Patent Grant
11421395
Embodiments described herein relate to systems and methods for operation and control of a work vehicle. More particularly, the embodiments described herein relate to a system and method for actuating a pin hydraulic cylinder of a work vehicle.
In many construction and agricultural equipment applications, for instance, being able to quickly and/or efficiently change between implements can be crucial to job site performance. Quick couplers can allow the operator to exchange implements, such as buckets, forks, brushes, or the like, without the operator being required to leave the cab of the work vehicle or otherwise intervene.
Such work vehicles may utilize a hydraulic system to actuate locking pins of a coupling mechanism located, for instance, at a distal end of a boom of the work vehicle. The quick couplers on such a vehicle may utilize a pin hydraulic cylinder to engage and disengage the locking pins that secure an implement to the work vehicle.
Debris may accumulate on the implement, the locking pins, and/or other components, which can increase the difficulty of coupling the implement to the boom of the work vehicle. The pin hydraulic cylinder is not included in the load sensing circuit of the hydraulic system, so it is unable to directly command the pump to increase hydraulic pressure to combat an increased coupling/decoupling difficulty caused by debris. Because the pin hydraulic cylinder is not included in the load sensing circuit or otherwise configured to directly command the pump, the pump outlet pressure will remain at a lower level than technically feasible. Operating the pin hydraulic cylinder at an insufficient pressure can degrade performance of components of the work vehicle.
Some work vehicles may be arranged such that a user could deadhead one of the functions of the hydraulic system in order to boost the hydraulic pressure to the pin hydraulic cylinder. To “deadhead” means shutting off a pump's ability to discharge fluid by closing a valve. If the hydraulic system does not include a safety mechanism and/or if the operator does not pay close attention, deadheading the pump can irreparably damage the pump.
To address at least some of the above concerns, embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for operating a work vehicle to actuate a pin hydraulic cylinder.
The present disclosure includes a system for operating a work vehicle. The system includes a hydraulic control assembly and a controller operatively coupled thereto. The hydraulic control assembly includes a pump, an accumulator, at least one boom hydraulic cylinder, at least one pin hydraulic cylinder, a pin control valve, and a ride control valve assembly. The pump includes a pump inlet and a pump outlet. The accumulator is in selective fluid communication with the pump. The boom hydraulic cylinder is in selective fluid communication with at least one of the pump outlet and the accumulator. The boom hydraulic cylinder actuates a boom of the work vehicle. The pin hydraulic cylinder is in selective fluid communication with the pump outlet. The pin hydraulic cylinder actuates a connection pin of the boom. The pin control valve selectively fluidly communicates the pump outlet with the pin hydraulic cylinder. The ride control valve assembly is in fluid communication with the pump and includes a charge valve and a discharge valve. The charge valve has a charge valve inlet and a charge valve outlet. The charge valve inlet is in fluid communication with the pump outlet. The charge valve outlet is in fluid communication with the accumulator and in fluid communication with the pump inlet. The discharge valve selectively fluidly communicates the accumulator with a reservoir. The controller operates to, in a pin actuation mode, open the charge valve with the discharge valve closed, and direct hydraulic fluid through the pin control valve.
The present disclosure includes a system for operating a work vehicle. The system includes a user interface, a hydraulic control assembly, and a controller operatively coupled to each of the user interface and the hydraulic control assembly. The user interface includes controls that are able to command at least some operations of the work vehicle. The hydraulic control assembly includes a pump, a boom hydraulic cylinder, a ride control valve assembly, and a pin hydraulic cylinder. The ride control valve assembly selectively supplies pressurized hydraulic fluid to the boom hydraulic cylinder. The ride control valve assembly includes a charge valve. The pin hydraulic cylinder selectively receives pressurized hydraulic fluid from the pump. The controller operates to receive a user command via the controls to initiate a ride control operation, supply pressurized hydraulic fluid to the boom hydraulic cylinder from the ride control valve assembly to perform the ride control operation, receive a user command via the controls to initiate a pin actuation, open the charge valve without supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to the boom hydraulic cylinder from the ride control valve assembly (such that the ride control operation is not performed), thereby causing the pump to produce pressurized hydraulic fluid in a loop, and supply pressurized hydraulic fluid to the pin hydraulic cylinder from the loop to actuate the pin hydraulic cylinder.
The present disclosure includes a method of operating a work vehicle. The method includes receiving a user command to initiate a ride control operation, supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to a boom hydraulic cylinder through a ride control valve assembly, receiving a user command to initiate a pin actuation, operating a portion of the ride control valve assembly without supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to the boom hydraulic cylinder through the ride control valve assembly, and supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to a pin hydraulic cylinder.
Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in their application to the details of the configuration and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are capable of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings.
In addition, it should be understood that embodiments may include hardware, software, and electronic components or modules that, for purposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if the majority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of this detailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment, the electronic-based aspects may be implemented in software (e.g., stored on non-transitory computer-readable medium) executable by one or more processing units, such as a microprocessor and/or application specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”). As such, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components, may be utilized to implement the embodiments. For example, “servers” and “computing devices” described in the specification can include one or more processing units, one or more computer-readable medium modules, one or more input/output interfaces, and various connections (e.g., a system bus) connecting the components.
Other aspects of the embodiments will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Some work vehicles include a ride control feature. Ride control is often used in work vehicles having a front-end boom. The ride control feature is meant to counteract loads or external forces on the work vehicle which may cause oscillation of the work vehicle or of components thereof. Such oscillations may occur while, for instance, the work vehicle drives across a surface that is uneven. The ride control feature controls certain components of the hydraulic system, such as hydraulic cylinders and valves fluidly coupled to accumulators, to selectively move in a manner that counteracts and/or dampens the oscillations.
In work vehicles having a ride control feature, an opportunity arises to utilize the preexisting hydraulic system to perform an automatic pin hydraulic cylinder pressure boost.
The work vehicle 100 travels along a ground surface via four wheels 104 in the illustrated embodiment. Of course, other ground-engaging structures are contemplated herein, such as tracks, for instance. The number of ground-engaging structures may vary from the example embodiment, as well.
The work vehicle 100 further includes an engine 106 to power the work vehicle 100 and drive the work vehicle 100 forward. The work vehicle 100 also includes an operator station 108 in the form of a cab connected to the chassis 102. In other embodiments, however, a user interface may be located remote from the work vehicle 100 for user operation via, for instance, a computer (described in more detail below).
A boom 110 is disposed at the front end of the work vehicle 100. The boom 110 includes multiple rigid members pivotally coupled to each other and ultimately coupled to the chassis 102 at a proximal end 112 of the boom 110. The boom 110 further includes a distal end 114 opposite the proximal end 112. The distal end 114 of the boom 110 is configured to removably couple to one or more implements 116. In the illustrated embodiment, the implement 116 is shown as a bucket, but other implements are contemplated herein, such as one or more forks/tines, brushes, blades, or the like. The boom 110 and implement 116 are actuated by a hydraulic control assembly, which includes, for instance, one or more hydraulic pumps, cylinders, valves, and plumbing (described in more detail below). As shown in
The ride control valve assembly 138 is fluidly coupled to the boom cylinder 118 to control the flow of hydraulic fluid to and from the head and rod ends of the boom cylinder 118. The ride control valve assembly 138 is also fluidly coupled to the accumulator 140 and the reservoir 142. The ride control valve assembly 138 allows hydraulic fluid to move between the boom cylinder 118 and the accumulator 140, which permits the boom cylinder 118 to extend and retract in a limited fashion. This extending and retracting moves the boom 110 relative to the chassis 102, which allows the mass of the implement 116, the boom 110, and any payload on/in the implement 116 to float relative the chassis 102. This floating operation allows the mass to act as a dynamic counterweight, thereby dampening oscillations of the work vehicle 100 caused by, for instance, uneven surface conditions over which the work vehicle 100 is traveling.
As shown in
With particular reference to
The accumulator 140 is fluidly coupled to both the outlet of the charge valve 146 as well as an inlet of a discharge valve 154 via the line 152. The inlet of the discharge valve 154 is schematically represented by the bottom edge of the discharge valve 154 in
The line 158 is also fluidly coupled to an outlet of a rod ride control valve 160, which is schematically represented by the right edge of the rod ride control valve 160 in
The ride control valve assembly 138 also includes a head ride control valve 166. An inlet of the head ride control valve 166 (schematically represented by the left edge of the head ride control valve 166) is fluidly coupled to line 168, which itself is fluidly coupled to the head end of the boom cylinder 118. An outlet of the head ride control valve 166 (schematically represented by the right edge of the head ride control valve 166) is fluidly coupled to line 152. Stated another way, the outlet of the head ride control valve 166 is fluidly coupled to the accumulator 140, the outlet of the charge valve 146, and the inlet of the discharge valve 154. The inlet and the outlet of the head ride control valve 166 are illustrated in the closed position in
As shown in
Also shown in
Turning now to
Downstream from the pressure reduction valve 180 is a line 182 fluidly coupled to an inlet of a pin control valve 184. The inlet of the pin control valve 184 is schematically represented by a portion the top edge and a portion of the bottom edge of the pin control valve 184 in
A line 188 extends from the outlet of the pin control valve 184 and fluidly couples the outlet of the pin control valve 184 to a pin actuation assembly 190. Another line 192 also extends from the outlet of the pin control valve 184 and fluidly couples the outlet of the pin control valve 184 to the pin actuation assembly 190. The pin actuation assembly 190 includes a spool 194, a one-way check valve 196, and at least one pin cylinder 128 (two are shown in
When hydraulic fluid is directed from the pressure reduction valve 180, through the pin control valve 184, and into the line 188, the hydraulic fluid bypasses the spool 194 and travels through the one-way check valve 196 to ultimately enter the head end of the pin cylinder 128. As the pressure due to the hydraulic fluid in the head end of the pin cylinder 128 increases, the pin 126 is then extended outwardly from the pin cylinder 128. As long as the hydraulic force on the head end of the pin cylinder 128 is higher than the hydraulic force on the rod end of the pin cylinder 128, the pin 126 will continue to extend outwardly (until a physical limit is reached or until the operation is stopped). This movement will cause the hydraulic fluid in the rod end of the pin cylinder 128 to be evacuated via line 192, through the pin control valve 184, and through line 198 to the reservoir 142.
