Engine Control System for Construction Machine

• US 20100332088A1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Satake, Hidetoshi, Okano, Yasuo, Narazaki, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 25/02 directly from an engine shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• 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: B60W 2300/17 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/41 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/435 Supercharger or turbochargers
• 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 9/2246 Control of prime movers, e.g. depending on the hydraulic load of work tools
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

To provide an engine control system for a construction machine, which can decrease a consumption of energy to be required for the reduction of an engine lag-down that occurs upon a sudden increase in load, such as upon quick manipulation of a control device, is provided with a load condition detecting unit, a charge amount detecting unit, a boost pressure sensor, and a determination processing unit. The load condition detecting unit includes a manipulation stroke detector for detecting that a control device has been fully manipulated, and also, a first computation unit of a controller. The charge amount detecting unit can detect an amount of charge in a capacitor. The determination processing unit includes a determination processing unit of the controller. The determination processing unit performs processing to feed electric power from the capacitor to an electric motor if, when it has been detected in concomitance with manipulation of the control device by the load condition detecting means that a torque to be absorbed by a pump would exceed an output torque of an engine, a boost pressure detected by the boost pressure sensor is determined to be lower than a predetermined pressure, and moreover, an amount of charge in the capacitor as detected by the charge amount detecting unit is determined to be an amount of charge that can drive the electric motor for a predetermined time.

Claims

1. An engine control system for a construction machine provided with a turbocharged engine, an electric motor and hydraulic pump drivable by the engine, a hydraulic actuator operable by pressure oil delivered from the hydraulic pump, a control device for controlling the hydraulic actuator, and a capacitor capable of feeding electric power to the electric motor, characterized in that the engine control system is provided with a load condition detecting means for detecting a condition that a torque to be absorbed the hydraulic pump would exceed an output torque of the engine, a charge amount detecting means capable of detecting an amount of charge in the capacitor, a boost pressure sensor, and a determination processing means for performing processing to feed electric power from the capacitor to the electric motor if, when the condition that a torque to be absorbed the hydraulic pump would exceed an output torque of the engine has been detected by the load condition detecting means in concomitance with manipulation of the control device, a boost pressure detected by the boost pressure sensor is determined to be lower than a predetermined pressure, and moreover, an amount of charge in the capacitor as detected by the charge amount detecting means is determined to be an amount of charge that can drive the electric motor for a predetermined time.

2. The engine control system according to claim 1, wherein the engine control system is provided with a manipulation stroke detecting means for detecting a manipulation stroke of the control device, and based on a maximum manipulation stroke of the control device as detected by the manipulation stroke detecting means, the load condition detecting means detects the condition that a torque to be absorbed the hydraulic pump would exceed an output torque of the engine.

3. The engine control system according to claim 1, wherein the engine control system is provided with a load detecting means for detecting a torque absorbed by the hydraulic pump, and based on a rate of change in the torque absorbed by the hydraulic pump as detected by the load detecting means, the load condition detecting means detects the condition that a torque to be absorbed the hydraulic pump would exceed an output torque of the engine.

4. The engine control system according to claim 2, wherein the engine control system is provided with an electric power generating means, and, when an amount of charge in the capacitor as detected by the charge amount detecting means is determined to be less than the amount of charge that can drive the electric motor for the predetermined time, the determination processing means, upon detection by the manipulation stroke detecting means of manipulation of the control device in a direction to decrease a torque to be absorbed by the hydraulic pump or upon detection by the load detecting means of a decrease in the torque absorbed by the hydraulic pump, controls such that electric power generated by the electric power generating means is charged in the capacitor.

5. The engine control system according to claim 1, wherein the capacitor has been set to a capacity sufficient to cover driving of the electric motor for the predetermined time that compensates for a surplus in the torque to be absorbed by the hydraulic pump relative to an output torque of the engine in concomitance with manipulation of the control device.

6. The engine control system according to claim 5, wherein the electric motor has an output torque corresponding to a differential torque between a maximum boost torque and a non-boost torque of the engine.

7. The engine control system according to claim 3, wherein the engine control system is provided with an electric power generating means, and, when an amount of charge in the capacitor as detected by the charge amount detecting means is determined to be less than the amount of charge that can drive the electric motor for the predetermined time, the determination processing means, upon detection by the manipulation stroke detecting means of manipulation of the control device in a direction to decrease a torque to be absorbed by the hydraulic pump or upon detection by the load detecting means of a decrease in the torque absorbed by the hydraulic pump, controls such that electric power generated by the electric power generating means is charged in the capacitor.