Patent Grant
12000118
The present invention relates to a construction machine including a hydraulic drive system that directly drives hydraulic actuators by using hydraulic pumps.
In recent years, in construction machines such as hydraulic excavators, there have been developments underway in hydraulic circuits (defined as closed circuits) in which connection is established such that a hydraulic working fluid is fed from hydraulic driving sources such as hydraulic pumps to hydraulic actuators such as hydraulic cylinders, and the hydraulic working fluid used for performing work at the hydraulic actuators is returned not to a tank, but to the hydraulic pumps, in order to reduce restrictor elements in the hydraulic circuits that drive the hydraulic actuators and to reduce the fuel consumption rate.
Patent Document 1 describes configuration in which, for a backhoe excavator, actuators and pumps are connected to each other in a closed circuit manner.
Application of the system of Patent Document 1 not to a backhoe excavator, but to a loading excavator, for example, is considered. A loading excavator is an excavator having a structure to push a bucket by extending an arm cylinder. The loading excavator performs horizontal pushing operation of the bucket when performing excavation operation. If the system of Patent Document 1 is applied, it is necessary to finely adjust lever input in the arm cylinder extension direction and lever input in the boom cylinder retraction direction in order to realize the horizontal pushing operation of the bucket. Accordingly, an operator is required to perform complicated input, and this undesirably increases the burden on the operator when she/he performs excavation operation repeatedly.
The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a construction machine that allows an operator to linearly push a bucket simply by operating an arm in a pushing direction.
In order to achieve the object described above, according to the present invention, in a construction machine including: a boom; an arm pivotably attached to the boom; a bucket pivotably attached to the arm; a boom cylinder that drives the boom in a raising direction by extending operation, and drives the boom in a lowering direction by retracting operation; an arm cylinder that drives the arm in a pushing direction by extending operation, and drives the arm in a crowding direction by retracting operation; an operation device that operates the boom and the arm; a bidirectionally tiltable first hydraulic pump that can be connected to the boom cylinder to form a closed circuit; a bidirectionally tiltable second hydraulic pump that can be connected to the arm cylinder to form a closed circuit; and a controller that, according to operation of the operation device, controls a flow rate of a hydraulic fluid supplied from the first hydraulic pump to the boom cylinder, and a flow rate of the hydraulic fluid supplied from the second hydraulic pump to the arm cylinder, the construction machine includes: a boom angle sensor that senses an angle of the boom; and a bucket locus selecting device that selects either one of an arc locus and a straight locus as a movement locus of the bucket, the movement locus being according to operation of the arm in the pushing direction, and the controller is configured to, in a case where the straight locus is selected by the bucket locus selecting device, calculate a constant flow rate ratio according to a boom initial angle that is the angle of the boom sensed by the boom angle sensor at a time point when the arm is operated in the pushing direction by the operation device, and control a delivery flow rate of the first hydraulic pump such that the hydraulic fluid is discharged from a cap chamber of the boom cylinder at a flow rate obtained by multiplying a rate of a flow supplied to a cap chamber of the arm cylinder by the flow rate ratio while the arm is operated in the pushing direction by the operation device and there is not an instruction for operation of the boom; and control a delivery flow rate of the second hydraulic pump such that the hydraulic fluid is absorbed from the cap chamber of the arm cylinder by the second hydraulic pump at a flow rate according to input of the operation device independently of a selection state of the bucket locus selecting device while the arm is operated in the crowding direction by the operation device.
According to the thus configured present invention, when a straight locus is selected via the bucket locus selecting device and an instruction for pushing operation of the arm is given via the operation device, the constant flow rate ratio is calculated on the basis of the boom initial angle, and while an instruction for pushing operation of the arm is given via the operation device and an instruction for operation of the boom is not given, the delivery flow rate of the first hydraulic pump is controlled such that the hydraulic fluid is discharged from the cap chamber of the boom cylinder at a flow rate obtained by multiplying the flow rate of the flow supplied to the cap chamber of the arm cylinder by the flow rate ratio. Thereby, it becomes possible for an operator to linearly push the bucket simply by operating the arm in the pushing direction.
