Patent Application
20160340868
The present disclosure relates to a travel control device for a construction machine and a control method thereof. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a travel control device for a construction machine and a control method thereof, the device and method allowing the construction machine to travel over a long distance by manipulating only one of left and right driving pedals.
For travelling straight, a travel control device of a prior art requires an operator to place his/her feet on the travel control units (in particular, driving pedals) disposed within a cab and press them. Thus, an operator is required to maintain his/her feet on the driving pedals in a shaking construction machine when the construction machine travels over a long distance. This requires the operator to suffer from the difficulty in balancing his/her body for a long time, which degrades the operability of the construction machine.
Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems occurring in the related art, and the present disclosure proposes a travel control device for a construction machine and a control method thereof, the device and method allowing an operator to conveniently drive the construction machine over a long distance by manipulating only one of left and right driving pedals.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a travel control device for a construction machine may include a hydraulic pump, left and right travel motors, left and right travel control units, a travel control signal detecting unit, a travel mode setting unit, and a controller.
The left and right travel motors are actuated by hydraulic fluid supplied by the hydraulic pump.
The left and right travel control units output travel control signals in proportion to degrees of manipulation when manipulated.
The travel control signal detecting unit detects the travel control signals in response to the left and right travel control units being manipulated.
The travel mode setting unit selects one travel mode of a straight travel mode and a common travel mode.
The controller applies control signals to driving units driving the left and right travel motors such that, when the straight travel mode is selected by the travel mode setting unit. When one of the left and right travel controlling units is manipulated, driving speeds of the left and right driving motors are controlled to be the same to correspond to the travel control signals output by the manipulated travel control unit. When the other of the left and right travel control units is manipulated, driving speeds of the left and right driving motors are controlled to be different from each other to thereby change a direction of travel due to a difference between the driving speeds of the left and right driving motors.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the left and right travel control units may include electrical travel control units.
The electrical travel control units may output electrical control signals in proportion to the degrees of manipulation when manipulated.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a control method of a travel control device for a construction machine. The control method may include:
The control method may further include: when the left and right travel control units are manipulated after the common travel mode is selected, calculating driving speeds of the left and right travelling motors corresponding to the travel control signals of the travel control units, and applying the control signals to the driving units of the left and right travelling motors such that the control signals corresponding to the calculated driving speeds of the left and right travelling motors.
According to the present disclosure, an operator can drive a construction machine over a long distance by manipulating only one of left and right driving pedals using one foot while placing the other foot on the floor of the cab, away from the other driving pedal. This can consequently improve convenience and effectiveness in travel control.
Hereinafter, reference will be made in detail to a travel control device for a construction machine and a control method thereof according to exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The hydraulic pump 2 and the pilot pump 3 are driven by an engine 1.
The left and right travel motors 4 and 5 are actuated by hydraulic fluid supplied by the hydraulic pump 2.
The left and right travel control units 8 and 9 output travel control signals in proportion to degrees of manipulation when manipulated. (For example, the left travel control unit 8 may be a straight travel pedal, and the right travel control unit 9 may be a direction change pedal.)
The travel control signal detecting unit 11 detects the travel control signals in response to the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 being manipulated.
The travel mode setting unit 12 allows one travel mode of a straight travel mode and a common travel mode to be selected.
In the case in which the straight travel mode is selected in response to the travel mode setting unit 12 being manipulated, when one of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 (for example, the left travel control unit 8) is manipulated, the controller 10 applies control signals to driving units of the left and right driving motors 4 and 5, such that the driving speeds of the left and right driving motors 4 and 5 are controlled to be the same to correspond to the travel control signals output by the travel control units. When the other of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 (for example, the right travel control unit 9) is manipulated, the controller 10 applies control signals to the driving units of the left and right driving motors 4 and 5, such that the driving speeds of the left and right driving motors 4 and 5 are controlled to be different from each other, thereby changing the direction of travel due to the difference between the driving speeds of the left and right driving motors 4 and 5.
The left and right travel control units 8 and 9 may be electrical travel control units.
The electrical travel control units output electrical control signals in proportion to degrees of manipulation when manipulated.
