The present invention relates to a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator.
In a swing type work machine that rotationally drives a swing structure by a swing motor, publicly known is a technology which performs swing acceleration while maintaining a swing motor differential pressure at a relief set pressure by discharging, from a relief valve attached to the swing motor, oil delivered from a hydraulic pump.
In a swing driving system of such a work machine, the high pressure fluid discharged from the relief valve represents energy discarded as heat, and efficiency is thus poor. In order to deal with this, in Patent Document 1, a swing motor supply flow rate is determined from a deviation of a target rotational speed of the swing motor, which is obtained from an operation amount, from an actual rotational speed of the swing motor, which is detected from a sensor, and a pump flow rate is controlled in such a manner as to obtain the swing motor supply flow rate. It is assumed that an excess flow rate can thereby be reduced and that energy efficiency is consequently improved. In addition, Patent Document 1 supposes that a speed following characteristic can also be adjusted by adding a result of multiplication of the deviation between the target rotational speed and the actual rotational speed by a gain to the target rotational speed, thereby setting a secondary target rotational speed, and controlling a pump delivery flow rate based on this secondary target rotational speed.
The rotational acceleration of the swing motor is determined by a swing motor torque (pressure across the swing motor in a case where the swing motor is of a fixed displacement type). In Patent Document 1, the speed following characteristic is adjusted by correcting the target rotational speed. However, the pressure across the swing motor becomes a random value determined from a swing flow rate and a swing motor rotational speed at the time or a relief setting pressure. Hence, the swing motor torque cannot be adjusted, and a desired rotational acceleration intended by an operator may not be obtained.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a construction machine that can promptly adjust the rotational speed of a swing motor to a target rotational speed.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a construction machine including a track structure, a swing structure swingably attached onto the track structure, a work device attached to the swing structure, a hydraulic operating fluid tank; a hydraulic pump that delivers hydraulic operating fluid sucked from the hydraulic operating fluid tank, a swing motor that is supplied with the hydraulic operating fluid from the hydraulic pump and drives the swing structure, and an operation device for giving an instruction for operation of the swing structure, wherein the construction machine comprises a rotational speed sensor that detects a rotational speed of the swing motor, a pressure sensor that detects a driving pressure of the swing motor, a pressure adjusting device capable of adjusting the driving pressure of the swing motor, and a controller that controls the pressure adjusting device, and the controller is configured to calculate a target rotational speed of the swing motor based on input from the operation device, calculate a degree of deviation of the rotational speed detected by the rotational speed sensor from the target rotational speed, set a target driving pressure of the swing motor according to a moment of inertia about a swing axis of the swing structure and the work device and control the pressure adjusting device in such a manner as to reduce a difference between the driving pressure detected by the pressure sensor and the target driving pressure, when the degree of deviation is larger than a predetermined value, and control the pressure adjusting device in such a manner as to reduce a difference between the rotational speed detected by the rotational speed sensor and the target rotational speed, when the degree of deviation is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value.
According to the present invention configured as described above, when the degree of deviation of the rotational speed of the swing motor from the target rotational speed is larger than the predetermined value (that is, when the rotational speed of the swing motor is significantly below the target rotational speed), the driving pressure of the swing motor is controlled in such a manner as to coincide with the target driving pressure set according to the swing moment as a moment of inertia about the swing axis of the swing structure and the work device, and when the degree of deviation is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value (that is, when the rotational speed of the swing motor approaches the target rotational speed), the driving pressure of the swing motor is controlled such that the rotational speed of the swing motor coincides with the target rotational speed. It is thereby possible to promptly adjust the rotational speed of the swing motor to the target rotational speed.
The construction machine according to the present invention can promptly adjust the rotational speed of the swing motor to the target rotational speed.
An embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to the drawings by taking a hydraulic excavator as a construction machine, for example. Incidentally, in the figures, similar members are identified by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
The hydraulic control system in the present embodiment includes a hydraulic pump 10 of a variable displacement type, a pump regulator 10a capable of changing the delivery flow rate (pump flow rate) of the hydraulic pump 10, and the swing motor 17. Hydraulic fluid delivered from the hydraulic pump 10 is fed to the swing motor 17 through a load check valve 13 and a directional control valve 14. The delivery pressure of the hydraulic pump 10 can be adjusted by controlling the aperture of a hydraulic line to a hydraulic operating fluid tank 21 by a bleed-off valve 12. In addition, a delivery port of the hydraulic pump 10 is connected to the hydraulic operating fluid tank 21 via a main relief valve 11. The main relief valve 11 defines an upper limit of the delivery pressure of the hydraulic pump 10.