The construction machine according to the present invention makes it possible, for an operator, to linearly push a bucket simply by operating an arm in a pushing direction, and thus it becomes possible to mitigate the burden on the operator at time of excavation work.
As an example of a construction machine according to embodiments of the present invention, a hydraulic excavator is explained below with reference to the figures. Note that in the figures, equivalent members are given identical reference characters, and overlapping explanations are omitted as appropriate.
In
The front work implement 103 includes: a boom 2 attached to the front section of the upper swing structure 102 so as to be pivotable upward/downward; an arm 4 coupled to a tip section of the boom 2 so as to be pivotable upward/downward or forward/backward; a bucket 6 coupled at a tip section of the arm 4 so as to be pivotable upward/downward or forward/backward; a boom cylinder 1 that drives the boom 2; an arm cylinder 3 that drives the arm 4; and a bucket cylinder 5 that drives the bucket 6.
The hydraulic excavator 100 according to the present embodiment is a loading excavator, and is configured to push the bucket 6 forward by extending the arm cylinder 3 or the bucket cylinder 5. As depicted in
In
The engine 9, which is the motive power source, is connected to the power transmission device 10 that allocates the motive power. The power transmission device 10 is connected with the hydraulic pumps 12 to 15 and the charge pump 11.
The hydraulic pumps 12 and 13 include: bidirectionally tiltable swash plate mechanism having a pair of input/output ports; and regulators 12a and 13a that adjust the inclination angles of the swash plates. The hydraulic pumps 14 and 15 include: unidirectionally tiltable swash plate functionality having an input port and an output port; and the regulators 14a and 15a that adjust the tilting angles of the swash plates. The regulators 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a adjust the tilting angles of the swash plates of the hydraulic pumps 12 to 15 according to signals from the controller 50.
The hydraulic pumps 12 and 13 can control the delivery flow rates and directions of a hydraulic working fluid from the input/output ports by adjusting the tilting angles of the swash plates. In addition, the hydraulic pumps 12 and 13 function also as hydraulic motors upon being supplied with a hydraulic fluid.
The pair of input/output ports of the hydraulic pump 12 is connected with flow paths 200 and 201, and the flow paths 200 and 201 are connected with the selector valves 40 and 41. The selector valves 40 and 41 switch the states of the flow paths between the communicating states and the interrupting states according to signals from the controller 50. When there are no signals from the controller 50, the selector valves 40 and 41 are at the interrupting states.
The selector valve 40 is connected to the boom cylinder 1 via flow paths 210 and 211. When the selector valve 40 enters the communicating state according to a signal from the controller 50, the hydraulic pump 12 is connected with the boom cylinder 1 via the flow paths 200 and 201, the selector valve 40, and the flow paths 210 and 211 to thereby form a closed circuit.
The selector valve 41 is connected to the arm cylinder 3 via flow paths 213 and 214. When the selector valve 41 enters the communicating state according to a signal from the controller 50, the hydraulic pump 12 is connected with the arm cylinder 3 via the flow paths 200 and 201, the selector valve 41, and the flow paths 213 and 214 to thereby form a closed circuit.
The pair of input/output ports of the hydraulic pump 13 is connected with flow paths 202 and 203, and the flow paths 202 and 203 are connected with the selector valves 42 and 43. The selector valves 42 and 43 switch the states of the flow paths between the communicating states and the interrupting states according to signals from the controller 50. The selector valves 42 and 43 are at the interrupting states when there are no signals from the controller 50.
The selector valve 42 is connected to the boom cylinder 1 via the flow paths 210 and 211. When the selector valve 42 enters the communicating state according to a signal from the controller 50, the hydraulic pump 13 is connected with the boom cylinder 1 via the flow paths 202 and 203, the selector valve 42, and the flow paths 210 and 211 to thereby form a closed circuit.
The selector valve 43 is connected to the arm cylinder 3 via the flow paths 213 and 214. When the selector valve 43 enters the communicating state according to a signal from the controller 50, the hydraulic pump 13 is connected with the arm cylinder 3 via the flow paths 202 and 203, the selector valve 43, and the flow paths 213 and 214 to thereby form a closed circuit.