In the above-described configuration, when the travel control units 8 and 9 are manipulated for travelling straight, travel control signals are detected by the travel control signal detecting unit 11, and the detected travel control signals are input to the controller 10. In response to electrical signals input to an electric proportional valve 13 by the controller 10 to correspond to degrees of manipulation of the travel control units 8 and 9, the pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied by the pilot pump 2 is converted to second pilot pressures. When the converted second pilot pressures a and c are applied to travel control valves 6 and 7, the spools thereof are switched to the right, as per the drawing. Then, hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic pump 2 is supplied to the left and right driving motors 4 and 5, whereby the construction machine can travel straight.
In step S10, one travel mode of the straight travel mode and the common travel mode is selected;
When one manipulation unit 8 of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 is manipulated in step S20 after the straight travel mode is selected, control signals are applied to the driving units of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5, such that the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 have the same driving speed corresponding to the travel control signal of the manipulated travel control unit in steps S30, S40, and S50.
When the other manipulation unit 9 of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 is manipulated in step S20A, after the straight travel mode is selected the driving speed corresponding to the travel control signal of the manipulated travel control unit is calculated in step S30A. In step S40A, a resultant driving speed obtained by adding the calculated driving speed to the same driving speed of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 calculated in step S40 is applied to the driving unit of one travel motor 4 or 5 of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5, and a resultant driving speed obtained by subtracting the calculated driving speed from the same driving speed of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 calculated in step S40 is applied to the driving unit of the other travel motor 5 or 4 of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5. Thus, in step S50A, the direction of travel is changed based on the difference in the driving speed between the left and right travel motors 4 and 5.
When the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 are manipulated in step S60, after the common travel mode is selected, the driving speeds of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 corresponding to travel control signals of the travel control units 8 and 9 are calculated. In steps S70, control signals corresponding to the calculated driving speeds of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 are applied to the driving units of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5.
According to the above-described configuration, in step S10 in
When the travel control unit 8 of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 is manipulated in step S20 after the straight travel mode 12a is selected, the driving speeds are calculated to correspond to the travel control signal of the manipulated travel control unit 8 in step S30.
In step S40, the driving speeds of the left and right driving motors 4 and 5, calculated such that the driving speeds of the left and right driving motors 4 and 5 are the same, are applied to the driving units of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5. Thus, when the travel control unit 8 of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 is manipulated after the straight travel mode 12a is selected, the driving speeds of the left and right driving motors 4 and 5 can be controlled to be the same in step S50.
When the travel control unit 9 of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 is manipulated in step S20A after the straight travel mode 12a is selected, a driving speed corresponding to the travel control signal of the manipulated travel control unit 9 is calculated in step S30A.
In step S40A, a resultant driving speed obtained by adding the calculated driving speed to the same driving speed of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 calculated in step S50 is applied to the driving unit of one travel motor 4 or 5 of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5, and a resultant driving speed obtained by subtracting the calculated driving speed from the same driving speed of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 calculated in step S50 is applied to the driving unit of the other travel motor 5 or 4 of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5. Thus, when the other travel control unit 9 of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 is manipulated after the straight travel mode 12a is selected, the direction of travel of the construction machine can be changed based on the difference in the driving speed between the left and right travel motors 4 and 5.
At this time, the travel control units control the travel motors to travel forwards and backwards. If a driving speed corresponding to forward travel has a positive value (+), a driving speed corresponding to backward travel has a negative value (−). During the straight travel by manipulation of one travel control unit in step S20, the direction of travel can be changed, based on the calculation in response to the manipulation of the other travel control unit.
When the left and right manipulation units 8 and 9 are manipulated after the common travel mode 12b is selected, the driving speeds of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 corresponding to the travel control signals of the left and right manipulation units 8 and 9 are calculated in step S60.
In step S70, the control signals corresponding to the calculated driving speeds of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5 are applied to the driving units of the left and right travel motors 4 and 5. Thus, when the left and right travel control units 8 and 9 are manipulated after the common travel mode 12b is selected, it is possible to control the left and right driving motors 4 and 5 to correspond to the travel control signals of the left and right travel control units 8 and 9.
Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described for illustrative purposes, a person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications and alterations are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
According to the present disclosure as set forth above, an operator can conveniently drive a construction machine over a long distance through manipulating only one of left and right driving pedals.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2014/000753 | 1/27/2014 | WO | 00 |
