Working machine

• US 20050019173A1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kuroiwa, Kenji, Shimizu, Norikazu, Yamagishi, Yoshihiko, Wakitani, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,994 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/313
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/22 Agricultural vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/41 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 11/003 Electric or electronic control systems
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/02 Hand implements E01H5/04, E01H5/10, E01H5/12 take precedence shovels or spades in general A01B1/02; brooms, brushes A46B
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/04 Apparatus propelled by animal or engine power; Apparatus propelled by hand with driven dislodging or conveying levelling elements, conveying pneumatically for the dislodged materialE01H5/10, E01H5/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

Working machine is provided which employs both an internal combustion engine and left and right electric motors. The working machine also includes a control unit for controlling rotation of the motors. The control unit shifts the machine to a battery mode so that the electric motors are rotated by only electric power supplied by a battery with the internal combustion engine kept deactivated.

Claims

1. A working machine employing both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, said working machine comprising:

a machine body;

a working unit attached to said machine body;

said internal combustion engine for driving said working unit;

a traveling unit comprising a crawler or traveling wheel for causing said machine to travel;

said electric motor for driving said traveling unit;

a power generator drivable by said internal combustion engine to supply electric power to a battery and said electric motor; and

a control unit for controlling rotation of said electric motor,

wherein said control unit performs control to shift said working apparatus to a battery mode so that said electric motor is rotated by only electric power supplied by the battery with said internal combustion engine kept deactivated.

2. A working machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control unit measures a terminal voltage of the battery immediately after a shift to the battery mode,

determines a remaining capacity of the battery on the basis of the measured terminal voltage,

determines a travel-permitting capacity of the battery by subtracting, from the remaining capacity, a minimum remaining capacity of the battery necessary to activate said internal combustion engine at least once,

determines a maximum available travel time on the basis of the travel-permitting capacity, and

performs control to allow said electric motor to be rotated for the maximum available travel time.

3. A working machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control unit sets target acceleration and target maximum traveling speed of said traveling unit to be applied when said electric motor is rotated by only the electric power supplied by the battery with said internal combustion engine kept deactivated, to respective given values smaller than values of the target acceleration and target maximum traveling speed of said traveling unit to be applied when said internal combustion engine is driven to rotate said electric motor, and

wherein, on the basis of the smaller values, said control unit controls rotation of said electric motor rotated by only the electric power supplied by the battery with said internal combustion engine kept deactivated.

4. A working machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control unit presets a lower limit of a remaining capacity of the battery necessary to activate said internal combustion engine at least once,

wherein said control unit constantly measures the remaining capacity of the battery in the battery mode, and

wherein, when the measured remaining capacity has decreased to the lower limit during execution of the battery mode, said control unit performs control to deactivate said electric motor and issue, to informing equipment, a signal requesting activation of said internal combustion engine.

5. A working machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein, in the battery mode, said control unit constantly measures the remaining capacity of the battery while said internal combustion engine is driving said power generator to charge the battery, and

wherein, when the measured remaining capacity has increased to a preset upper limit during execution of the battery mode, said control unit performs control to issue, to the informing equipment, a signal requesting deactivation of said internal combustion engine.

6. A working machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control unit presets a lower limit of a remaining capacity of the battery necessary to activate said internal combustion engine at least once,

wherein said control unit constantly measures the remaining capacity of the battery in the battery mode, and

wherein, when the measured remaining capacity has decreased to the lower limit during execution of the battery mode, said control unit performs control to activate said internal combustion engine to thereby drive said power generator so that the battery is charged by the electric power generated by said power generator.

7. A working machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein, in the battery mode, said control unit constantly measures the remaining capacity of the battery and controls opening of a throttle value to adjust a number of rotations of said internal combustion engine in accordance with the measured remaining capacity while said internal combustion engine is driving said power generator to charge the battery, and

wherein, when the measured remaining capacity has increased to a preset upper limit during execution of the battery mode, said control unit performs control to deactivate said internal combustion engine.