The output port of the hydraulic pump 14 is connected to the selector valves 44 and 45, the proportional valve 48, and a relief valve 21 via a flow path 204. The input port of the hydraulic pump 14 is connected to a tank 25.
The relief valve 21 releases the hydraulic working fluid to the tank 25 and protects the circuit when the flow path pressure has become a predetermined pressure or higher.
The selector valves 44 and 45 switch the states of the flow paths between the communicating states and the interrupting states according to signals from the controller 50. When there are no signals from the controller 50, the selector valves 44 and 45 are at the interrupting states.
The selector valve 44 is connected to a cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 via the flow path 210.
The selector valve 45 is connected to a cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 via the flow path 213.
The proportional valve 48 changes its opening area and controls the passing flow rate according to a signal from the controller 50. When there are no signals from the controller 50, the opening area of the proportional valve 48 is kept at the maximum opening area. In addition, when the selector valves 44 and 45 are at the interrupting states, the controller 50 gives a signal to the proportional valve 48 such that the opening area of the proportional valve 48 becomes an opening area that is preset according to the delivery flow rate of the hydraulic pump 14.
The output port of the hydraulic pump 15 is connected to the selector valves 46 and 47, the proportional valve 49, and a relief valve 22 via a flow path 205. The input port of the hydraulic pump 15 is connected to the tank 25.
The relief valve 22 releases the hydraulic working fluid to the tank 25 and protects the circuit when the flow path pressure has become a predetermined pressure or higher.
The selector valves 46 and 47 switch the states of the flow paths between the communicating states and the interrupting states according to signals from the controller 50. When there are no signals from the controller 50, the selector valves 46 and 47 are at the interrupting states.
The selector valve 46 is connected to the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 via the flow path 210.
The selector valve 47 is connected to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 via the flow path 213.
The proportional valve 49 changes its opening area and controls the passing flow rate according to a signal from the controller 50. When there are no signals from the controller 50, the opening area of the proportional valve 49 is kept at the maximum opening area. In addition, when the selector valves 46 and 47 are at the interrupting states, the controller 50 gives a signal to the proportional valve 49 such that the opening area of the proportional valve 49 becomes an opening area that is preset according to the delivery flow rate of the hydraulic pump 15.
The delivery port of the charge pump 11 is connected to a charge relief valve 20 and charge check valves 26, 27, 28a, 28b, 29a, and 29b via a charge line 212. The suction port of the charge pump 11 is connected to the tank 25. The charge pump 11 supplies the hydraulic fluid to the charge line 212.
The charge relief valve 20 releases the hydraulic working fluid to the tank 25 when the flow path pressure of the charge line 212 has become a predetermined pressure or higher, and keeps the pressure of the charge line 212 at a constant pressure.
The charge check valve 26 supplies the hydraulic fluid from the charge line 212 to the flow paths 200 and 201 when the pressures of the flow paths 200 and 201 have fallen below a pressure set at the charge relief valve 20.
The charge check valve 27 supplies the hydraulic fluid from the charge line 212 to the flow paths 202 and 203 when the pressures of the flow paths 202 and 203 have fallen below a pressure set at the charge relief valve 20.
The charge check valves 28a and 28b supply the hydraulic fluid from the charge line 212 to the flow paths 210 and 211 when the pressures of the flow paths 210 and 211 have fallen below a pressure set at the charge relief valve 20.
The charge check valves 29a and 29b supply the hydraulic fluid from the charge line 212 to the flow paths 213 and 214 when the pressures of the flow paths 213 and 214 have fallen below a pressure set at the charge relief valve 20.
Relief valves 30a and 30b provided on the flow paths 200 and 201 release the hydraulic working fluid to the charge line 212 and protect the circuits When the flow path pressures have become a predetermined pressure or higher.
Relief valves 31a and 31b provided on the flow paths 202 and 203 release the hydraulic working fluid to the charge line 212 and protect the circuits when the flow path pressures have become a predetermined pressure or higher.
