Transporter vehicle

• US 8,840,189 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Minoshima, Toshikazu, Fushiki, Michio, Tamura, Katsumi, Kurosawa, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Gutman, H
• Application Number:
  US13/390,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20120274121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 298/22.R, 298/19.R
• US Class Current: 298/22.R
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/162 the hydraulic system itself

Abstract

In case a burden is discharged from a vessel (3), the vessel (3) is raised obliquely backward with respect to a vehicle body (2) by a hoist cylinder (10). However, when discharging work is stopped on the way, the vessel (3) is temporarily lowered to a position at which this sits on the vehicle body (2). When the vessel (3) lowers, a weight of the burden left loaded thereon acts on the hoist cylinder (10) as a load in addition to the weight of the vessel (3). A controller (35) determines whether the vessel (3) lowers in a burden loading state based on various detection signals. When the vessel (3) lowers in the burden loading state, switching of directional control valves (20) and (21) is controlled so as to decrease a contracting speed of the hoist cylinder (10), thereby prevent the vessel (3) from colliding against the vehicle body (2).

Claims

1. A transporter vehicle comprising:

an automotive vehicle body which travels on wheels;

a loading platform tiltably disposed on said vehicle body on which a burden is loaded;

a hoist cylinder extendably disposed between said loading platform and said vehicle body so as to obliquely tilt said loading platform to discharge said burden from said loading platform;

a hydraulic source for generating pressurized oil to be supplied to said hoist cylinder;

a control valve unit disposed between said hydraulic source and said hoist cylinder to control supplying and discharging of said pressurized oil to and from said hoist cylinder; and

an operation device for switching positions of operation of said control valve unit, where said control valve unit has a plurality of positions including a neutral position to stop said hoist cylinder, a raising position to extend said hoist cylinder by the supply and discharge of said pressurized oil and raise said loading platform, a floating position to allow falling of said loading platform by contracting said hoist cylinder by a self-weight of said loading platform, and a lowering position to lower said loading platform by contracting said hoist cylinder by the supply and discharge of said pressurized oil;

a tilting state detector for detecting a tilting state of said loading platform with respect to said vehicle body;

a burden loading detector for detecting a burden loading state where said burden is loaded on said loading platform; and

a controller configured to control switching of said control valve unit based on signals from said operation device, said tilting state detector, and said burden loading detector,

wherein said control valve unit includes a variable throttling portion for throttling the flow amount of the pressurized oil in accordance with a control signal from said controller when being switched to said floating position or said lowering position,

wherein said controller is further configured to;

determine whether said loading platform is in the tilting state with respect to said vehicle body based on said signal from said tilting state detector;

determine whether said loading platform is in the burden loading state where said burden is loaded on said loading platform based on said signal from said burden loading detector;

determine whether said hoist cylinder is operated such that said loading platform is being lowered in the burden loading state based on said signals from said operation device, said tilting state detector, and said burden loading detector when said loading platform is in the tilting state and in the burden loading state; and

throttle a flow amount of said pressurized oil returned from said hoist cylinder to said hydraulic source through said variable throttling portion of said control valve unit by controlling the switching of said control valve unit so as to decrease a contracting speed of said hoist cylinder when said controller has determined said hoist cylinder is operated such that said loading platform is being lowered in the burden loading state.

2. The transporter vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured to determine that said loading platform is in the burden loading state by said signal from said burden loading detector when a weight of said loading platform is larger than a predetermined weight value compared with the weight in an unladen state in which said burden is not loaded on said loading platform.

3. The transporter vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said control valve unit includes:

a first directional control valve switched to any one position of said neutral position, said raising position, and said floating position in accordance with said control signal from said controller; and

a second directional control valve switched to any one position of said neutral position, said raising position, and a lowering position in accordance with said control signal from said controller,

wherein said first directional control valve includes a first variable throttling portion for throttling the flow amount of the pressurized oil in accordance with said control signal from said controller when being switched to said floating position,

wherein said second directional control valve includes a second variable throttling portion for throttling the flow amount of the pressurized oil in accordance with said control signal from said controller when being switched to said lowering position, and wherein said controller is further configured to throttle the flow amount of the pressurized oil returned from said hoist cylinder to said hydraulic source with said first variable throttling portion or said second variable throttling portion.

