Patent Grant
7222484
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hydraulic systems that independently control the operation of a plurality of hydraulic actuators, and more particularly to such hydraulic systems in which various hydraulic actuators have different operating pressure limits as determined by separate pressure relief valves.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous types of machines have components that are moved by a hydraulic system. For example, a lift truck is vehicle for transporting objects throughout a factory or warehouse and has an engine which drives a pump to provide pressurized fluid for powering different functions, such as driving wheels to propel the vehicle or lifting the objects.
An exemplary lift truck 10 is shown in
Use of the lift truck 10 often requires that the lift and tilt cylinders 24 and 26 operate in unison to tilt the mast 16 as the fork carriage 22 is being raised. However, each of those functions has a unique pressure characteristic which dictates that its maximum pressure be limited to a different magnitude. Because the fork carriage 22 can carry a relatively heavy load, the maximum pressure limit for the lift cylinder 24 may be 200 bar, whereas the maximum pressure limit for the tilt cylinder is on the order of 140 bar, for example. These maximum pressure levels are determined by the setting of pressure relief valves at various locations in the hydraulic circuit.
Quite often each hydraulic function on a machine had a separate pressure relief valve that was set to a specific pressure limit for the associated function. This type of control was relatively expensive as a pressure relief valve was required for each function even though several of them had the same pressure limit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,463 describes an alternative hydraulic system that has a multiple section valve assembly with a pair of relief valves, one for a single high pressure function and another for two lower pressure functions. A high pressure relief valve governed the pressure at the inlet to the valve assembly and that of the first valve section for the high pressure function. The pressure in the subsequent valve sections was governed by a second relief valve having a lower setting. However, when the second valve section provided pressurized fluid to its associated hydraulic actuator, the third valve section was rendered inoperative. Thus the second and third valve sections were serially connected and all the hydraulic functions could not operate simultaneously.
Therefore, a need still exists to enable three or more hydraulic functions, that require different pressure limits, to operate simultaneously without having to provide a separate pressure relief valve for each function.
A hydraulic system has a supply conduit that receives fluid under pressure from a source and has a return conduit through which fluid is sent back to the source. A pressure relief passage also is provided. A primary pressure relief valve limits pressure in the supply conduit to less than a first pressure limit.
A first control valve is connected to both the supply conduit and the return conduit and has a first workport for connection to a first hydraulic actuator. In a first position, the first control valve connects the supply to the first workport and in a second position the return conduit is connected to the first workport.
A second control valve is connected to the supply conduit and to the return conduit and has a second workport for connection to a second hydraulic actuator. A first outlet port is coupled to pressure relief passage. The second control valve has a first position in which the supply conduit is connected to the second workport and has a second position in which the return conduit is connected to the second workport.
A third control valve is connected to the supply conduit and the return conduit and has a third workport for connection to a third hydraulic actuator. A second outlet port of the third control valve is coupled to pressure relief passage. The third control valve has a first position in which the supply conduit is connected to the third workport and has a second position in which the return conduit is connected to the third workport,
A secondary pressure relief valve connected between the pressure relief passage and the return conduit. The connection and the operation of the secondary pressure relief valve limits both the pressure that the second control valve applies to the second workport and the pressure that the third control valve applies to the third workport to less than a second pressure limit. Typically the first pressure limit is greater than the second pressure limit.
The primary pressure relief valve ensures that the pressure in the hydraulic system never exceeds the first pressure limit and the second pressure relief valve prevents pressure in the hydraulic system from exceeding the second pressure limit when either or both of the second or third hydraulic functions is active.
The present invention will be described in the context of a hydraulic system for a lift truck, such as the one shown in
With reference to
The supply conduit 35 is divided into a plurality of sections 36a-36e between those other hydraulic functions 41-43 and into a parallel branch 37. A primary, or first, hydraulic function 41 operates the lift cylinder 24 while the second hydraulic function 42 operates the tilt cylinder 26. The third and fourth hydraulic functions 43 and 44 provide fluid to auxiliary devices connected to the lift truck 10. Hydraulic fluid returns from the hydraulic functions 40-44 to the tank 32 via a return conduit 38.
