Tests of an Innovative Controller Designed to Control the Powered Roof Support

The article presents the methodology and results of tests of a prototype controller designed for the electrohydraulic control system of a powered roof support. This controller is the basic part of the developed, innovative control system. The tests were carried out on a custom-designed testing station, equipped with one section of a roof support. The aim of the research was to check the functionality and speed of the controller's response while working with the actual support section. The tested controller and the control system has a modular structure, which greatly facilitates its operation and use. Measurements of control functions were carried out on the controller connected to the electrohydraulic control block. The research mainly focused on determining the period starting from the moment of providing the signal to the moment of switching on the basic functions performed by the support section. The obtained results confirm the assumptions made. The controller's operation is very stable, and its response times are very short. It can therefore be assumed that the tested controller is correctly designed and constructed. This creates great possibilities for its practical application in the built-in system for controlling the roof support. This may be particularly important in the case of high-efficiency longwall complexes, for which wireless control of the support is planned to be used. The presented research methodology and obtained results should therefore be an important source of information in the field of testing controllers for powered roof supports.