Two ports (an A-port and a B-port) of the swing motor 17 are respectively provided with swing relief valves 15a and 15b and makeup check valves 16a and 16b. The swing relief valves 15a and 15b perform an excessive load preventing function for the swing motor 17. The makeup check valves 16a and 16b perform an anti-void function for the swing motor 17.
In addition, the hydraulic control system in the present embodiment includes a rotational speed sensor 18 that detects the rotational speed of the swing motor 17, a controller 19, a joystick 20 as an operation device for inputting an operation signal, and pressure sensors 22a and 22b that respectively detect the pressures of the A-port and the B-port of the swing motor 17. The controller 19 obtains an actual rotational speed of the swing motor 17 from the rotational speed sensor 18, obtains a swing operation signal from the joystick 20, and obtains the A-port and B-port pressures of the swing motor 17 from the pressure sensors 22a and 22b. The controller 19 performs computation based on these signals, and outputs control signals to the pump regulator 10a, the bleed-off valve 12, and the directional control valve 14.
A control section C4 is supplied with the swing operation signal, the target rotational speed outputted by the control section C2, and the actual rotational speed, and outputs a pressure control switching flag. A control section C5 is supplied with the pressure control switching flag outputted by the control section C4 and the swing operation signal, and outputs a target bleed-off aperture. A control section C6 is supplied with the swing equivalent moment outputted by the control section C3, the swing operation signal, and the actual rotational speed, and outputs a swing target pressure. A control section C7 calculates a target pump flow rate from the target rotational speed outputted by the control section C2, the pressure control switching flag outputted by the control section C4, the target bleed-off aperture outputted by the control section C5, and the swing target pressure outputted by the control section C6, and outputs a pump regulator control signal corresponding to the target pump flow rate.
Computing sections O3e and O3f determine whether or not the absolute value of the swing motor rotational acceleration exceeds a threshold value Th1 set in the controller 19 in advance. Computing sections O3g and O3h determine whether or not the swing operation signal exceeds a threshold value Th2 set in the controller 19 in advance. A computing section O3i outputs TRUE when the output of the computing section O3f and that of the computing section O3h are both TRUE. A computing section O3j outputs the value from the computing section O3d (swing moment estimated value) when the output of the computing section O3i is TRUE. The computing section O3j outputs a reference moment set in the controller 19 in advance, when the output of the computing section O3i is FALSE. A computing section O3k performs low-pass filter processing on the output of the computing section O3j, and outputs a result of the low-pass filter processing as the swing moment estimated value.
A graph (A) depicts temporal changes in the swing operation signal.
A graph (B) depicts temporal changes in the target rotational speed and the actual rotational speed of the swing motor 17. The target rotational speed rises according to the swing operation signal. The actual rotational speed increases as a swing motor pressure to be described later rises.
A graph (C) depicts temporal changes in the ratio of the deviation between the target rotational speed and the actual rotational speed of the swing motor 17 to the target rotational speed (speed deviation ratio) and the rotational acceleration. A solid line in the figure represents the speed deviation ratio. A broken line in the figure represents the rotational acceleration. Alternate long and short dashed lines in the figure represent the rotational acceleration threshold value Th1 and the speed deviation ratio threshold value RW. Suppose that a time at which the speed deviation ratio exceeds the speed deviation ratio threshold value RW after a start of a swing operation is t1, and that a time at which the speed deviation ratio becomes equal to or lower than the speed deviation ratio threshold value RW is t2. In addition, suppose that a time at which the rotational acceleration exceeds the threshold value Th1 is t3, and that a time at which the rotational acceleration becomes equal to or less than the threshold value Th1 is t4.
A graph (D) depicts temporal changes in the port pressures of the swing motor 17. The A-port pressure on a driving side rises in relation to a bleed-off aperture and a pump flow rate to be described later.
A graph (E) depicts temporal changes in the swing moment estimated value. The moment estimated value is used for a period from time t3 to time t4. At other times, the reference moment set in the controller 19 is used as the moment estimated value.
A graph (F) depicts temporal changes in the pressure control flag. The pressure control flag is ON from time t1 to time t2.
A graph (G) depicts temporal changes in a bleed-off aperture. From time t1 to time t2, during which the pressure control flag is ON, the control aperture is maintained as the bleed-off aperture. At time t2, the control flag changes from ON to OFF, so that decrease rate limitation is activated, and the aperture is decreased at the rate r1.
A graph (H) depicts temporal changes in a pump flow rate and a swing motor flow rate. During non-operation, the pump flow rate is a minimum flow rate (standby flow rate). When a swing operation is performed and the pressure control flag is ON, a flow rate obtained by adding a bleed-off flow rate to the swing motor flow rate is delivered as the pump flow rate. Here, the bleed-off flow rate is calculated as a flow rate at which the target pressure can be realized when the bleed-off valve 12 maintains the control aperture. When the pressure control flag is turned OFF at time t2, the pump target flow rate gradually approaches the swing motor flow rate due to an effect of the low-pass filter.