The pressure in supply conduit 35 is limited to a maximum level by a primary pressure relief valve 39 which opens when the pressure exceeds a level set by an adjustable spring, although other types of relief valves can be employed. In the case of the lift truck 10, the primary pressure relief valve 39 is set to a relatively high pressure level, such as 200 bar, for example. When that pressure limit is exceeded, a path is created through the primary pressure relief valve 39 from the supply conduit 35 to the tank return conduit 38. The relatively high pressure fluid is required by the first hydraulic function 41 in order to raise the fork carriage 22 when carrying a very heavy load.
The first hydraulic function 41 is controlled by a first control valve 46 that is manually operated by a lever within the operator compartment 14 of the lift truck 10. The first control valve 46, as are the control valves for the other hydraulic functions, is a three-position, open-center valve. In the center position, the lift cylinder 24 is disconnected from both the supply conduit 35 and the return conduit 38. However, in this position of the first control valve 46, an open center passage allows hydraulic fluid to flow through the valve between supply conduit sections 36a and 36b.
When the first control valve 46 is shifted upward in
When the first control valve 46 is shifted into an open second position (downward in the orientation in
The second, third and fourth hydraulic functions 42-44 are designated as secondary hydraulic functions because each requires lower pressure hydraulic fluid as compared to the first hydraulic function 41 for the lift cylinder 24. The second hydraulic function 42 operates the tilt cylinder 26 that pivots the mast 16 by means of a second control valve 52, That valve has an inlet port connected the supply conduit branch 37 and another port that is connected to the tank return conduit 38. Note that the tilt cylinder 26 is double acting in that, depending upon the pivoting direction, pressurized fluid is applied to one of the head or rod chambers of that cylinder. Those cylinder chambers are connected to different workports of the second control valve 52.
The second control valve 52 also is a three-position valve having a center-off position with an open center such that in this position supply conduit sections 36b and c are interconnected while the tilt cylinder 26 is disconnected from both the supply and return conduits 35 and 38. When the second control valve 52 is in a open position in pressurized fluid from the supply conduit branch 37 is fed to one of the chambers of the tilt cylinder 26, and fluid is exhausted from the other cylinder chamber to the return conduit 38. The load check valve 54 for this hydraulic function is located between supply conduit branch 37 and the control valve inlet. Therefore, regardless of which chamber of the tilt cylinder 26 is being powered, the load check valve 54 prevents the backward flow of hydraulic fluid from the cylinder into the supply conduit. In the open positions of the second control valve 52, the pressurized fluid flowing through the valve also is applied via a pressure relief port and check valve 56 to a pressure relief passage 58.
The third and fourth functions 43 and 44 can be utilized to provide fluid to control auxiliary hydraulic devices on the lift truck 10. For example, the fork carriage 22 could be replaced with a work device that requires hydraulic power. Alternatively, a hand tool or other external apparatus can be powered by the lift truck's hydraulic system 30. Each of the third and fourth functions 43 and 44 has a control valve 60 and 62, which are similar in structure to the second control valve 52. Of significance is that the third and fourth control valves 60 and 62 load sense passage have a relief pressure port that is connected by a separate check valve 64 or 66 to the pressure relief passage 58. Thus, the highest pressure among the secondary hydraulic functions 42-44 is conveyed through the respective check valve 56, 64 or 66 into the pressure relief passage 58.
The pressure relief passage 58 is connected by a secondary pressure relief valve 68 to the tank return conduit 38. The secondary pressure relief valve 68 is set to open at a lower pressure level than the primary pressure relief valve 39. As noted previously, the tilt function performed by the tilt cylinder 26, as well as the auxiliary third and fourth functions 43 and 44 require hydraulic fluid at a maximum pressure which is significantly less than the maximum pressure required by the lift cylinder 24 to raise the fork carriage 22 and its load. As a consequence the secondary pressure relief valve 68 has a pressure setting determined by the variable spring which will allow it to open at approximately 140 bar, for example.