When hydraulic fluid is directed from the pressure reduction valve 180, through the pin control valve 184, and into line 192, the hydraulic fluid enters the rod end of the pin cylinder 128. The hydraulic fluid also causes a pilot pressure to act to open the spool 194, which allows hydraulic fluid to escape the head end of the pin cylinder 128 through the spool 194, through line 188, through the pin control valve 184, and through line 198 to the reservoir 142 (as long as the hydraulic force on the rod end of the pin cylinder 128 is higher than the hydraulic force on the head end of the pin cylinder 128, until a physical limit is reached or until the operation is stopped). This transfer of hydraulic fluid causes the pin 126 to retract inwardly toward the pin cylinder 128.
The hydraulic control assembly 134 may also include multiple pressure sensors to monitor the hydraulic pressures at certain points throughout the hydraulic control assembly 134. Such sensors can include a head side sensor (not shown) monitoring the hydraulic pressure on the head side of the boom cylinder 118, an accumulator sensor 172 detecting the hydraulic pressure of the accumulator 140 and/or line 152, or the like. Each sensor is operatively coupled to the controller 150 such that signals indicative of the detected pressure may be monitored by the controller 150. In some embodiments, these sensors may be combined pressure and temperature sensors.
With the above described arrangement, the actuation of the pin 126 can be boosted with a higher hydraulic pressure than would normally be available. To accomplish this boosted hydraulic pressure, the charge valve 146 of the ride control valve assembly 138 can be opened to cause the pump 136 to pressurize the loop described above. The pressurized hydraulic fluid in the loop can be used to supply boosted hydraulic pressure to the pin cylinder 128. In fact, the present arrangement, in some embodiments, includes the pressure reduction valve 180 to avoid damage to components such as the pin control valve 184 and the pin actuation assembly 190.
A user input can be programmed or labeled for pin actuation, but will include opening the charge valve 146 of the ride control valve assembly 138 while no ride control feature/mode is enabled. In this manner, the user need not know the particulars of how the boosted pressure is supplied to the pin cylinder 128 and need not perform tasks that might require specific expertise or careful attention (aside from conventional work vehicle 100 operation). This boosted pressure to the pin cylinder 128 can allow for effective actuation of the pin 126 (either the connection actuation or the disconnection actuation) with an adequate pressure to overcome debris that may be present, for instance, in the aperture 132 of the protrusion 130 of the implement 116.
With reference to
In embodiments including controls in the operator station and/or cab 108, the controls may include a steering wheel, one or more levers, one or more buttons, one or more switches, some combination thereof, or the like. Some embodiments may further include the inputs from a user received by the controller 150, where the controller 150 itself commands the respective components of the work vehicle 100.
As shown in
In some embodiments, the control system 200 further includes a communications interface 208 configured to communicatively couple the controller 150 via, for instance, a network 210 to a server 212. The connections between the user interface 202 and the controller 150 and/or the indicators 204 and the controller 150 may also be via the network 210 in some embodiments. The connections between the user interface 202 and the controller 150 and/or the indicators 204 and the controller 150 are, for example, wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wireless and wired connections. Similarly, any of the connections between the various components of the control system 200 are wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wireless and wired connections.
