Traction control device

• US 9,145,127 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2011
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Uematsu, Koji, Hatake, Kazuhiro, Kusumoto, Yuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): INGRAM, THOMAS P
• Application Number:
  US13/172,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20110257851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/70, 701/71, 701/73, 701/78, 701/79, 701/81, 701/82, 701/83
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 1/062 acting on transmission parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/14 Electronic locking-differential
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1701 Braking or traction control means specially adapted for particular types of vehicles for vehicles having more than one drive axle B60T8/1769
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/175 Brake regulation specially adapted to prevent excessive wheel spin during vehicle acceleration, e.g. for traction control safety devices for propulsion unit control responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels B60K28/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/32 responsive to a speed condition, e.g. acceleration or deceleration using electrical circuitry or regulation means B60T8/17 ; B60T8/28 takes precedence; electric devices on electrically propelled vehicles indicating the wheel slip B60L3/10; measuring linear or angular speed per se G01P3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/322 Systems specially adapted for vehicles driven by more than one axle, e.g. Four Wheel-Drive vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/14 Central differentials for dividing torque between front and rear axles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/16 Axle differentials, e.g. for dividing torque between left and right wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/147 Road trains
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/26 Wheel slip
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/14 Trucks; Load vehicles, Busses
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2025 Particular purposes of control systems not otherwise provided for E02F3/16, E02F3/26, sub-groups of E02F3/43, E02F3/651, sub-groups of E02F3/84, E02F3/907, E02F5/145 take precedence

Abstract

A traction control device of a six-wheel drive construction machine, the drive construction machine including: right and left front wheels connected to each other via an axle, right and left center wheels connected to each other via an axle, and right and left rear wheels connected to each other via an axle, the right and left front, center and rear wheels being driven as driving wheels; a braking mechanism provided to each of the wheels; and a differential adjusting mechanism for adjusting a differential between the front and rear driving wheels, the traction control device controls the braking mechanisms only for the driving wheels related to any two of axles while controlling the differential adjusting mechanism.

Claims

1. A traction control device of a six-wheel drive construction machine, the drive construction machine comprising:

right and left front wheels connected to each other via an axle, right and left center wheels connected to each other via an axle, and right and left rear wheels connected to each other via an axle, the right and left front, center and rear wheels being configured to be driven as driving wheels, at least one pair of the center and rear driving wheels being configured to restrict a differential therebetween;

a braking mechanism provided to each of the wheels; and

a differential adjusting mechanism for adjusting a differential between at least one pair of the front and center driving wheels,

wherein based upon an accelerator pedal being operated, the traction control device is configured to, while controlling the differential adjusting mechanism, control the braking mechanisms for the front and center driving wheels without controlling the braking mechanisms for the rear driving wheels.

2. The traction control device according to claim 1, wherein

the construction machine is an articulated dump truck having separate front and rear vehicle body frames.

3. The traction control device according to claim 2, comprising

a rotation speed detector that detects a rotation speed of each of the wheels;

a vehicle speed acquirer that acquires a vehicle speed of the construction machine;

a slip ratio calculating section that calculates a slip ratio of any one of the wheels based on the rotation speed of the wheel detected by the rotation speed detector and the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed acquirer; and

a braking mechanism controlling section that controls the braking mechanism so that the calculated slip ratio becomes a preset target slip ratio.

4. The traction control device according to claim 1, comprising

a rotation speed detector that detects a rotation speed of each of the wheels;

a vehicle speed acquirer that acquires a vehicle speed of the construction machine;

a slip ratio calculating section that calculates a slip ratio of any one of the wheels based on the rotation speed of the wheel detected by the rotation speed detector and the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed acquirer; and

a braking mechanism controlling section that controls the braking mechanism so that the calculated slip ratio becomes a preset target slip ratio.

5. The traction control device according to claim 1, wherein

controlling the braking mechanisms includes setting a target brake torque.

6. The traction control device according to claim 1, wherein

controlling the braking mechanisms is initiated based upon a determination by a control-start determiner.

7. The traction control device according to claim 1, wherein

an output from an engine is transmitted to each of the right and left front, center and rear wheels.

8. A traction control device of a six-wheel drive construction machine, the drive construction machine comprising:

right and left front wheels connected to each other via an axle, right and left center wheels connected to each other via an axle, and right and left rear wheels connected to each other via an axle, the right and left front, center and rear wheels being configured to be driven as driving wheels, at least one pair of the center and rear driving wheels being configured to restrict a differential therebetween;

a braking mechanism provided to each of the wheels; and

a means for adjusting a differential between at least one pair of the front and center driving wheels,

wherein based upon an accelerator pedal being operated, the traction control device is configured to, while controlling the means for adjusting the differential between the front and center wheels, control the braking mechanisms for the front and center driving wheels without controlling the braking mechanisms for the rear driving wheels.

9. The traction control device according to claim 8, wherein

the construction machine is an articulated dump truck having separate front and rear vehicle body frames.

10. The traction control device according to claim 9, comprising

a rotation speed detector that detects a rotation speed of each of the wheels;

a vehicle speed acquirer that acquires a vehicle speed of the construction machine;

a slip ratio calculating section that calculates a slip ratio of any one of the wheels based on the rotation speed of the wheel detected by the rotation speed detector and the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed acquirer; and

a braking mechanism controlling section that controls the braking mechanism so that the calculated slip ratio becomes a preset target slip ratio.

11. The traction control device according to claim 8, comprising

a rotation speed detector that detects a rotation speed of each of the wheels;

a vehicle speed acquirer that acquires a vehicle speed of the construction machine;

a slip ratio calculating section that calculates a slip ratio of any one of the wheels based on the rotation speed of the wheel detected by the rotation speed detector and the vehicle speed acquired by the vehicle speed acquirer; and

a braking mechanism controlling section that controls the braking mechanism so that the calculated slip ratio becomes a preset target slip ratio.

12. The traction control device according to claim 8, wherein

controlling the braking mechanisms includes setting a target brake torque.

13. The traction control device according to claim 8, wherein

controlling the braking mechanisms is initiated based upon a determination by a control-start determiner.

14. The traction control device according to claim 8, wherein

an output from an engine is transmitted to each of the right and left front, center and rear wheels.

15. A construction machine, the construction machine comprising:

right and left front wheels connected to each other via an axle, right and left center wheels connected to each other via an axle, and right and left rear wheels connected to each other via an axle, the right and left front, center and rear wheels being configured to be driven as driving wheels, at least one pair of the center and rear driving wheels being configured to restrict a differential therebetween;

a braking mechanism provided to each of the wheels;

a differential adjusting mechanism for adjusting a differential between at least one pair of the front and center driving wheels; and

a traction control device for controlling traction of the construction machine, wherein based upon an accelerator pedal being operated, the traction control device is configured to, while controlling the differential adjusting mechanism, control the braking mechanisms for the front and center driving wheels without controlling the braking mechanisms for the rear driving wheels.

16. The construction machine according to claim 15, wherein

an output from an engine is transmitted to each of the right and left front, center and rear wheels.