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

a suspension for suspending said vehicle body relative to said wheels, and wherein said burden loading detector is a pressure sensor detecting an inner pressure of said suspension.

5. The transporter vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said tilting state detector is a sit-down sensor detecting whether said loading platform sits on said vehicle body.

6. The transporter vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said tilting state detector is an angle sensor for detecting a tilting angle of said loading platform with respect to said vehicle body.

7. A transporter vehicle comprising:

an automotive vehicle body which travels on wheels;

a loading platform tiltably disposed on said vehicle body on which a burden is loaded;

one or more hoist cylinders extendably disposed between said loading platform and said vehicle body so as to obliquely tilt said loading platform to discharge said burden from said loading platform;

a hydraulic source that supplies pressurized oil to said one or more hoist cylinders;

a control valve unit disposed between said hydraulic source and said one or more hoist cylinders which operates to control supplying and discharging of said pressurized oil to and from said one or more hoist cylinders;

a control lever assembly to switch positions of operation of said control valve unit;

an angle sensor to detect a tilting state of said loading platform with respect to said vehicle body;

a weight sensor to detect whether said burden is loaded on said loading platform; and

a controller configured to control switching of said control valve unit based on signals from said control lever assembly, said angle sensor, and said weight sensor,

wherein said control valve unit has a plurality of positions including a neutral position to stop the supply and discharge of said pressurized oil and stop said one or more hoist cylinders, a raising position to extend said one or more hoist cylinders by the supply and discharge of said pressurized oil and raise said loading platform, a floating position to allow falling of said loading platform by contracting said one or more hoist cylinders by a self-weight of said loading platform, and a lowering position to lower said loading platform by contracting said one or more hoist cylinders by the supply and discharge of said pressurized oil,

wherein said control valve unit includes a variable throttling portion for throttling the flow amount of the pressurized oil in accordance with a control signal from said controller when being switched to said floating position or said lowering position,

wherein said controller is further configured to;

determine whether said loading platform is in the tilting state with respect to said vehicle body based on said signal from said angle sensor;

determine whether said loading platform is in a burden loading state on which said burden is loaded based on said signal from said weight sensor; and

determine whether said one or more hoist cylinders are operated such that said loading platform is being lowered in the burden loading state based on said signals from said control lever assembly, said angle sensor, and said weight sensor, when said loading platform is in the tilting state and in the burden loading state, and

wherein said control valve unit switches to throttle a flow amount of pressurized oil returned from said one or more hoist cylinder to said hydraulic source through said variable throttling portion so as to decrease a contracting speed of said one or more hoist cylinder when said controller determines that said one or more hoist cylinder is operated such that said loading platform is being lowered in the burden loading state by the controller.

8. The transporter vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said controller is further configured to judge that said loading platform is in the burden loading state by said signal from said weight sensor when a weight of said loading platform is larger than a predetermined weight value compared with the weight in an unladen state in which said burden is not loaded on said loading platform.

9. The transporter vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said control valve unit includes:

a first directional control valve switched to any one position of said neutral position, said raising position, and said floating position in accordance with said control signal from said controller; and

a second directional control valve switched to any one position of said neutral position, said raising position, and said lowering position in accordance with said control signal from said controller,

wherein said first directional control valve includes a first variable throttling portion for throttling the flow amount of the pressurized oil in accordance with said control signal from said controller when being switched to said floating position,

wherein said second directional control valve includes a second variable throttling portion for throttling the flow amount of the pressurized oil in accordance with said control signal from said controller when being switched to said lowering position, and

wherein said controller is further configured to throttle the flow amount of the pressurized oil returned from said one or more hoist cylinders to said hydraulic source with said first variable throttling portion or said second variable throttling portion.

10. The transporter vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising:

a suspension for suspending said vehicle body relative to said wheels, and wherein said weight sensor is a pressure sensor detecting an inner pressure of said suspension.

11. The transporter vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said angle sensor is a sit-down sensor detecting whether said loading platform sits on said vehicle body.

12. The transporter vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said angle sensor is an angle sensor for detecting a tilting angle of said loading platform with respect to said vehicle body.