The network 210 is, for example, a wide area network (“WAN”) (e.g., a TCP/IP based network), a local area network (“LAN”), a neighborhood area network (“NAN”), a home area network (“HAN”), or personal area network (“PAN”) employing any of a variety of communications protocols, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc. In some implementations, the network 210 is a cellular network, such as, for example, a Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”) network, a General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”) network, a Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) network, an Evolution-Data Optimized (“EV-DO”) network, an Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (“EDGE”) network, a 3GSM network, a 4GSM network, a 4G LTE network, a 5G New Radio, a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (“DECT”) network, a Digital AMPS (“IS-136/TDMA”) network, or an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (“iDEN”) network, etc.
The controller 150 further includes combinations of hardware and software that are operable to receive one or more signals from the one or more sensors 206 (which may include, for instance, accumulator sensor 172), communicate over the network 210, receive input from a user via the user interface 202, provide information to a user via the indicators 204, etc. In some embodiments, the indicators 204 may be integrated into the user interface 202 in the form of, for instance, a touch-screen. Examples of user interfaces include, but are not limited to, a personal or desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a mobile phone (e.g., a smart phone).
In some embodiments, the controller 150 is included within the user interface 202, and, for example, the controller 150 can provide control signals directly to the one or more sensors 206 (which may include, for instance, accumulator sensor 172), the pump 136, one or more solenoids (including, for instance, solenoids 148, 156, 164, 170, 186), the engine 106, or the like and receive signals directly from the one or more sensors 206 (which may include, for instance, accumulator sensor 172). In other embodiments, the controller 150 is associated with the server 212 and communicates through the network 210 to provide control signals and receive sensor signals.
The controller 150 includes a plurality of electrical and electronic components that provide power, operational control, and protection to the components and modules within the controller 150 and/or the system 200. For example, the controller 150 includes, among other things, a processing unit 214 (e.g., a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or another suitable programmable device), a memory 216, input units 218, and output units 220. The processing unit 214 includes, among other things, a control unit 222, an arithmetic logic unit (“ALU”) 224, and a plurality of registers 226 (shown as a group of registers in
The memory 216 is a non-transitory computer readable medium and includes, for example, a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area and the data storage area can include combinations of different types of memory, such as a ROM, a RAM (e.g., DRAM, SDRAM, etc.), EEPROM, flash memory, a hard disk, an SD card, or other suitable magnetic, optical, physical, or electronic memory devices. The processing unit 214 is connected to the memory 216 and executes software instructions that are capable of being stored in a RAM of the memory 216 (e.g., during execution), a ROM of the memory 216 (e.g., on a generally permanent basis), or another non-transitory computer readable medium such as another memory or a disc. Software included in the implementation of the system 200 and controller 150 can be stored in the memory 216 of the controller 150. The software includes, for example, firmware, one or more applications, program data, filters, rules, one or more program modules, and other executable instructions. The controller 150 is configured to retrieve from the memory 216 and execute, among other things, instructions related to the control processes and methods described herein. In other embodiments, the controller 150 includes additional, fewer, or different components.
The controls of the user interface 202 are included to provide user control of the system 200. The user interface 202 is operably coupled to the controller 150 to control, for example, the pump 136, one or more solenoids (including, for instance, solenoids 148, 156, 164, 170, 186), the engine 106, or the like. The user interface 202 can include any combination of digital and analog input devices required to achieve a desired level of control for the system 200. For example, the user interface 202 can include a computer having a display and input devices, a touch-screen display, a plurality of knobs, dials, switches, buttons, or the like.
The system 200, including the work vehicle 100, is configured to operate according to the method 300 shown in
The method 300 further includes receiving a user command via the user interface 202 to initiate a pin actuation (at step 303). The controller 150 ceases the ride control operation (at step 304) by closing the discharge valve 154 but keeping the charge valve 146 open. The controller 150 then directs pressurized hydraulic fluid to the pin cylinder 128, thereby actuating the pin 126 (at step 305). Depending on the position of the pin control valve 184, the pin actuation may move the pin 126 to one of a pin disconnect position and a pin connect position.
In some embodiments, the method 300 further includes determining a completion of the pin actuation (by, for instance, detecting a stroke distance of the pin 126, a pressure level in the pin cylinder 128 or in another location in the hydraulic control assembly 134, detecting a certain amount of time has passed, or the like) and thereafter closing the charge valve 146 (at step 306). In some embodiments, the pump 136 may also be shut off or slowed as part of this step 306.
Some embodiments may further include the controller 150 detecting if the engine 106 is off and, if so, ignoring any user commands via the user interface 202 to initiate one or both of the pin actuation and the ride control operation.
Of course, features of one embodiment can be combined with features of another embodiment to create yet another embodiment. As such, the present disclosure is capable of many alterations and embodiments, and the specific disclosed embodiments should not be viewed as limiting.
Thus, embodiments described herein provide methods and systems for operating a work vehicle.
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