Construction machinery

• US 6,851,207 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Company Limited (Kobe Steel Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kobelco Construction Machinery Company Limited (Kobe Steel Limited)
• Inventors: Yoshimatsu, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Will, Thomas B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beach, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US10/276,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20030132729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 373/48, 373/47, 374/10, 374/14, 374/66, 604/31, 604/20, 604/00, 703/50
• US Class Current: 37/348
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2012 Setting the functions of the control levers, e.g. changing assigned functions among operations levers, setting functions dependent on the operator or seat orientation
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2075 of the hybrid type for vehicles in general B60W20/00
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2095 Control of electric, electro-mechanical or mechanical equipment not otherwise provided for, e.g. ventilators, electro-driven fans control of hydraulic driven equipment E02F9/22
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2228 including an electronic controller
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2292 Systems with two or more pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 11/165 for adjusting the pump output or bypass in response to demand
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 11/167 using pilot pressure to sense the demand
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 21/087 Control strategy, e.g. with block diagram
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/205 Systems with pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/20515 Electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/20523 Internal combustion engine
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/20561 reversible
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/20584 Combinations of pumps with high and low capacity
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/212 the pressure sources being accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/30505 Non-return valves, i.e. check valves
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/3051 Cross-check valves
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/30525 Directional control valves, e.g. 4/3-directional control valve
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/3056 Assemblies of multiple valves
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/3111 the pump port being closed in the centre position, e.g. so-called closed centre
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/3127 Floating position connecting the working ports and the return line
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/3133 : Regenerative position connecting the working ports or connecting the working ports to the pump, e.g. for high-speed approach stroke
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/31576 : having a single pressure source and a single output member
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/327 : electrically or electronically
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/329 : actuated by fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/355 : Pilot pressure control
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/45 : Control of bleed-off flow, e.g. control of bypass flow to the return line
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/455 : Control of flow in the feed line, i.e. meter-in control
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/46 : Control of flow in the return line, i.e. meter-out control
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/50518 : using pressure relief valves
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/5151 : being connected to a pressure source and a directional control valve
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/63 : Electronic controllers
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/6316 : the pressure being a pilot pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/6355 : having valve means
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/6658 : Control using different modes, e.g. four-quadrant-operation, working mode and transportation mode
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/67 : Methods for controlling pilot pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2211/7135 : Combinations of output members of different types, e.g. single-acting cylinders with rotary motors

Abstract

First and second hydraulic pumps each adapted to operate plural actuators are activated by separate electric motors respectively. In accordance with signals provided from a controller on the basis of operations of levers, the number of revolutions of the electric motor and that of the electric motor are controlled each independently and simultaneously to control the discharge rates of both hydraulic pumps.

Claims

1. A hybrid construction machine comprising:

an engine;

a generator connected to be driven by said engine;

a battery connected to store surplus electric power from said generator; and

a plurality of hydraulic pumps for operating a plurality of hydraulic actuators and actuated by separate electric motors connected to receive electric power from said generator, wherein a number of revolutions of each of said electric motors is controlled by a controller, whereby a discharge rate in each of said hydraulic pumps is controlled.

18. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claims 1, 2, 3 or 13, wherein said battery is connected to store regenerated electric power from said electric motors.

2. A hybrid construction machine comprising:

an engine;

a generator connected to be driven by said engine;

a battery connected to store surplus electric power from said generator;

hydraulic actuators;

a hydraulic pump adapted to operate said hydraulic actuators;

an electric motor connected to receive electric power from said generator and adapted to actuate said hydraulic pump;

control valves disposed between said hydraulic pump and said hydraulic actuators to control a supply and discharge of pressure oil to and from said hydraulic actuators;

operating means adapted to issue operation commands to said control valves by an exterior operation; and

a controller adapted to control an operation stroke of each of said control valves and the number of revolutions of said electric motor in accordance with operation of said operating means.

4. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claim 2 or 3, wherein, when said operating means has a value of zero in terms of operation quantity, said control valves are in neutral position, each of said electric motors being in a stopped position and, with an increase in operation quantity of said operating means, the operation stroke of each of said control valves and the number of revolutions of each said electric motor increase.