The key feature of the configuration of the hydraulic system 30 is that all of the hydraulic function are connected in parallel to the supply and return conduits 35 and 38 and are governed by two pressure limits determined by only a pair of pressure relief valves 39 and 68. When one or more of the secondary hydraulic functions 42-44, is active, even when the first hydraulic function 41 is active, the secondary pressure relief valve 68 limits the maximum supply conduit pressure. When only the primary, or first, hydraulic function 41 is operating, the primary pressure relief valve 39 limits the maximum pressure that may occur in the supply conduit 35. In this latter mode, the control valves 52, 60 and 62 of all the secondary hydraulic functions 42, 43 and 44, respectively, are all in the closed center position in which the pressure relief passage 58 and the secondary pressure relief valve 68 are disconnected from the supply conduit 35. Even when more than one primary hydraulic function is included in the hydraulic system, when only the primary hydraulic functions are active only the primary pressure relief valve 39 governs the supply conduit pressure.
As noted above, when both primary and secondary hydraulic functions are active simultaneously, the hydraulic system defaults to the low pressure limit of the secondary pressure relief valve 68. This may restrict the performance of the primary hydraulic function when higher pressure is required. If the system was configured to default to the higher pressure limit of the primary pressure relief valve 39, the maximum pressure rating of the secondary hydraulic functions could be exceeded, which might result in failure of hydraulic components or structural members of the machine. Regardless of whether the high or low pressure limit is used as the default, when both primary and secondary hydraulic functions operate simultaneously, one type of function can be adversely affected.
That adverse condition can be avoided by employing the second hydraulic system 70 depicted in
The second hydraulic system 70 comprises a pump 72 which draws fluid from a tank 74. A pressure control valve 76 responds to the pressure demands of the propulsion function 78 of the lift truck 10 to ensure that those pressure demands are met. Any pump output fluid remaining after satisfying the demands of the propulsion function 78 is furnished via a supply conduit 80 to the other hydraulic functions 81, 82, and 83. On this exemplary machine, there is a single primary hydraulic function 81 which operates the lift cylinder 24 to raise and lower the mast 16, and there are two secondary hydraulic functions 82 and 83. However, other machines may have other numbers of primary and secondary hydraulic functions.
A conventional pressure compensation valve 79 ensures that the pressure within the supply conduit 80 is sufficient to meet the highest pressure demanded by the other hydraulic functions 81, 82 or 83. The pressure compensation valve 79 responds to the difference between the pressure in the supply conduit 80 and in a load sense passage 84 that indicates the greatest pressure demanded by those hydraulic functions. A primary pressure relief valve 85 limits the load sense conduit pressure signal in conduit 84 to a maximum pressure level (e.g. 200 bar) which is the primary pressure setting for the hydraulic circuit.
The first, or primary, hydraulic function 81 controls the operation of the lift cylinder 24 and employs a control valve 86 formed by a pair of proportional, pilot operated poppet valves, such as are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,992. However, it should be understood that other types of valves may be used. The first of these pilot-operated poppet valves 88 is coupled in series with a load check valve 90 between the supply conduit 80 and the head chamber of the lift cylinder 24. As with the previous hydraulic circuit, pressurized fluid is only applied to the head chamber of the lift cylinder 24 because the force of gravity is used to lower the mast 16. The second pilot-operated poppet valve 89 is coupled between the lift cylinder 24 and a return conduit 87 which leads to the tank 74. Because this system is electrically controlled, a manual valve 77 is provided between the lift cylinder 24 and the tank return conduit 87 as a safety measure to lower the mast 16 when electrical power is unavailable to operate the hydraulic system.