In the present embodiment, the hydraulic excavator includes the track structure 1, the swing structure 2 swingably attached onto the track structure 1, the hydraulic operating fluid tank 21, the hydraulic pump 10 that delivers hydraulic operating fluid sucked from the hydraulic operating fluid tank 21, the swing motor 17 that is supplied with the hydraulic operating fluid from the hydraulic pump 10 and drives the swing structure 2, the operation device 20 for giving an instruction for operation of the swing structure 2, the rotational speed sensor 18 that detects the rotational speed of the swing motor 17, the pressure sensors 22a and 22b that detect a driving pressure of the swing motor 17, the pressure adjusting devices 10a and 12 capable of adjusting the driving pressure of the swing motor 17, and the controller 19 that controls the pressure adjusting devices 10a and 12, the controller 19 calculating the target rotational speed of the swing motor 17 based on input from the operation device 20, calculate a degree of deviation of the rotational speed detected by the rotational speed sensor 18 from the target rotational speed, set a target driving pressure of the swing motor 17 according to the swing moment as the moment of inertia about the swing axis X of the swing structure 2 and the work device 3 and control the pressure adjusting devices 10a and 12 in such a manner as to reduce a difference between the driving pressure detected by the pressure sensors 22a and 22b and the target driving pressure, when the degree of deviation is larger than the predetermined value RW, and control the pressure adjusting devices 10a and 12 in such a manner as to reduce a difference between the rotational speed detected by the rotational speed sensor 18 and the target rotational speed, when the degree of deviation is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value.
According to the present embodiment configured as described above, when the degree of deviation of the rotational speed of the swing motor 17 from the target rotational speed is larger than the predetermined value RW (that is, when the rotational speed of the swing motor 17 is significantly below the target rotational speed), the driving pressure of the swing motor 17 is controlled in such a manner as to coincide with the target driving pressure set according to the swing moment, and when the degree of deviation is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value RW (that is, when the rotational speed of the swing motor 17 approaches the target rotational speed), the driving pressure of the swing motor 17 is controlled such that the rotational speed of the swing motor 17 coincides with the target rotational speed. It is thereby possible to promptly adjust the rotational speed of the swing motor 17 to the target rotational speed. Incidentally, while the rotational speed deviation ratio is used as the degree of deviation from the target rotational speed in the present embodiment, the rotational speed deviation may be used as the degree of deviation.
In addition, the hydraulic excavator according to the present embodiment includes the pressure sensors 22a and 22b that detect the driving pressure of the swing motor 17, and the controller 19 calculates the rotational acceleration of the swing motor 17 based on the rotational speed detected by the rotational speed sensor 18, and calculates the swing moment based on the driving pressure detected by the pressure sensors 22a and 22b and the rotational acceleration. It is thereby possible to compute the swing moment accurately.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the hydraulic pump 10 is of a variable displacement type, the pressure adjusting devices capable of adjusting the driving pressure of the swing motor 17 include the pump regulator 10a capable of adjusting the delivery flow rate of the hydraulic pump 10 and the bleed-off valve 12 disposed on a flow passage that connects the hydraulic pump 10 and the hydraulic operating fluid tank 21 to each other, and the controller 19 controls, when the degree of deviation is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value RW, the pump regulator 10a in such a manner as to reduce the difference between the rotational speed detected by the rotational speed sensor 18 and the target rotational speed, in a state in which the bleed-off valve 12 is closed. Thus, when the rotational speed of the swing motor 17 approaches the target rotational speed, the delivery flow rate of the hydraulic pump 10 is controlled in the state in which the bleed-off valve 12 is closed. A hydraulic pressure loss can therefore be reduced. Incidentally, when the hydraulic pump 10 is of a fixed displacement type, the delivery flow rate of the hydraulic pump 10 is controlled by changing an engine rotational speed, for example, and the driving pressure of the swing motor 17 is thereby adjusted. In this case, an engine controller that controls the engine rotational speed corresponds to the pressure adjusting device.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the controller 19 controls, when the degree of deviation is larger than the predetermined value RW, the pump regulator 10a in such a manner as to reduce the difference between the driving pressure detected by the pressure sensors 22a and 22b and the target driving pressure, in a state in which the aperture amount of the bleed-off valve 12 is maintained to be a predetermined aperture amount (control aperture). It is thereby possible to adjust the driving pressure of the swing motor 17 with high accuracy.
An embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, while the present invention is applied to the hydraulic excavator in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention is applicable to construction machines in general that have a swing structure. In addition, the foregoing embodiment has been described in detail in order to describe the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to one including all of the described configurations.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2019-172094 | Sep 2019 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2020/032712 | 8/28/2020 | WO |