Construction machine with automatic fan rotational speed regulation

• US 9,670,930 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2012
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph Vã¶Gele AG (Deere & Company)
• Original Assignee: Joseph Vã¶Gele AG (Deere & Company)
• Inventors: Weiser, Ralf, Noll, Tobias, Riedl, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coolman, Travis
• Application Number:
  US13/647,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20130089375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 180 681, 123 4111, 123 4112
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/00 Machines, tools or auxiliary devices for preparing or distributing paving materials, for working the placed materials, or for forming, consolidating, or finishing the paving surface stabilisation E01C21/00; apparatus specially adapted for reconditioning or repairing paving E01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/48 for laying-down the materials and consolidating them, or finishing the surface , e.g. slip forms therefor, forming kerbs or gutters in a continuous operation in situ E01C19/002, E01C23/065 take precedence; devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path E01C19/004
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0066 by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/004 by varying driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

The present invention relates to a construction machine with automatic fan rotational speed regulation. The construction machine includes at least one electric motor that is connected functionally to a respective fan and a control unit formed for the purpose of registering operation-specific data. The control unit is configured for the purpose of regulating, depending on the operation-specific data, an electric output of the respective electric motor in order to adjust a desired target fan rotational speed on the fan.

Claims

1. Road paver or feeder with automatic fan rotational speed regulation comprising a drive unit, a control unit configured for the purpose of registering operation-specific data and, a cooling unit that comprises at least one fan in order to produce a cooling airflow wherein the cooling unit comprises at least one regulatable electric motor that is functionally connected to the at least one fan, the electric motor not being coupled with the drive unit,

the control unit being configured for the purpose of regulating based on specific operating data of the road paver or feeder an electric output of the respective electric motor in order to adjust a desired target fan rotational speed on the at least one fan and wherein the control unit comprises an instrument that is formed for the purpose of registering a load factor and/or a rotational speed of the drive unit by means of the operation-specific data and subjecting the load factor and/or rotational speed of the drive unit registered by means of the control unit to averaging, wherein the control unit comprises a plurality of mappings which are provided for determining the target fan rotational speed, wherein based on the rotational speed of the drive unit, the control unit is configured for the purpose of selecting a predetermined mapping among the plurality of mappings in order to determine the target fan rotational speed,

and wherein the selected mapping determines the target fan rotational speed in light of the load factor of the drive unit and in light of the ambient temperature.

2. Road paver or feeder according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises power electronics that supply the electric motor with a predetermined voltage in light of-a determined target fan rotational speed.

3. Road paver or feeder according to claim 2, wherein the instrument is formed for the purpose of registering at least ten operation-specific data in order to form an average.

4. Road paver or feeder according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured for the purpose of registering at least one of a charge air temperature, cooling air temperature and/or hydraulic oil temperature in response to receipt of the operation-specific data.

5. Road paver or feeder according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured for the purpose of registering an intake temperature and/or an ambient temperature of the road paver or feeder by means of the operation-specific data.

6. Road paver or feeder according to claim 1 wherein the control unit comprises an instrument for attenuation that is formed for the purpose of adjusting the target fan rotational speed smoothly, without steps.

7. Road paver or feeder according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the target fan rotational speed based on the predetermined mapping in light of particular operation-specific data.

8. Road paver or feeder according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the target fan rotational speed by means of the predetermined mapping in light of the charge air temperature, cooling air temperature or hydraulic oil temperature.

9. Road paver or feeder according to claim 1, that the control unit comprises a memory that is formed for the purpose of storing particular operation-specific data during the operation of the road paver or feeder.

10. Road paver or feeder according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit comprises a sensor that is formed for the purpose of registering the actual fan rotational speed and forwarding this to the control unit.

11. Method for the automatic regulation and control of a cooling system of a road paver or feeder having a drive unit which comprises

providing a control unit that is configured to registers a load factor and/or a rotational speed of the drive unit by means of operation-specific data of the road paver or feeder

subjecting the load factor and/or a rotational speed of the drive unit registered by the control unit to averaging,

determining based on the registered data a desired target fan rotational speed,

supplying from the control unit an electric motor that is provided for the cooling system and being decoupled from the drive unit, with a regulatable voltage in order to achieve the desired target fan rotational speed on a fan connected to the electric motor, selecting a predetermined mapping from a plurality of mappings of the control unit based on a rotational speed of the drive unit in order to determine the target fan rotational speed, and

determining by the selected predetermined mapping the target fan rotational speed in light of the load factor of the drive unit and in light of the ambient temperature.