The boom cylinder 1 is a hydraulic single rod cylinder that is actuated to extend or retract by being supplied with the hydraulic working fluid. The cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 is connected with the flow path 210, and a rod chamber 1b of the boom cylinder 1 is connected with the flow path 211. The extension/retraction direction of the boom cylinder 1 depends on the supply direction of the hydraulic working fluid.
Relief valves 32a and 32b provided on the flow paths 210 and 211 release the hydraulic working fluid to the charge line 212 and protect the circuits when the flow path pressures have become a predetermined pressure or higher.
A flushing valve 34 provided on the flow paths 210 and 211 discharges a surplus oil in the flow paths to the charge line 212.
The arm cylinder 3 is a hydraulic single rod cylinder that is actuated to extend or retract by being supplied with the hydraulic working fluid. The cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 is connected with the flow path 213, and a rod chamber 3b of the arm cylinder 3 is connected with the flow path 214. The extension/retraction direction of the arm cylinder 3 depends on the supply direction of the hydraulic working fluid.
Relief valves 33a and 33b provided on the flow paths 213 and 214 release the hydraulic working fluid to the charge line 212 and protect the circuits when the flow path pressures have become a predetermined pressure or higher.
A flushing valve 35 provided on the flow paths 213 and 214 discharges a surplus oil in the flow paths to the charge line 212.
A stroke sensor 60 installed on the boom cylinder 1 measures the stroke of the boom cylinder 1, and inputs the stroke to the controller 50. The controller 50 computes the posture (angle) of the boom 2 from the stroke of the boom cylinder 1.
A stroke sensor 61 installed on the arm cylinder 3 measures the stroke of the arm cylinder 3, and inputs the stroke to the controller 50. The controller 50 computes the posture (angle) of the arm 4 from the stroke of the arm cylinder 3.
Note that although the stroke sensors 60 and 61 are used as means (a boom angle sensor and an arm angle sensor) that sense the postures (angles) of the boom 2 and the arm 4 in the present embodiment, angle sensors attached to the rotation shafts of the boom 2 and the arm 4 or IMUs attached to the boom 2 and the arm 4 may be used.
The lever 51 is operated by an operator, and inputs the operation amount for each actuator to the controller 50.
A horizontal-pushing/arc-excavation selector switch 52 is means (bucket locus selecting device) for selecting the movement locus of the bucket 6. The horizontal-pushing/arc-excavation selector switch 52 is operated by the operator, and inputs a result of selection of a horizontal pushing mode or an arc excavation mode mentioned later to the controller 50.
In
The lever operation amount computing section F11 computes operation directions and target operation speeds of the actuators 1 and 3 according to input from the lever 51, and inputs the operation directions and the target operation speeds to the command computing section F13.
The boom posture computing section F12b computes the posture (angle) of the boom 2 from a value (the stroke of the boom cylinder 1) of the stroke sensor 60, and inputs the posture to the command computing section F13.
The arm posture computing section F12a computes the posture (angle) of the arm 4 from a value (the stroke of the arm cylinder 3) of the stroke sensor 61, and inputs the posture to the command computing section F13.
The command computing section F13, on the basis of the input from the lever operation amount computing section F11, the boom posture computing section F12b, and the arm posture computing section F12a, computes and outputs command values to the selector valves 40 to 47, the proportional valves 48, and 49, and the regulators 12a to 15a.
The command computing section F13 has a horizontal-pushing/arc-excavation selecting section F14, a boom flow rate ratio computing section F15, and an actuator allocation flow rate computing section F16.
The horizontal-pushing/arc-excavation selecting section F14 selects either the horizontal pushing mode or the arc excavation mode on the basis of input from the horizontal-pushing/arc-excavation selector switch 52, and inputs the selected one to the boom flow rate ratio computing section F15.
The boom flow rate ratio computing section F15 computes a flow rate ratio α which is a ratio of a discharge flow rate Qb of a flow from the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 to a supply flow rate Qa of a flow to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 on the basis of the input from the boom posture computing section F12b and the arm posture computing section F12a when the horizontal pushing mode is inputted from the horizontal-pushing/arc-excavation selecting section F14. The discharge flow rate Qb of the flow from the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 is represented by the following Formula (1) by using the flow rate ratio α.
