POWER GENERATION CONTROL METHOD OF HYBRID CONSTRUCTION MACHINE AND HYBRID CONSTRUCTION MACHINE

• US 20100097037A1
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Tadashi, Inoue, Hiroaki, Morinaga, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,207,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 322/14
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• 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 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• 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 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/412 Excavators
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/123 Drives or control devices specially adapted therefor E02F9/125 and E02F9/128 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2075 of the hybrid type for vehicles in general B60W20/00
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2091 Control of energy storage means for electrical energy, e.g. battery or capacitors energy recovery arrangements in hydraulic or pneumatic drives E02F9/2217
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2296 Systems with a variable displacement pump
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

A power generation control method of a hybrid construction machine capable of maintaining voltage of a capacitor in an appropriate range while minimizing capacitance of the capacitor and of surely preventing a system from being rendered inoperative, and the hybrid construction machine are provided. For this purpose, swing power corresponding to electric power consumed by a swing motor for swinging a part of a body relative to other parts is sequentially calculated, a value of the calculated swing power is converted to a smaller value, a power generation command of a generator motor is sequentially generated using the converted value, and the generated power generation command is output to an inverter for driving the generator motor.

Claims

1. A power generation control method of a hybrid construction machine provided with an engine and a generator motor coupled to each other, an inverter connected to the generator motor for driving the generator motor, a swing motor for swinging a part of a body relative to other parts, a swing inverter connected to the swing motor for driving the swing motor, and a capacitor connected in parallel to the inverter and the swing inverter respectively for storing electric power generated by the generator motor and the swing motor and supplying electric power to the generator motor and the swing motor, the method comprising:

a swing power calculating step of sequentially calculating swing power corresponding to electric power consumed by the swing motor;

a swing power converting step of converting a value of the swing power at the time of power running of the swing motor calculated at the swing power calculating step to a smaller value;

a power generation command generating step of sequentially generating a power generation command of the generator motor using the value converted at the swing power converting step; and

an outputting step of outputting the power generation command generated at the power generation command generating step to the inverter, wherein

a swing power of the swing motor at the power running is supplied from the generator motor and the capacitor.

2. The power generation control method of the hybrid construction machine according to claim 1, wherein

the swing power converting step converts the value of the swing power such that, even when voltage of the capacitor changes at the time of regeneration of the swing motor, the voltage is within a predetermined range.

3. The power generation control method of the hybrid construction machine according to claim 1, wherein

the swing power converting step carries out an operation of multiplying the value of the swing power by a coefficient smaller than 1.

4. The power generation control method of the hybrid construction machine according to claim 3, wherein

the swing power converting step changes the coefficient to multiply the value of the swing power according to a predetermined measured value measured inside or outside the hybrid construction machine.

5. The power generation control method of the hybrid construction machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a target voltage setting step of setting target voltage of the capacitor according to a motor speed of the swing motor;

a voltage difference calculating step for calculating difference between the target voltage set at the target voltage setting step and the voltage of the capacitor; and

a voltage difference converting step for converting the voltage difference calculated at the voltage difference calculating step to a physical amount having same dimension as the swing power, wherein

the power generation command generating step calculates a sum of the value converted at the voltage difference converting step and the value converted at the swing power converting step, and generates the power generation command using the calculated sum.

6. A hybrid construction machine provided with an engine and a generator motor coupled to each other as drive sources and with a swing motor for swinging a part of a body relative to other parts, the hybrid construction machine comprising:

an inverter connected to the generator motor for driving the generator motor;

a swing inverter connected to the swing motor for driving the swing motor;

a capacitor connected in parallel to the inverter and the swing inverter respectively for storing electric power generated by the generator motor and the swing motor and supplying electric power to the generator motor and the swing motor; and

a control unit for sequentially calculating swing power corresponding to electric power consumed by the swing motor, converting a value of the calculated swing power to a smaller value, sequentially generating a power generation command of the generator motor using the converted value, and outputting the generated power generation command to the inverter, wherein

a swing power of the swing motor at a power running is supplied from the generator motor and the capacitor.

7. The hybrid construction machine according to claim 6, wherein

the control unit sets target voltage of the capacitor according to a motor speed of the swing motor,

calculates voltage difference between the set target voltage and voltage of the capacitor,

converts the calculated voltage difference to a physical amount having same dimension as the swing power, and

calculates a sum of a value obtained by converting the voltage difference and a value obtained by converting the swing power and generates the power generation command using the calculated sum.