Quick-change control system design and verification for multi-task emergency rescue applications

To address the limitations of traditional electro-mechanical-hydraulic quick-change devices, including insufficient operational flexibility, manual dependency for hydraulic circuit docking, and suboptimal control accuracy, this study proposes a high-dynamic-stability Quick-change control system with multi-functional tool-change capability for complex emergency rescue scenarios. By analyzing the motion posture characteristics and task requirements of the quick-change device, a hydraulic system architecture and electrical control scheme were developed, followed by theoretical verification of hydraulic system stability. To enhance control precision, comparative studies of control strategies were conducted using an established electro-mechanical-hydraulic co-simulation model. Simulation results indicated that under typical working conditions, traditional proportional-integral-derivative control yielded maximum tracking errors of 6.02%, 2.66%, 2.14%, and 3.78% for the tilt cylinder, hydraulic motor, locking cylinder, and tool cylinder, respectively. In contrast, fuzzy proportional-integral-derivative control reduced these errors to 3.87%, 2.25%, 1.57%, and 2.11%, demonstrating significant improvement in dynamic performance. Consequently, fuzzy proportional-integral-derivative was selected as the core control strategy, with further pressure-response simulations confirming the operational reliability of hydraulic actuators. Multi-mode functional tests and quick tool-change tests validated the system’s capability to complete tool-change operations efficiently, meeting the technical requirements of quick response and precise operation for emergency rescue equipment. While fuzzy PID is a mature method, the literature contains limited reports on its application to electro-mechanical-hydraulic QCDs for emergency rescue. This study therefore contributes a dedicated system-level integration and validation of fuzzy PID for rescue-oriented QCDs, supported by AMESim–Simulink co-simulation and prototype experiments.