[Equation 1]
Qb=αQa (1)
Here, the flow rate ratio α is decided geometrically on the basis of an initial angle θb0 of the boom 2 and an initial angle θa0 of the arm 4. That is, the flow rate ratio α is represented by the following Formula (2).
[Equation 2]
α=f(θb0,θa0) (2)
Note that when the length of the arm cylinder 3 at time of the start of excavation is always the most retracted length, the flow rate ratio α is decided on the basis of only the initial angle θb0 of the boom 2. That is, the supply flow rate ratio α is represented by the following Formula (3).
[Equation 3]
α=f(θb0) (3)
The actuator allocation flow rate computing section F16 computes and outputs command values to the selector valves 40 to 47, the proportional valves 48 and 49, and the regulators 12a to 15a on the basis of the input from the lever operation amount computing section F11 and the boom flow rate ratio computing section F15.
Next, operation of the hydraulic drive system 300 according to the present embodiment is explained.
(1) At Time of Non-Operation
In
(2) At Time of Arm Pushing Operation (at Time of Selection of Horizontal Pushing)
From time t0 to time t1, all of command values which are instructions for operation of the actuators based on the input of the lever 51 are 0, and the arm cylinder 3 and the boom cylinder 1 are stationary.
From time t1 to time t2, a command value (hereinafter, referred to as the arm pushing command value) which is an instruction for extending operation (arm pushing operation) of the arm cylinder 3 based on the input of the lever 51 is increased to the maximum value.
First, at Step S1, the controller 50 determines whether or not the input of the lever 51 is arm pushing single operation. Since this operation is arm pushing single operation, the procedure proceeds to Step S2.
At Step S2, the controller 50 determines whether or not the horizontal pushing mode is selected. Since the horizontal pushing mode is selected in this operation, the procedure proceeds to Step S3.
At Step S3, the controller 50 computes the posture (angle) of the boom 2 on the basis of a signal (the stroke of the boom cylinder 1) of the stroke sensor 60. Further, the ratio (flow rate ratio α) of the discharge flow rate of the flow from the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 to the supply flow rate of the flow to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 for performing the horizontal pushing operation is computed, and the procedure proceeds to Step S4.
At Step S4, the controller 50 computes the supply flow rate Qa of the flow to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 on the basis of the arm pushing command value. Furthermore, the discharge flow rate Qb of the flow from the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 is computed from the flow rate ratio α determined at Step S3 and the supply flow rate Qa of the flow to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3, and the process is completed.
As depicted in
In addition, the delivery flow rate of the hydraulic pump 12 is controlled such that the hydraulic fluid is absorbed by the hydraulic pump 12 at the discharge flow rate Qb of the flow from the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 computed at Step S4 depicted in
By controlling the delivery flow rates of the pumps and opening and closing of the selector valves in response to the lever input for arm single pushing operation as described above, the retraction speed of the boom cylinder 1 is controlled properly relative to the extension speed of the arm cylinder 3, and the horizontal pushing operation is realized.
In the present embodiment, only the hydraulic pump 12 is used for retraction of the boom cylinder 1. Since the hydraulic pump 12 is a closed circuit pump, and the pressure of the cap chamber 1a becomes higher than the pressure of the rod chamber 1b in boom lowering operation, the sucking side pressure of the hydraulic pump 12 becomes higher, and the hydraulic pump 12 behaves as a hydraulic motor and applies regenerative torque to the power transmission device 10. The regenerated torque can be used for driving of the hydraulic pumps 13 and 15, and the fuel consumption amount of the engine 9 can be reduced. In addition, by controlling the boom lowering by using only the pumps, the control precision for the flow rates can be enhanced as compared to control performed by using valves in which the flow rates vary undesirably due to the influence of pressures, and thus it is possible to enhance the trackability of a target locus in horizontal pushing.
