PID control for sprayer sections under laboratory conditions

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop and test a PID controller to adjust the height of bum sections of sprayer booms. This study was conducted under laboratory conditions using an experimental frame representing the boom sections of the sprayer. The boom section was operated using an electro-hydraulic system driven by a hydraulic power pack. Ultrasonic distance sensors were used to adjust the height of the boom tips based on the set height values. During the on-off control, the sudden openings of the hydraulic valve conduits caused oscillations, resulting in unstable operation. In the PID control, increased gain up to 100% resulted in unstable operations and resembled the response of on-off control. With the use of low gain values, oil flow delivered to the hydraulic actuator was adjusted accurately using the proportional valves and smoother boom section motion was possible. The effects of different disturbances on the system dynamic responses were presented graphically using PID control.