Goldhofer themselves on this

"Introduction to the technology

Goldhofer's towbarless aircraft tractors compose a tractor generation which has been developed in collaboration with users and for users under consideration of essential factors such as

* logistics,
* efficiency,
* safety,
* and ecology."


Image source: www.goldhofer.de

Each component has to make its contribution. That also goes for the controller:

"Modern data bus technology

Use of proven digital control engineering from the automative and truck sectors. Reduction of cabling complexity due to a decentralised alignment of standardised CAN bus components, which are common to all Goldhofer aircraft tractors. The Goldhofer control engineering concept, which is programmed "in-house", offers state-of-the-art safety and service convenience, for example, the individual modules can be easily exchanged via pluggable connections, in order to avoid long downtimes of the tractors in the event of any malfunctions."

»»» http://www.goldhofer.de/

What demands does an aircraft tractor make on a controller?

The core competences of the controller should be robustness and long-time stability. The same goes for the controller of the hydraulics (hydrostat and steering) but also for the communication with the diesel engine via J1939 (CAN). Also the option to extend the inputs/outputs via bus system (CAN) and the availability of several CAN lines are criteria to be met. But what about the implementation?