Hybrid Work Vehicle

• US 20140148984A1
• Filed: 08/27/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Nishi, Keishiro, Mukai, Hisao, Kono, Michita, Matsuzaki, Yushi, Hayashi, Shigeki, Hana, Hidetoshi, Shinkai, Atsushi, Fujimoto, Yoshitomo, Umemoto, Susumu, Obata, Norio, Kawamoto, Toshikazu, Ichikawa, Nobushige
• Granted Patent: US 9,561,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• 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 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/19 for achieving enhanced acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/152 Tractors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0657 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/411 Bulldozers, Graders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A hybrid work vehicle is provided with an internal combustion engine for supplying driving force to a running device and a work implement via a transmission shaft, a motor generator for assisting the internal combustion engine by outputting power to the transmission shaft, and a battery for receiving charging electricity from the motor generator and giving driving electricity to the motor generator. A load information generation unit generates load information indicating a rotational load received by the internal combustion engine when in a constant-speed control mode for maintaining a constant number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine, based on an input parameter, and an assistance calculation unit calculates an amount of assistance for internal combustion engine by the motor generator, based on the load information when in the constant-speed control mode.

Claims

1. A hybrid work vehicle comprising:

an internal combustion engine for supplying driving force to a running device and a work implement via a transmission shaft;

a motor generator for assisting the internal combustion engine by outputting power to the transmission shaft;

a battery for receiving charging electricity from the motor generator and giving driving electricity to the motor generator;

a load information generation unit for generating load information indicating a rotational load received by the internal combustion engine when in a constant-speed control mode for maintaining a constant number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine, based on an input parameter; and

an assistance calculation unit for calculating an amount of assistance for the internal combustion engine by the motor generator when in the constant-speed control mode, based on the load information.

2. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the internal combustion engine is driven using a common-rail system, and the load information generation unit generates the load information using common-rail control information as the input parameter.

3. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the load information generation unit generates the load information using behavior of a number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine as the input parameter.

4. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a work load characteristic setting unit for setting a work load characteristic of the work implement,

wherein the work load characteristic is given as an auxiliary parameter to the load information generation unit.

5. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the assistance calculation unit calculates the amount of assistance so as to supplement a flywheel characteristic that is appropriate for the internal combustion engine.

6. A hybrid work vehicle comprising:

an internal combustion engine for supplying driving force to a running device and a work implement via a transmission shaft;

a motor generator for assisting the internal combustion engine by outputting power to the transmission shaft;

a battery for receiving charging electricity from the motor generator and giving driving electricity to the motor generator;

a load amount calculation unit for calculating a load amount indicating a rotational load received by the internal combustion engine, based on an input parameter;

a charging amount calculation unit for calculating a charging amount of the battery;

a drive mode selection unit for selecting one drive mode from an assistance drive mode for outputting power to the transmission shaft and a charge drive mode for outputting charging electricity to the battery, based on the load amount and the charging amount; and

a motor control unit for controlling drive of the motor generator in a drive mode selected by the drive mode selection unit.

7. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the assistance drive mode is selected when the load amount is larger than or equal to a predetermined amount, even in a state where the charging amount is smaller as the load amount is higher.

8. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein if power transmission by the transmission shaft is interrupted while the assistance drive mode is selected, the drive mode is forcibly switched from the assistance drive mode to the charge drive mode.

9. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein if a clutch that is transmitting power of the transmission shaft is in a half-clutch state while the assistance drive mode is selected, the assistance drive mode is forcibly interrupted.

10. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising:

an assistance calculation unit for calculating an amount of assistance for the internal combustion engine by the motor generator when in the assistance drive mode, based on the load amount.

11. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the internal combustion engine is driven using a common-rail system, and the load amount calculation unit generates the load amount using common-rail control information as the input parameter.

12. A hybrid work vehicle comprising:

an internal combustion engine for supplying driving force to a running device and a work implement via a transmission shaft;

a motor generator for assisting the internal combustion engine by outputting power to the transmission shaft;

a hydraulic vehicle operation device in which a hydraulic actuator and an electric-hydraulic pump for supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic actuator are incorporated;

a battery for receiving charging electricity from the motor generator, giving driving electricity to the motor generator, and supplying electricity to the electric-hydraulic pump;

an operation tool for giving an amount of operation with respect to the hydraulic vehicle operation device;

an operation amount detection unit for detecting the amount of operation;

a pump rotation number calculation unit for calculating a number of pump rotations of the electric-hydraulic pump that is necessary for supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic actuator, using operation information regarding the amount of operation as an input parameter; and

a hydraulic pump control unit for outputting a control signal to the electric-hydraulic pump such that the electric-hydraulic pump is driven at the number of pump rotations calculated by the pump rotation number calculation unit.

13. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 12, further comprising:

a charging amount calculation unit for calculating a charging amount of the battery,

wherein the charging amount is used as an additional input parameter for calculation of the number of pump rotations by the pump rotation number calculation unit.

14. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the operation tool is a steering wheel, the hydraulic vehicle operation device is a power-steering device, and the operation information regarding the amount of operation is at least one of a steering angle and a steering angular velocity.

15. The hybrid work vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the battery is also used as a running-drive motor generator.