When only the hydraulic pump 12 is used for retraction of the boom cylinder 1 as in the present embodiment, the hydraulic fluid is discharged to the charge line 212 via the flushing valve 34 at a surplus flow rate that is generated from the ratio between the cap side and rod side pressure receiving areas of the cylinder. If the discharge flow rate increases, the pressure of the charge line 212 increases undesirably. In order to prevent this, at time t1, the selector valve 44 may be opened, and a part of the flow may be discharged from the proportional valve 48 to the tank 25.
(3) At Time of Arm Pushing Operation (at Time of Arc Excavation Selection)
From time t0 to time t1, all of command values which are instructions for operation of the actuators based on the input of the lever 51 are 0, and the arm cylinder 3 and the boom cylinder 1 are stationary.
From time t1 to time t2, the arm pushing command value based on the input of the lever 51 is increased to the maximum value.
At Step S1 depicted in
At Step S2, the controller 50 determines whether or not the horizontal pushing mode is selected. Since the arc excavation mode is selected in this operation, the procedure proceeds to Step S5.
At Step S5, the controller 50 computes the supply flow rate Qa of the flow to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 on the basis of the lever input for the arm pushing single operation, and completes the process.
As depicted in
On the other hand, since the boom cylinder 1 is not driven, the delivery flow rate of the hydraulic pump 12 is kept at 0, and the selector valve 40 also is kept at the closed state.
By controlling the delivery flow rates of the pumps and opening and closing of the selector valves in response to the lever input for the arm pushing single operation as described above, only the arm cylinder 3 is driven, and thus the bucket 6 is moved along an arc locus about a point at which the boom 2 and the arm 4 are connected to each other.
(3) At Time of Arm Crowding Operation
From time t0 to time t1, all of command values which are instructions for operation of the actuators based on the input of the lever 51 are 0, and the arm cylinder 3 and the boom cylinder 1 are stationary.
From time t1 to time t2, a command value (hereinafter, referred to as the arm crowding command value) which is an instruction for retracting operation (arm crowding operation) of the arm cylinder 3 based on the lever 51 is increased to the maximum value.
At Step S1 depicted in
At Step S6, the controller 50 determines whether or not the lever input includes arm crowding operation. Since this operation is arm crowding single operation, the procedure proceeds to Step S7.
At Step S7, the controller 50 computes the supply flow rate of the flow to the rod chamber 3b of the arm cylinder 3 on the basis of the arm crowding command value.
As depicted in
On the other hand, since the boom cylinder 1 is not driven, the delivery flow rate Qcp12 of the hydraulic pump 12 is kept at 0, and the selector valve 40 also is kept at the closed state.
Returning to
By controlling the delivery flow rates of the pumps and opening and closing of the selector valves in response to the lever input for arm single crowding operation as described above, the arm cylinder 3 singly realizes the crowding operation.
In the present embodiment, in the construction machine 100 including: the boom 2; the arm 4 pivotably attached to the boom 2; the bucket 6 pivotably attached to the arm 4; the boom cylinder 1 that drives the boom 2 in the raising direction by extending operation, and drives the boom 2 in the lowering direction by retracting operation; the arm cylinder 3 that drives the arm 4 in the pushing direction by extending operation, and drives the arm 4 in the crowding direction by retracting operation; the operation device 51 that gives instructions for operation of the boom 2 and the arm 4; the bidirectionally tiltable first hydraulic pump 12 that can be connected to the boom cylinder 1 to form a closed circuit; the bidirectionally tiltable second hydraulic pumps 13 and 15 that can be connected to the arm cylinder 3 to form closed circuits; and the controller 50 that, according to operation of the operation device 51, controls the flow rate of the hydraulic fluid supplied from the first hydraulic pump 12 to the boom cylinder 1, and the flow rate of the hydraulic fluid supplied from the second hydraulic pumps 13 and 15 to the arm cylinder 3, the construction machine 100 includes: the boom angle sensor 60 that senses the angle of the boom 2; and the bucket locus selecting device 52 that selects either one of an arc locus and a straight locus as the movement locus of the bucket 6 at time of pushing operation of the arm 4, the controller 50: when the straight locus is selected via the bucket locus selecting device 52, calculates the constant flow rate ratio α according to the boom initial angle θb0 which is the angle of the boom 2 sensed by the boom angle sensor 60 at a time point when an instruction for pushing operation of the arm 4 is started being given via the operation device 51, and controls the delivery flow rate of the first hydraulic pump 12 such that the hydraulic fluid is discharged from the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 at the flow rate Qb obtained by multiplying the flow rate Qa of the flow supplied to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 by the flow rate ratio α while the instruction for the pushing operation of the arm 4 is given via the operation device 51 and an instruction for operation of the boom 2 is not given; and controls the delivery flow rate of the second hydraulic pump 13 such that the hydraulic fluid is absorbed from the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 by the second hydraulic pump 13 at a flow rate according to the input of the operation device 51 independently of the selection state of the bucket locus selecting device 52 while the instruction for crowding operation of the arm 4 is given via the operation device 51.
