Construction equipment

• US 20030221339A1
• Filed: 03/13/2003
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohtsukasa, Naritoshi, Naruse, Masami, Haga, Seiya, Tanaka, Junsei
• Granted Patent: US 6,725,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 37/348
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2217 with energy recovery arrangements, e.g. using accumulators, flywheels
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2292 Systems with two or more pumps
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2296 Systems with a variable displacement pump
• 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

Abstract

Compact, low-cost construction equipment capable of effectively recovering energy from a plurality of hydraulic actuators is provided. To this end, the construction equipment comprises: a hydraulic recovery circuit for recovering return oil from the hydraulic actuators, the circuit being equipped with a pump motor rotatably driven by the recovered return oil; oil guide passages each of which is for guiding return oil from the meter-out side of its corresponding hydraulic actuator to the hydraulic recovery circuit; switches for switching the respective oil guide passages between their opened and closed states; pressure sensors for detecting the back pressure of each hydraulic pressure actuator; and a dynamo-electric generator for generating electric power from the rotary force of the pump motor.

Claims

1. Construction equipment having a plurality of hydraulic actuators, the construction equipment further comprising:

a hydraulic recovery circuit for recovering return oil from the hydraulic actuators, the circuit being equipped with a rotating machine rotatably driven by the recovered return oil;

oil guide passages each of which is for guiding return oil from the meter-out side of its corresponding hydraulic actuator to the hydraulic recovery circuit;

switching means for switching the respective oil guide passages between their opened and closed states;

pressure detecting means for detecting the back pressure of each hydraulic pressure actuator; and

a dynamo-electric generator for generating electric power from the rotary force of the rotating machine.

2. The construction equipment according to claim 1, wherein said switching means has a controller and said controller controls switching of said switching means such that during single actuator operation in which one of the plurality of hydraulic actuators is independently activated, return oil from the activated hydraulic actuator is guided to the hydraulic recovery circuit and such that during complex actuator operation in which the plurality of hydraulic actuators are simultaneously activated, the back pressures of the hydraulic actuators detected by the pressure detecting means are compared to select the highest back pressure and the return oil associated with the selected back pressure is guided to the hydraulic recovery circuit.

3. Construction equipment having a plurality of hydraulic actuators, wherein at least two sets of hydraulic energy recovering means are provided, each hydraulic energy recovering means comprising:

a hydraulic recovery circuit for recovering return oil from the hydraulic actuators, the circuit being equipped with a rotating machine rotatably driven by the recovered return oil;

oil guide passages each of which is for guiding return oil from the meter-out side of its corresponding hydraulic actuator to the hydraulic recovery circuit;

switching means for switching the respective oil guide passages between their opened and closed states;

pressure detecting means for detecting the back pressure of each hydraulic pressure actuator; and

a dynamo-electric generator for generating electric power from the rotary force of the rotating machine.

4. The construction equipment according to claim 3, wherein said switching means has a controller and said controller controls switching of said switching means such that during single actuator operation in which one of the plurality of hydraulic actuators is independently activated, return oil from the activated hydraulic actuator is guided to the hydraulic recovery circuit and such that during complex actuator operation in which the plurality of hydraulic actuators are simultaneously activated, the back pressures of the hydraulic actuators detected by the pressure detecting means are compared to select the highest back pressure and the return oil associated with the selected back pressure is guided to the hydraulic recovery circuit.