The present invention relates generally to a fluid control valve and to a fluid system, and more particularly to a hydraulic fluid control valve and hydraulic fluid system that include primary function controls and auxiliary function controls.
Fluid control valves and systems are used in a wide variety of applications for causing and controlling motion of various components. Hydraulic fluid control valves and systems are used in such applications when relatively large forces are to be transmitted and controlled through such components.
One type of hydraulic fluid system may include a hydraulic pump for providing hydraulic fluid under pressure at a certain maximum rate, primary components that use the hydraulic fluid under pressure to operate primary functions, auxiliary or secondary components that use the hydraulic fluid under pressure to operate auxiliary functions, and a hydraulic fluid control valve that directs the hydraulic fluid under pressure to the primary or auxiliary components at a rate commanded by the operator. In such systems, it is sometimes desirable to inhibit hydraulic fluid flow to the auxiliary components when hydraulic fluid is flowing to the primary components, and/or to inhibit hydraulic fluid flow to the primary components when hydraulic fluid is flowing to the auxiliary components.
Preferred embodiments eliminate fluid flow to primary function components when auxiliary function components are actuated, even when the auxiliary function components are in a high pressure condition and the primary function control spool is in an actuated or open position. Preferred embodiments also provide additional features and advantages described below.
According to one aspect of the invention, a sectional fluid control valve system includes a combined inlet and auxiliary work section upstream of the primary work section; the combined work section including a pump inlet, an auxiliary work port, a pump pressure passage, and a valve member intermediate the pump inlet and the auxiliary work port and intermediate the pump inlet and the pump pressure passage; the valve member having a disable position substantially disabling fluid pressure communication from the pump inlet to the auxiliary work port and from the pump inlet to the combined section pump pressure passage; the valve member having a primary enable position closing fluid pressure communication between the pump inlet and the auxiliary work port and opening fluid pressure communication between the pump inlet and the combined section pump pressure passage; and the valve member having an auxiliary enable position closing fluid pressure communication between the pump inlet and the combined section pump pressure passage and opening fluid pressure communication between the pump inlet and the auxiliary work port.
Optionally, the system includes a primary work section. The primary work section includes a pump pressure passage and a primary work port, wherein the combined inlet and auxiliary work section is upstream of the primary work section, wherein the pump pressure passage of the combined inlet and auxiliary work section is in fluid communication with the pump pressure passage of the primary work section.
Optionally, the disable position fluidly connects the auxiliary work port and the combined section pump pressure passage to tank.
Optionally, the primary enable position fluidly connects the auxiliary work port to tank.
Optionally, the auxiliary enable position fluidly connects the combined section pump pressure passage to tank.
Optionally, the disable position fluidly connects the pump inlet to tank.
Optionally, a bypass compensator section is intermediate the combined work section and the primary work section.
Optionally, the primary work section includes a valve member intermediate the pump pressure passage and the primary work port, and a compensator that maintains a substantially fixed pressure drop across the valve member.
Optionally, a primary hydraulic motor is in fluid communication with the primary section work port, an auxiliary hydraulic motor in fluid communication with the combined section work port, and a hydraulic pump having an outlet in fluid communication with the pump inlet port.
Optionally, a vehicle has a prime mover, the prime mover is drivingly connected to the hydraulic pump, the primary hydraulic motor is drivingly connected to a man lift multiple boom mechanism on the vehicle, and the auxiliary hydraulic motor is drivingly connected to a work tool.
Optionally, the combined work section includes a housing, the housing includes a front surface and a top surface and end surfaces, electrical solenoids are connected to one of the end surfaces for moving the valve member between its positions, the pump inlet port is disposed on the top surface, and the auxiliary work port is disposed on the bottom surface and on the front surface.
According to another aspect, a method of controlling a hydraulic system having a hydraulic lift function and an auxiliary function includes disabling the hydraulic lift function and the auxiliary function by routing pump flow to tank and opening the lift function and auxiliary function to tank with a single valve; enabling the lift function by closing pump flow to the auxiliary function and routing pump flow to the lift function with the single valve; and enabling the auxiliary function by closing pump flow to the lift function and routing pump flow to the auxiliary function with the single valve.
Optionally, enabling the lift function includes fluidly connecting the auxiliary function to tank with the single valve.
Optionally, enabling the auxiliary function includes fluidly connecting the lift function to tank with the single valve.