Hydraulic system 70 has two secondary functions 82 and 83. The second hydraulic function 82 controls the tilt cylinder 26 on the lift truck 10 and employs a second control valve 91 having a spool that is operated by the hydraulic pressure at each end. Those pressures are controlled by a pair of solenoid valves 95 and 96. Applying pressurized fluid to one end of the second control valve spool and relieving the pressure at the opposite end to the return conduit 87 moves the spool into one of two open states, thereby sending fluid from the supply conduit 80 to one chamber of the tilt cylinder 26 and exhausting fluid from the other chamber to the return conduit. A conventional load check valve 92 prevents the flow of fluid backward from the tilt cylinder 26 to the supply conduit 80.
The third function 83 is similar to the second function and is provided to power an auxiliary device on the lift truck 10. The third function 83 has a third control valve 100 with a spool that moves in response to pressure applied to its ends by a pair of solenoid valves 102 and 104.
The second control valve 91 has a port 93 that is coupled by a check valve 94 to a pressure relief passage 97 and the third control valve 100 has a port that is connected by a check valve 106 to the relief pressure passage. The pressure relief passage 97 is coupled by a secondary pressure relief valve 98 to the tank return conduit 87. In addition, the pressure relief passage 97 is connected to one input of a conventional load sense shuttle valve 99. The other input of the load sense shuttle valve 99 is connected to the outlet of the first control valve 88 for the primary hydraulic function 81. The output pressure of the load sense shuttle valve 99 corresponds to the greater load pressure from either the first hydraulic function 81 or the pressure relief passage 97 which carries the greater load pressure from the second and third hydraulic functions 82 and 83. The output pressure of the load sense shuttle valve 99 is applied via a load sense passage 84 to the pressure compensation valve 79.
When only the secondary functions are active, the pressure from the pressure relief passage 97 is conveyed by the load sense shuttle valve 99 through the load sense passage 84 to the pressure compensation valve 79. That pressure from the secondary functions controls operation of the pressure compensation valve 79, thereby governing the pressure in the supply conduit 80. Specifically, supply conduit pressure is equal to the load sense passage plus a margin established by the pressure compensation valve. When only the primary function 81 is active, its load pressure is applied through the load sense shuttle valve 99 and the load sense passage 84 to the pressure compensation valve 79. In situations where both the primary and secondary functions are active, the greatest load pressure from among them is conveyed by the load sense shuttle valve 99 and the load sense passage 84 to the pressure compensation valve 79 for governing the pressure in the supply passage.
The primary and secondary pressure relief valves 85 and 98 independently limit the maximum pressure that is applied to the primary and secondary hydraulic functions, respectively. The output pressures of the secondary hydraulic functions 82 and 83 are conveyed from the respective port 93 or 105 of the second and third control valves 91 and 100 into the pressure relief passage 97. If both secondary hydraulic functions are simultaneously active only the greater output pressure is passed by the check valves 94 and 96 into the pressure relief passage 97. When the pressure relief passage pressure exceeds the setting of the secondary pressure relief valve 98 that valve opens releasing the pressure to the return conduit 87, thereby limiting the maximum output pressure of the secondary hydraulic functions 82 and 83.
The primary pressure relief valve 85 prevents the output pressure of the first, or primary, hydraulic function 81 from exceeding its maximum permitted limit. Because the maximum permitted pressure at the first hydraulic function 81 is greater that the maximum pressure allowed at the secondary functions 82 or 83, that maximum load pressure will be conveyed through the shuttle valve 99 and the load sense passage 84 to the primary pressure relief valve 86. That relief valve opens when its pressure setting is exceeded, thereby releasing the pressure to the return conduit 87. This limits the pressure in the load sense passage 84 that in turn controls the operation of the conventional pressure compensation valve 79 to limit pressure which can occur in the supply conduit 80. The shuttle valve 99 blocks the output pressure of the first hydraulic function 81 from reaching the secondary pressure relief valve 98. Therefore the secondary pressure relief valve 98 governs only the secondary hydraulic functions 82 and 83 and the primary pressure relief valve 86 effectively governs only the primary hydraulic function 81.
The foregoing description was primarily directed to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention, it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure.
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