According to the thus configured present invention, when a straight locus is selected via the bucket locus selecting device 52 and an instruction for pushing operation of the arm 4 is given via the operation device 51, the constant flow rate ratio α is calculated on the basis of the boom initial angle θb0, and while an instruction for pushing operation of the arm 4 is given via the operation device 51 and an instruction for operation of the boom 2 is not given, the delivery flow rate of the first hydraulic pump 12 is controlled such that the hydraulic fluid is discharged from the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 at a flow rate obtained by multiplying the flow rate of the flow supplied to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 by the flow rate ratio α. Thereby, it becomes possible for an operator to linearly push the bucket 6 simply by giving an instruction for pushing operation of the arm 4 via the operation device.
In addition, the construction machine 100 according to the present embodiment further includes the arm angle sensor 61 that senses the angle of the arm 4, and the controller 50 calculates the flow rate ratio α on the basis of the boom initial angle θb0 and the arm initial angle θa0 which is the angle of the arm 4 sensed at the arm angle sensor 61 at a time point when the instruction for pushing operation of the arm 4 is started being given via the operation device 51. Thereby, it becomes possible to adjust the height of the bucket 6 when the bucket 6 is moved along a straight locus.
In addition, the hydraulic excavator 100 includes the plurality of hydraulic actuators 1, 3, and 5 including the boom cylinder 1 and the arm cylinder 3, the plurality of hydraulic pumps 12 to 15 including the first hydraulic pump 12 and the second hydraulic pumps 13 and 15, and the plurality of selector valves 40 to 47 that can switch the states of connection between the plurality of hydraulic actuators 1, 3, and 5 and the plurality of hydraulic pumps 12 to 15. Thereby, it becomes possible for the operator to linearly push the bucket 6 of the construction machine 100 on which the hydraulic closed circuit system is mounted simply by operating the arm 4 in the pushing direction.
The hydraulic excavator 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is explained with a focus on differences from the first embodiment. Although the pushing direction of the bucket 6 is limited to the horizontal direction in the first embodiment, the present embodiment is configured such that the angle of the pushing direction can be changed.
When the straight pushing mode is inputted from the straight-pushing/arc-excavation selecting section F14A, the boom flow rate ratio computing section F15 in the present embodiment computes the flow rate ratio α on the basis of input from the boom posture computing section F12b, the arm posture computing section F12a, and the pushing angle instructing device 62. Here, the supply flow rate ratio α is decided on the basis of the initial angle θb0 of the boom 2, the initial angle θa0 of the arm 4, and the demanded pushing angle θd. That is, the supply flow rate ratio α is represented by the following Formula (4).
[Equation 4]
α=f(θb0,θa0,θd) (4)
At Step S2A, the controller 50 determines whether or not the straight pushing mode is selected.
At Step S3A, the controller 50 computes the posture (angle) of the boom 2 on the basis of a signal (the stroke of the boom cylinder 1) of the stroke sensor 60. Further, the ratio (flow rate ratio α) of the discharge flow rate of the flow from the cap chamber 1a of the boom cylinder 1 to the supply flow rate of the flow to the cap chamber 3a of the arm cylinder 3 for performing straight pushing operation is computed, and the procedure proceeds to Step S4.
