CONSTRUCTION MACHINE

• US 20140091579A1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Klaus Schmidt, Kobelco Construction Machinery Company Limited (Kobe Steel Limited)
• Original Assignee: Klaus Schmidt, Kobelco Construction Machinery Company Limited (Kobe Steel Limited)
• Inventors: Doi, Takayuki, Goto, Naoki, Kitamura, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,987,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/40.R
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/24 Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging
• 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: 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A charge and discharge control unit (41) sets an upper-limit charge and discharge electric power as an upper limit of electric power during charging and discharging of a electric storage device (11) based on temperature of the electric storage device (11) measured by a temperature measuring unit (21) and a state of charge of the electric storage device (11) specified by a charge state specifying unit (23). In the case where the operation state determined by an operation state determining unit (35) is a low-limit operation state, the charge and discharge control unit (41) sets the upper-limit charge and discharge electric power to be larger than that in the case where the operation state determined by the operation state determining unit (35) is a high-limit operation state.

Claims

1. A construction machine comprising:

an electric storage device;

a generator motor that has a function of operating as a motor by electric power supplied from the electric storage device and a function of operating as a generator by motive power supplied from outside;

an electric power control unit that controls the delivery of electric power between the electric storage device and the generator motor;

a charge and discharge control unit that outputs an instruction for controlling charge and discharge electric power of the electric storage device to the electric power control unit;

a temperature measuring unit that measures temperature of the electric storage device;

a charge state specifying unit that specifies a state of charge of the electric storage device; and

an operation state determining unit that determines whether an operation state of the construction machine is a preset high-limit operation state or a preset low-limit operation state which is other than the high-limit operation state and set in advance as an operation state where an internal resistance of the electric storage device is maintained in a lower range than that of the high-limit operation state, wherein

the charge and discharge control unit sets an upper-limit charge and discharge electric power as an upper limit of the electric power during charging and discharging of the electric storage device based on the temperature of the electric storage device measured by the temperature measuring unit and the state of charge of the electric storage device specified by the charge state specifying unit, and

in a case where the operation state determined by the operation state determining unit is the low-limit operation state, the charge and discharge control unit sets the upper-limit charge and discharge electric power to be larger than that in a case where the operation state determined by the operation state determining unit is the high-limit operation state.

2. The construction machine according to claim 1, wherein

the low-limit operation state is an operation state where continuous charge time or continuous discharge time of the electric storage device is shorter than that of the high-limit operation state.

3. The construction machine according to claim 2, further comprising:

a self-propelling type lower propelling body;

an upper slewing body provided on the lower propelling body so as to slew; and

an attachment provided so as to be displaced with respect to the upper slewing body, wherein

the operation state determining unit determines that a working state where at least one of a slewing operation of the upper slewing body and a displacement operation of the attachment is performed is the low-limit operation state.

4. The construction machine according to claim 3, wherein

the operation state determining unit determines that a state where a propelling operation of the lower propelling body is performed is the high-limit operation state regardless of whether at least one of the slewing operation of the upper slewing body and the displacement operation of the attachment is performed.

5. The construction machine according to claim 2, further comprising:

an engine that supplies motive power to the generator motor, wherein

the operation state determining unit determines that a state where the generator motor operates as a generator by the motive power supplied from the engine in an idling state is the high-limit operation state.

6. The construction machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operating lever operated to allow the construction machine to operate, wherein

the operation state determining unit determines whether the operation state is the high-limit operation state or the low-limit operation state based on an operation state of the operating lever.

7. The construction machine according to claim 1, wherein

the charge and discharge control unit stores in advance a highest voltage and a lowest voltage of a terminal-to-terminal voltage of the electric storage device and sets the upper-limit charge and discharge electric power so that the terminal-to-terminal voltage of the electric storage device is not larger than the highest voltage but not smaller than the lowest voltage.