Dump truck pitching control system

• US 10,414,237 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2016
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Iwaki, Takeshi, Kitaguchi, Atsushi, Ishihara, Kazunori, Ikeda, Jun, Nabeshima, Yoshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US15/756,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20190023098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22, 701 50, 701 55
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 11/265 hydraulic springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0155 pneumatic unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0416 regulated by varying the resiliency of hydropneumatic suspensions B60G17/048 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0424 by varying the air pressure of the accumulator
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/15 Fluid spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/026 Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/208 of wheel rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/34 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/39 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/51222 Pneumatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/7122 Fluid spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/20 Spring action or springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/10 Vehicle control parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/26 Vehicle weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 : Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 : by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 : Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 : with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/125 : Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/22 : Suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/16 : Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 : Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 : Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 : Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 : related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/142 : Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/41 : Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A dump truck pitching control system that can improve the ride quality of a vehicle body and the drive stability during traveling is provided. The present invention includes: a pitching state amount detection section 194 that detects a state amount of the pitching movement of the vehicle body 10; a spring characteristics calculation section 197 that calculates spring characteristics of suspension cylinders 30, based on detection results of stroke sensors 306, pressure sensors 307, and temperature sensors 308; a pitching target amount calculation section 192 that calculates a target amount of the pitching movement of the vehicle body 10, according to the spring characteristics calculated by the spring characteristics calculation section 197; and a torque correction value calculation section 193 that calculates a torque correction value required to correct the pitching amount, according to the spring characteristics calculated by the spring characteristics calculation section 197.

Claims

1. A dump truck pitching control system applied to a dump truck including:

a rear wheel drive device including at least one motor; and

four suspensions including four suspension cylinders in which gas and oil are enclosed and which alleviate shocks to a vehicle body during traveling and couple front, rear, left and right wheels to the vehicle body, the system controlling a pitching movement of the vehicle body, and comprising;

a pitching state amount detection section that detects a state amount of the pitching movement of the vehicle body;

stroke sensors that detect strokes of the suspension cylinders;

pressure sensors that detect pressures in the suspension cylinders;

temperature sensors that detect temperatures in the suspension cylinders;

a spring characteristics calculation section that calculates spring characteristics of the suspension cylinders, based on detection results of the stroke sensors, the pressure sensors, and the temperature sensors;

a pitching target amount calculation section that calculates a target amount of the pitching movement of the vehicle body, according to the spring characteristics calculated by the spring characteristics calculation section; and

a torque correction value calculation section that calculates a torque correction value required to correct the pitching amount, according to the spring characteristics calculated by the spring characteristics calculation section,

wherein the torque correction value calculation section calculates the torque correction value according to a difference between a state amount of the pitching movement of the vehicle body detected by the pitching state amount detection section and the target amount of the pitching movement of the vehicle body calculated by the pitching target amount calculation section, and outputs the calculated torque correction value, and the rear wheel drive device receives an output of the torque correction value calculation section, and increases and reduces a drive torque.

2. The dump truck pitching control system, according to claim 1, further comprising:

a relationship obtaining section that obtains a relationship between a gas charge pressure that indicates a pressure of the gas in a most elongated state of each of the suspension cylinders and a travel accumulated time that indicates an accumulation of time in which the vehicle body travels after the suspension cylinders are charged with the gas and the oil;

a timer that measures the travel accumulated time; and

a gas charge pressure calculation section that calculates the gas charge pressure by applying the travel accumulated time measured by the timer to the relationship obtained by the relationship obtaining section,

wherein the spring characteristics calculation section calculates the spring characteristics, based not only on the detection results of the stroke sensors, the pressure sensors and the temperature sensors but also on a calculation result of the gas charge pressure calculation section.

3. The dump truck pitching control system, according to claim 1,

wherein among the four suspensions, two front wheel suspensions that connect the front wheels to the vehicle body include two front wheel suspension cylinders disposed on a front side of the vehicle body, and

the spring characteristics calculation section calculates the spring characteristics, using the detection results of the stroke sensors, the pressure sensors and the temperature sensors with respect to the front wheel suspension cylinders.