5. The hybrid construction machine according to claim 4, wherein when said operating means is operated at a certain quantity from a state of zero, the number of revolutions of each said electric motors increases from zero to a stand-by number of revolutions to ensure a stand-by flow rate.

6. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claim 2 or 3, wherein in a small operation quantity range of said operating means a motor torque is made smaller than a maximum value thereof.

7. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claim 2 or 3, wherein a motor revolutions characteristic relative to operation quantity of said operating means can be switched between a normal mode and a minute operation mode which is smaller in the degree of change of motor revolutions than in said normal mode.

8. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claim 2 or 3, wherein bleed-off means adapted to bleed off pump discharge oil is provided separately from said control valves and in a shared state shared by the control valves.

9. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claim 2 or 3, wherein the flow rate is controlled by only a hydraulic pump discharge rate control based on an electric motor revolutions control to male bleed-off flow rate zero.

10. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claim 2 or 3, wherein a maximum discharge pressure of said hydraulic pumps is limited by controlling a maximum value of the motor torque.

11. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claim 2 or 3, wherein a body of the construction machine comprises a lower traveling body and an upper rotating body mounted rotatably on said lower traveling body, and a rotating electric motor for rotating said upper rotating body is used as an actuator other than said hydraulic actuators.

12. The hybrid construction machine according to one of claim 2 or 3, wherein a body of the construction machine comprises a lower traveling body and an upper rotating body mounted rotatably on said lower traveling body, and an excavating attachment is provided in said upper rotating body.

3. A hybrid construction machine comprising:

an engine;

a generator connected to be driven by said engine;

a battery connected to store surplus electric power from said generator;

hydraulic actuators;

hydraulic pumps adapted to operate said hydraulic actuators separately;

electric motors connected to receive electric power from said generator and adapted to actuate said hydraulic pumps separately;

control valves disposed between said hydraulic pumps and said hydraulic actuators to control a supply and discharge of pressure oil to and from the hydraulic actuators; and

operating means adapted to issue operation commands to said control values by an exterior operation; and

a controller adapted to control an operation stroke of each of said control valves and the number of revolutions of each of said electric motors in accordance with operation of said operating means.

13. A hybrid construction machine wherein an upper rotating body is mounted on a lower traveling body so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis thereof and a working attachment including a boom, an arm secured to a front end of said boom, and a bucket secured to a front end of said arm, is mounted to said upper rotating body so that it can be raised and lowered, said construction machine comprising:

an engine;

a generator connected to be driven by said engine;

a battery connected to store surplus electric power from said generator;

a boom cylinder,

an arm cylinder,

a bucket cylinder, said boom cylinder, said arm cylinder and said bucket cylinder being adapted to actuate said boom, said arm and said bucket respectively in a separate manner,

a first pump serving as an oil pressure source for said boom cylinder,

a second pump serving as an oil pressure source for both said arm cylinder and said bucket cylinder,

control valves disposed between said second pump and said arm and bucket cylinders,

a first electric motor for activating said first pump, and

a second electric motor for activating said second pump, said first and second electric motors being connected to receive electric power from said generator, said boom cylinder being controlled in its operating direction and speed by rotational direction and speed of said first electric motor, said arm cylinder and said bucket cylinder being controlled in their operating speeds by a rotational speed of said second electric motor and by said control valves and being controlled their operating directions by said control valves.

14. The hybrid construction machine according to claim 13, wherein an arm pump for actuating said arm cylinder and a bucket pump for actuating said bucket cylinder are provided separately as said second pump.

15. The hybrid construction machine according to claim 14, wherein said second electric motor comprises an arm electric motor for activating said arm pump and a bucket electric motor for activating said bucket pump.

16. The hybrid construction machine according to claim 14 or claim 15, wherein said lower traveling body comprises right and left crawlers, wherein a hydraulic pressure motor is used as a drive source which are driven by separate hydraulic travel motors, one of said travel motors being connected to said arm pump and the other travel motor connected to said bucket pump respectively through control valves which control rotational directions of the motors.

17. The hybrid construction machine according to claim 13, wherein an electric motor is used as a drive source for said upper rotating body and a rotational force of said electric motor is transmitted to a rotating mechanism after being decelerated by a reduction mechanism.