Study Of Power Consumption Minimization For Semi-Track Air Cushion Vehicle Based On Fuzzy Control

The crossing ability and power consumption on soft terrain and wet fields are two main difficult problems for vehicle to overcome. The previous studies showed that a hybrid tracked vehicle combining an air-cushion system can be an efficient solution for improving vehicle crossing ability on such severe terrain conditions, and the load distribution between driving system and cushion system has significant effects on traction performance and power consumption.Taking a semi-track air cushion vehicle as study object, the theoretical models for traction efficiency and total power consumption are respectively established. For the semi-track air cushion vehicle in the different ground conditions, the effects of power consumption caused by the change of load distribution between the air cushion and driving system is analyzed. Minimizing total power consumption is selected as control objective. Two approaches are proposed, i.e., adjusting speed of fan for cushion and the slip ratio of driving gear. A real time fuzzy PID controller is designed to achieve the proposal object. In a MATLAB/Simulink software environment, simulations are carried out for the proposed control system.The research results can provide useful reference for similar vehicle design with petionial applications not only for industry and agriculture, but also for military and scientific exploration, etc..