angular
frequency 10 rad/sec).

a) b)
4
0,05
velocity signal δv [m/s]
signal position δy [mm]

3
Absolute deviation
Absolute deviation

0,04

2 0,03

1 0,02

0,01
0
0,00
0,1 1 10 0,1 1 10
frequency f [rad/s] frequency f [rad/s]

Fig. 18. Influence of changes frequency displacement the cylinder piston on quality control: (a) absolute follow-up error of position
signal dy, (b) absolute follow-up error of velocity signal dv.

VIII. CONCLUSION
For objects with variable parameters, such as electro-
hydraulic systems, controller parameters of the type should
be variables over time. Therefore, we are looking for algo-
rithms that will meet this challenge. The adaptive control
algorithms for electro-hydraulic servo-systems have been
proposed. Current estimates of the control algorithms com-
prise the effect of past measurements and the forgetting factor
l. The forgetting factor l influences the dynamic properties
of the identification algorithm and its ability to constantly
follow up the changes of control system parameters. To iden-
tify the electro-hydraulic control systems as non-stationary
ones, small values of the forgetting factor l were used and
parameters of estimates were determined on the basis of the
current parameters measured values. The AWRLS algorithm,
which presents the ability to conduct follow-up control of
electro-hydraulic servo-system parameters, has been pro-
posed. While designing the AWRLS algorithm efforts have
been made to reach a compromise between sufficient dynam-
ics of the algorithm and estimator with small variance. We
analyzed the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive control
algorithm for reference velocity change vref, the frequency of
cylinder piston, and external force load. The best results of
positioning accuracy were obtained by the initial stimulation
of a stepped signal for ystart = 0.015 m, and then by continuing

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
1078 Asian Journal of Control, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 1065–1080, July 2013

a)
95

90
125
85
0,7 kN
Displacement [mm]
80
100
75 1,8 kN
75 70 4,6 kN
65 8,1 kN
50 3,6 3,8 4,0 4,2 4,4 4,6 4,8 5,0 y ref
czas [ s ]
25

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
time [ s ]

b)
0,7 kN
1,8 kN
0,06
4,6 kN
8,1 kN
Velocity [m/s]

yref
0,04

0,02

0,00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
time [ s ]

c)
8 0,7kN
1,8kN
4,6 kN
Force load [kN]

6 8,1kN

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
time [ s ]

Fig. 19. Dynamic characteristics of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive for ramp input near displacement piston cylinder from starting
position ystart = 0.015 m to set position yset = 0.125 m for rapid change in load forces from 0.7 kN to 8.1 kN. (a) displacement,
(b) velocity and load force Fload.

stimulation by the reference trajectory. A prompt increase in parameters of adaptive controller as laboratory version can be
the stimulating signal causes a fast set of parameters to be the basis for its practical application in industrial environ-
identified, which affects the right selection of controller ments. A control system measuring the displacement of a
parameters. The electro-hydraulic servo-drive control system piston cylinder allowed the stabilization of electro-hydraulic
charged with load step force was analyzed. For correct opera- servo-drive velocity, with load force change. The proposed
tion of the control system it is necessary to stimulate the adaptive control system is one of the possible solutions for the
appropriate intensity. Sudden load changes cause a rapid servo control of the electro-hydraulic servo-drive. The advan-
adaptation of the identified model parameters and controller tage of the adaptive controller solution is its universal appli-
settings. Development effective method for selection the cation in both laboratory and industrial applications. The

© 2012 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
 P. Wos and R. Dindorf: Adaptive Control of the Electro-Hydraulic Servo-System with External Disturbances 1079

a) b)
0,06 1,0
nonuniformity velocity δvs

nonuniformity velocity δvd

Dynamic coefficient
Static coefficient

0,05 0,9
measurement measurement
approximation approximation
0,8
0,04
0,7
0,03
0,6
0,02
0,5
0,7 1,8 3,5 4,6 5,7 8,1 0,7 1,8 3,5 4,6 5,7 8,1
Fload [ kN ] Fload [ kN ]

Fig. 20. The influence of load force (Fload) on the quality control algorithm AWRLS for ramp input near displacement piston cylinder
from initial position ystart = 0,015 m to the set position yset = 0,125 m: (a) static coefficient of non-uniformity velocity (dvs), (b)
the dynamic coefficient of non-uniformity velocity (dvd)

designed adaptive controller for electro-hydraulic servo-drive
(EHSD) can be easily used for electro-pneumatic servo-drive
(EPSD) and electric servo-drive (ESD).
IX. APPENDIX
9.1 LIST OF NOTATIONS
y Control output—piston-cylinder displacement
Dy Piston displacement error
u Control input
Tp Sample time
j Output and input vectors
P Covariance matrix
q Estimation vector plant parameters
l Forgetting factor
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Piotr Wos received his Ph.D. degree in
Automatic Control and Robotics from
Kielce University of Technology (Poland)
in 2008, where he is currently a lecturer.
His main research interests are in adaptive
control and real-time control systems. He is
focused on applications for hydraulic and
pneumatic drives and sensory systems.
Ryszard Dindorf is Professor in Depart-
ment of Mechatronic Devices at Faculty of
Mechatronics and Machine Devices of
Kielce University of Technology (Poland).
His research activities include fluid power
systems—hydraulic and pneumatic drives
and controls, fluid power automation—
fluid system in production automation and robotization,
mechatronic devices—hydrotronic and pneumatronic
devices. Professor Dindorf is the author or co-author of some
400 academic papers and numerous industrial reports. He is a
member of Committee on Automatic Control and Robotics of
Polish Academy of Sciences.