Engine control apparatus

• US 8,695,566 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Tadashi, Morinaga, Jun, Inoue, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castro, Arnold
• Application Number:
  US12/733,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20110167811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,042 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 123/349, 123/350, 123/351, 123/364, 123/365, 123/367, 123/198.C, 607/01, 607/02, 322/14, 322/15, 322/16, 322/40, 903/905, 903/906
• US Class Current: 123/350
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2075 of the hybrid type for vehicles in general B60W20/00
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2246 Control of prime movers, e.g. depending on the hydraulic load of work tools
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/21 during a transition between engine operation modes or states
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/26 by applying a torque limit
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/04 peculiar to engines driving pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0205 using an auxiliary engine speed control engine speed control per se F02D31/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/05 driven by internal-combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2205/05 Pressure after the pump outlet
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/065 and making use of computers

Abstract

An engine control apparatus includes a hydraulic pump driven by an engine, a hydraulic actuator to which pressure oil discharged form the hydraulic pump is supplied, an operation lever configured to operate the hydraulic actuators, a detection means detecting operation amounts of operation lever means, an target flow rate calculation unit (50) calculating an target flow rate of the hydraulic pump based on the operation amount of the operation lever, a first target speed calculation unit (61) calculating a first target speed of the engine according to the target flow rate, a pump output limit value calculation unit (500) limiting the maximum target speed of the engine in an relief operation according to a load pressure of the hydraulic pump, a fourth engine target speed calculation unit (63).

Claims

1. An engine control apparatus comprising:

a hydraulic pump driven by an engine;

a hydraulic actuator to which pressure oil discharged from the hydraulic pump is supplied;

an operation unit configured to operate the hydraulic actuator;

a first target speed set unit configured to set a first target speed of the engine;

a second target speed calculation unit configured to calculate a second target speed limiting a maximum target speed of the engine according to increase of a load pressure of the hydraulic pump; and

a speed control unit configured to control an engine speed such that the engine speed is equal to the lower one of the first target speed and the second target speed.

2. The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first target speed set unit calculates the first target speed of the engine according to an operation amount of the operation unit.

3. The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a horsepower limit value calculation unit configured to calculate a pump horsepower limit value such that absorbable horsepower of the hydraulic pump is decreased according to the increase of the load pressure of the hydraulic pump, wherein

the second target speed calculation unit calculates the second target speed to limit the maximum target speed of the engine according to the horsepower limit value of the hydraulic pump calculated by the horsepower limit value calculation unit.

4. The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a horsepower limit value calculation unit configured to calculate a pump horsepower limit value such that absorbable horsepower of the hydraulic pump is decreased when the load pressure of the hydraulic pump is greater than a value less than a value preset with respect to a relief pressure, wherein

the second target speed calculation unit calculates the second target speed to limit the maximum target speed of the engine according to the horsepower limit value of the hydraulic pump calculated by the horsepower limit value calculation unit.

5. The engine control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a maximum absorption torque control unit configured to control an absorbable maximum torque of the hydraulic pump according to the horsepower limit value of the hydraulic pump calculated by the horsepower limit value calculation unit.

6. The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a generator motor connected to an output shaft of the engine;

a storage battery configured to store electric power which the generator motor generates, and to supply electric power to the generator motor; and

a control unit, wherein

when the load pressure of the hydraulic pump is quickly switched from a high state to a low state, until a real speed of the engine is increased to be equal to or greater than a value preset with respect to the target speed, the control unit uses an engine torque assist action of the generator motor to control the engine speed to be equal to the target speed.

7. The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a generator motor connected to an output shaft of the engine;

a storage battery configured to store electric power the generator motor generates, and to supply electric power to the generator motor; and

a control unit, wherein,

by increase of the second target speed according to a case where the load pressure of the hydraulic pump is decreased from a high state to a low state, when a real speed of the engine is less than a preset value and the target speed, until the real speed is increased to be equal to or greater than a value less than the preset value and the target speed, the control unit uses an engine torque assist operation of the generator motor to control the engine speed to be equal to the target speed.

8. The engine control apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a maximum absorption torque control unit configured to control an absorbable maximum torque of the hydraulic pump according to the horsepower limit value of the hydraulic pump calculated by the horsepower limit value calculation unit.