The foregoing and other features of the invention are hereinafter described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings in greater detail,
The valve sections 12-16 of hydraulic valve 10 are each known valve sections which may be, for example, cast and machined metal valve sections that are bolted together to provide a unitary hydraulic valve 10. Each valve section 12-15 includes valve spools and passages shown schematically in
Enable inlet valve section 12 includes an enable valve member or spool 12a that is movable between a disable position directing fluid flow from pump 17 to tank 20 to preclude actuation of hydraulic motors 18 and 19 when vehicle 22 is being driven and an enable position illustrated in
When auxiliary work section valve member or spool 14a of auxiliary work section 14 is shifted downward as viewed in
Auxiliary work section spool 14a of auxiliary work section 14 in this position also connects secondary load sense logic circuit 28 to tank 20, and this causes primary work section pre-compensator 15b of primary work section 15 to close because there is no or low load sense pressure in secondary load sense circuit 28 biasing pre-compensator 15b toward a closed position. By closing pre-compensator 15b when auxiliary work section spool 14a connects pump pressure to auxiliary hydraulic motor 18, open pressure communication to primary hydraulic motor 19 from pump pressure passage 26 is blocked. In this manner, even if primary work section valve member or spool 15a of primary work section 15 is intentionally or unintentionally moved to an open position (which is a downward or upward position from the position viewed in
This operation of prior art valve 10 and system 11 under the condition described above in which secondary or auxiliary work section 14 is actuated by moving spool 14a to its actuated position (downward from the position shown in
This condition is illustrated in
The presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in
Turning now to
The valve sections 122-126 of hydraulic valve 120 each may be, for example, cast and machined metal valve sections that are bolted together to provide a unitary hydraulic valve 120. Each valve section 122-125 includes valve spools and passages shown schematically in
Combined valve section 122 includes a three position four way solenoid valve member or spool 122a that is movable between a center disable position illustrated in
This operation of valve 120 and system 121 under the auxiliary enable condition described above in which the combined valve spool 122a is in its auxiliary enable (or downward from the position viewed in
Referring now to
There are various benefits of the preferred embodiment of this invention with respect to the prior art solution. One benefit is that this invention simplifies the hydraulic sectional main control valve. It does this by eliminating one of the sections in the hydraulic sectional main control valve and eliminating one check valve cartridge per work section in the valve bank. The prior art solution shows the auxiliary function as the first work section in the hydraulic sectional main control valve, whereas the preferred embodiment has the auxiliary function integrated into the enable inlet. Regardless of which solution is chosen, the hydraulic sectional main control valve must have an enable inlet, so by integrating the auxiliary function into the enable inlet one work section can be eliminated from the hydraulic sectional main control valve. The check valve cartridges purpose is to inhibit any communication of high pressure oil from the auxiliary function in the form of leakage into the “B” work port, into the section compensator spool of a given downstream work section. Since we are eliminating the auxiliary function work section this check valve cartridge becomes unnecessary.
Another benefit is that the preferred embodiment performs the disable feature, better than the prior art solution. The prior art solution performs this feature by diverting the load sense pressure from all of the downstream work sections to the internal tank circuit within the hydraulic sectional main control valve, whenever the auxiliary function is actuated. The reason that this solution works most of the time, is because flow to the work port is developed by the spring setting in the section compensator. Load sense pressure is essentially a hydraulic signal of pressurized oil transmitted from the work port to various parts of the hydraulic sectional main control valve. Load sense pressure in all work sections gets transmitted to the load sense signal gallery and to the section compensator spring chamber whenever a work section is activated. In every work section there is a shuttle valve (two way check valve) which compares the load sense pressure from a specific work section to the load sense pressure that is already in the load sense signal gallery. The series of shuttle valves will transmit the load sense pressure from the highest loaded work section to the load sense relief valve and to the margin pressure control device, which can either be a variable displacement load sensing pump or a bypass compensator. The margin pressure is the pressure at the outlet of the pump minus the load sense pressure being sent from the hydraulic sectional main control valve. The margin pressure is the differential pressure that is available to do work across the hydraulic circuit. When a work section is activated pressurized oil from the inlet will flow to the section compensator. There will be a differential pressure that develops across the ends of the section compensator spool and is used to position the section compensator spool. This differential pressure is the pressure upstream of the main control spool minus the quantity of load sense pressure for that specific work section plus the section compensator spring setting (upstream work section pressure−(LS pressure+compensator spring pressure)). The section compensator spool adjusts its position to obtain a force balance between these pressures. It will open further or close further to modify the pressure coming into it from the inlet to set the pressure upstream of the main control spool, to equal the load sense pressure plus the section compensator spring pressure. So the pressure downstream of the main control spool equals the load sense pressure and the pressure upstream of the main control spool equals load sense pressure plus the section compensator spring pressure. Thus the section compensator spring establishes the differential pressure across the main control spool. The differential pressure across the main control spool along with the area opening of the main control spool contribute in developing the flow rate that gets transmitted to the work port, per the Bernoulli Equation. If the load sense pressure that is transmitted to the load sense signal gallery and to the section compensator spring chamber is also connected to the internal tank circuit then the differential pressure across the main control spool is greatly reduced. In most cases the differential pressure is negative which means that no flow will be transmitted to the work port. However if the pressure required to get an implement to move, is close to the pressure in the internal tank circuit then there can be a positive differential pressure across the main control spool hence, flow going to the work port. This scenario has been seen and validated in a laboratory environment, on a piece of equipment, and illustrated in the drawings.
The preferred embodiment performs this feature by isolating the auxiliary function from the rest of the hydraulic sectional main control valve functions. The auxiliary function is actuated by diverting all pump flow to the auxiliary function, via the three position four way solenoid valve in the enable inlet. When all of the pump flow is going to the auxiliary function, the rest of the functions in the hydraulic sectional main control valve are connected to the internal tank circuit. Since the entire hydraulic sectional main control valve is at the same pressure via the internal tank circuit, there isn't a differential pressure available to create a potential for flow to the work port, even if a work section is actuated.
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain embodiment or embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described elements (components, assemblies, devices, compositions, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such elements are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any element which performs the specified function of the described element (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiment or embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been described above with respect to only one or more of several illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other embodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/986,176 filed Apr. 30, 2014, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5992294 | Seddon | Nov 1999 | A |
8756930 | Johnson | Jun 2014 | B2 |
20020014074 | Ehara | Feb 2002 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20150316079 A1 | Nov 2015 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61986176 | Apr 2014 | US |