The construction machine 100 according to the present embodiment further includes the pushing angle instructing device 62 that gives an instruction for the ground angle which is an angle of the straight locus of the bucket 6 relative to the ground, and the controller 50 decides the flow rate ratio α on the basis of the boom initial angle θb0, the arm initial angle θa0, and the ground angle.
The construction machine 100 according to the thus configured present embodiment makes it possible for an operator to linearly push the bucket 6 at a desired angle simply by operating the arm 4 in the pushing direction.
The hydraulic excavator 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention is explained with a focus on differences from the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Although mainly pushing operation of the bucket 6 is mentioned in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, advantages at time of crowding operation are mentioned in the present embodiment.
As depicted in
From time t0 to time t1, all of command values which are instructions for operation of the actuators based on the input of the lever 51 are 0, and the arm cylinder 3 and the boom cylinder 1 are stationary.
From time t1 to time t2, the arm crowding command value based on the input of the lever 51 is increased to the maximum value.
The controller 50 computes the supply flow rate of the flow to the rod chamber 3b of the arm cylinder 3 on the basis of the arm crowding command value.
As depicted in
As depicted in
By controlling the delivery flow rates of the pumps and opening and closing of the selector valves in response to the lever input for arm crowding operation as described above, the arm cylinder 3 realizes the crowding operation. Since the hydraulic pump 13 is a closed circuit pump, and the pressure Pcap3 of the cap chamber 3a becomes higher than the pressure of the rod chamber 3b in arm crowding operation, the sucking side pressure of the hydraulic pump 13 becomes higher, and the hydraulic pump 13 behaves as a hydraulic motor and applies regenerative torque to the power transmission device 10. Due to the regenerated torque, the fuel consumption amount of the engine 9 can be reduced.
Note that although it is attempted to accelerate the cylinder speed by discharging, to the tank 25 via the proportional valve 49, a part of the hydraulic working fluid discharged from the cap chamber 3a at time of arm crowding operation in the present embodiment, the total volume of the hydraulic working fluid discharged from the cap chamber 3a may be absorbed by the hydraulic pump 13 while the proportional valve 49 is kept closed. Thereby, it becomes possible also to increase the regenerative torque of the hydraulic pump 13, and to use the regenerative torque for driving another actuator.
Although embodiments of the present invention are described in detail thus far, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modification examples. For example, the embodiments described above are explained in detail for explaining the present invention in an easy to understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those including all the configurations explained. In addition, it is also possible to add some of the configurations of an embodiment to the configurations of another embodiment, and it is also possible to remove some of the configurations of an embodiment or to replace some of the configurations of an embodiment with some of the configurations of another embodiment.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-183201 | Oct 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/037212 | 9/30/2020 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2021/066029 | 4/8/2021 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5356259 | Hanamoto | Oct 1994 | A |
| 6561751 | Ishizaki et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
| 10794046 | Imura | Oct 2020 | B2 |
| 20180202126 | Yunfeng et al. | Jul 2018 | A1 |
| 20210095437 | Brabec | Apr 2021 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 50-26865 | Aug 1975 | JP |
| 56-81741 | Jul 1981 | JP |
| 2001-90703 | Apr 2001 | JP |
| 2010-59738 | Mar 2010 | JP |
| 2016-145603 | Aug 2016 | JP |
| WO 2020179204 | Sep 2020 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report (PCT/ISA/210) issued in PCT Application No. PCT/JP2020/037212 dated Dec. 15, 2020 with English translation (five (5) pages). |
| Japanese-language Written Opinion (PCT/ISA/237) issued in PCT Application No. PCT/JP2020/037212 dated Dec. 15, 2020 (three (3) pages). |
| International Preliminary Report on Patentability (PCT/IB/338 & PCT/IB/373) issued in PCT Application No. PCT/JP2020/037212 dated Apr. 14, 2022, including English translation of document C2 (Japanese-language Written Opinion (PCT/ISA/237) filed on Mar. 31, 2022) (five (5) pages). |
| Extended European Search Report issued in European Application No. 20870901.4 dated Jul. 26, 2023 (6 pages). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220364337 A1 | Nov 2022 | US |