12. Road paver or feeder with automatic fan rotational speed regulation comprising a drive unit, a control unit configured for the purpose of registering operation-specific data and, a cooling unit that comprises at least one fan in order to produce a cooling airflow wherein

the cooling unit comprises at least one regulatable electric motor that is functionally connected to the at least one fan, and decoupled from the drive unit,

the control unit comprising a plurality of mappings provided for determining a target fan rotational speed and selecting, based on-a rotational speed of the drive unit, one of the plurality of mappings, and the control unit using the selected mapping for determining the target fan rotational fan speed of the-cooling unit and for regulating, based on specific operating data of the-road paver or feeder, an electric output of the respective electric motor that adjusts the desired target fan rotational speed on the at least one fan, wherein the selected mapping determines the target fan rotational speed in light of the load factor of the drive unit and in light of the ambient temperature, and

wherein the control unit registers operation specific data of the-road paver or feeder and subjects the operation specific data registered by the control unit to averaging.

13. Method for the automatic regulation and control of a cooling system of a road paving machine or feeder having a drive unit, the road paving machine or feeder further comprising:

a drive unit,-the method comprising

collecting and registering in a control unit operation specific data including load factor and/or the rotational speed of the drive unit based on the performance of the road paving machine or feeder,

cooling the operational specific components of the road paving machine or feeder with a cooling fan being connected with an adjustable speed electric motor, the electric motor being decoupled from the drive unit,

regulating-an electric output of the respective electric motor in response to operation specific data collected and registered by the control unit to set the rotational speed of the fan to a speed corresponding to the operation specific data on the performance of the road paving machine or feeder,

the control unit comprising an instrument that is formed for the purpose of subjecting the load factor and/or the rotational speed of the drive unit registered by means of the control unit to averaging and a plurality of mappings provided for determining a target fan rotational speed and

configuring the control unit based on the rotational speed of the drive unit for the purpose of selecting a predetermined mapping of the plurality of mappings and using the selected mapping in order to determine the target fan rotational speed for the at least one fan,

determining by the selected predetermined mapping the target fan rotational speed in light of the load factor of the drive unit and in light of the ambient temperature, and

regulating, based on specific operating data of the road paver or feeder, an electric output of the respective electric motor that adjusts the desired target fan rotational speed on the at least one fan and wherein the control unit registers operation specific data of the road paver or feeder and subjects the operation specific data registered by the control unit to averaging.

14. Road paver or feeder with automatic fan rotational speed regulation comprising a drive unit, a control unit configured for the purpose of registering operation-specific data and, a cooling unit that comprises at least one fan that produces an airflow for cooling hydraulic oil,

the cooling unit comprises at least one regulatable electric motor that is functionally connected to the at least one fan, and decoupled from the drive unit,

the control unit comprising a plurality of mappings provided for determining a target fan rotational speed and selecting, based on-a rotational speed of the drive unit, one of the plurality of mappings, and the control unit using the selected mapping for determining the target fan rotational fan speed of the-cooling unit which is determined by the selected mapping in light of the load factor of the drive unit and in light of the ambient temperature, and for regulating, based on specific operating data of the-road paver or feeder, an electric output of the respective electric motor that adjusts the desired target fan rotational speed on the at least one fan and

wherein the control unit registers operation specific data of the-road paver or feeder and subjects the operation specific data registered by the control unit to averaging.

15. Method for the automatic regulation and control of a cooling system of a road paver or feeder having a drive unit which comprises

providing a control unit that is configured to register a load factor and/or a rotational speed of the drive unit by means of operation-specific data of the road paver or feeder

subjecting the load factor and/or a rotational speed of the drive unit registered by the control unit to averaging,

producing a cooling airflow with a fan connected to an electric motor for cooling hydraulic oil used for operation of the road paver or feeder

determining based on the registered data a desired target rotational speed for the fan, and

supplying the electric motor from the control unit with a regulatable voltage to achieve the desired target fan rotational speed on the fan, the electric motor being provided for the cooling system and decoupled from the drive unit,

selecting a predetermined mapping from a plurality of mappings of the control unit based on a rotational speed of the drive unit in order to determine the target fan rotational speed, and

determining by the selected predetermined mapping the target fan rotational speed in light of the load factor of the drive unit and in light of the ambient temperature.