Work vehicle and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10526765-B2
Application number	US-201615562925-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Nov 9, 2016
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A work vehicle includes a bucket which can perform a tilting operation with a hydraulic oil, a valve adjusting a flow rate of the hydraulic oil having the bucket perform the tilting operation, an electromagnetic proportional control valve generating a pilot pressure guided to the valve, a controller outputting a current to the electromagnetic proportional control valve, and a first sensor for detecting the tilting operation. The controller detects a horizontal state of the bucket based on an output from the first sensor. The controller adjusts a value for the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve after the horizontal state of the bucket is detected, and starts calibration of data for predicting an operation speed of the bucket in the tilting operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A work vehicle comprising:
a bucket;
a valve adjusting a flow rate of a hydraulic oil having the bucket perform a tilting operation;
an electromagnetic proportional control valve generating a pilot pressure guided to the valve;
a controller outputting a current to the electromagnetic proportional control valve; and
a first sensor for detecting the tilting operation,
the controller including
a storage unit storing data for predicting an operation speed of the bucket in the tilting operation,
a detection unit detecting a horizontal state of the bucket based on an output from the first sensor, and
a calibration unit adjusting a current value of the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve after detection of the horizontal state of the bucket and starting calibration of the data.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the bucket performs the tilting operation by pivoting around a pivot axis orthogonal to a bucket pin, and
the calibration unit adjusts the current value of the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve after detection of the horizontal state of a cutting edge of the bucket and the pivot axis and starts calibration of the data.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a second sensor measuring the pilot pressure generated by the electromagnetic proportional control valve, wherein
the controller further includes a current value control unit increasing the current value of the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve after detection of the horizontal state of the bucket, and
the calibration unit specifies the pilot pressure when the bucket starts moving based on outputs from the first sensor and the second sensor with increase in current value by the current value control unit and calibrates the data with the specified pilot pressure.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the data includes first data defining relation between the current value of the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve and the pilot pressure generated by the electromagnetic proportional control valve,
the controller further includes a current value control unit increasing the current value of the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve after detection of the horizontal state of the bucket, and
the calibration unit specifies the current value when the bucket starts the tilting operation based on a result of detection by the first sensor with increase in current value by the current value control unit, specifies the pilot pressure corresponding to the specified current value based on the first data, and calibrates the data with the specified pilot pressure.

5. The work vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
the bucket can perform the tilting operation in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, and
the calibration unit specifies the current value when the bucket starts the tilting operation in the first direction and the current value when the bucket starts the tilting operation in the second direction.

6. The work vehicle according to claim 3 , further comprising a cylinder for having the bucket perform the tilting operation, wherein
the cylinder includes a first cylinder having the bucket perform the tilting operation in a first direction by extending and a second cylinder having the bucket perform the tilting operation in a second direction opposite to the first direction by extending,
the valve includes a first valve adjusting a flow rate of the hydraulic oil supplied to the first cylinder and a second valve adjusting a flow rate of the hydraulic oil supplied to the second cylinder,
the electromagnetic proportional control valve includes a first electromagnetic proportional control valve generating a pilot pressure guided to the first valve and a second electromagnetic proportional control valve generating a pilot pressure guided to the second valve, and
the current value control unit increases a current value of the current output to the second electromagnetic proportional control valve after the current value control unit increases a current value of the current output to the first electromagnetic proportional control valve.

7. The work vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising an operation apparatus for operating the bucket, wherein
the data includes second data defining relation between the pilot pressure and an operation speed of the first cylinder and third data defining relation between the pilot pressure and an operation speed of the second cylinder, and
the calibration unit calibrates the second data and the third data on condition that the operation apparatus accepts an operation for having the bucket perform the tilting operation.

8. The work vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the current value control unit
predicts the operation speed of the bucket in the tilting operation by using the second data and the third data on condition that an operation mode of the work vehicle is set to a first operation mode and restricts the current value of the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve based on a result of prediction, and
increases the current value of the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve after detection of the horizontal state of the bucket on condition that the operation mode of the work vehicle is set to a second operation mode.

9. The work vehicle according to claim 4 , further comprising a cylinder for having the bucket perform the tilting operation, wherein
the cylinder includes a first cylinder having the bucket perform the tilting operation in a first direction by extending and a second cylinder having the bucket perform the tilting operation in a second direction opposite to the first direction by extending,
the valve includes a first valve adjusting a flow rate of the hydraulic oil supplied to the first cylinder and a second valve adjusting a flow rate of the hydraulic oil supplied to the second cylinder,
the electromagnetic proportional control valve includes a first electromagnetic proportional control valve generating a pilot pressure guided to the first valve and a second electromagnetic proportional control valve generating a pilot pressure guided to the second valve, and
the current value control unit increases a current value of the current output to the second electromagnetic proportional control valve after the current value control unit increases a current value of the current output to the first electromagnetic proportional control valve.

10. The work vehicle according to claim 9 , further comprising an operation apparatus for operating the bucket, wherein
the data includes second data defining relation between the pilot pressure and an operation speed of the first cylinder and third data defining relation between the pilot pressure and an operation speed of the second cylinder, and
the calibration unit calibrates the second data and the third data on condition that the operation apparatus accepts an operation for having the bucket perform the tilting operation.

11. The work vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein
the current value control unit
predicts the operation speed of the bucket in the tilting operation by using the second data and the third data on condition that an operation mode of the work vehicle is set to a first operation mode and restricts the current value of the current output to the electromagnetic proportional control valve based on a result of prediction, and
increases the current value of the current output to the electromagnet

Assignees

• Komatsu Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fujii Yuto
• Nishiguchi Haruki

Classifications

• E02F9/2267

  Valves or distributors (position of valves arrangements on upper-structures E02F9/0875) · CPC title

• E02F3/43 Primary

  Control of dipper or bucket position; Control of sequence of drive operations · CPC title

• E02F9/2025 Primary

  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) · CPC title

• E02F3/435

  for dipper-arms, backhoes or the like · CPC title

• E02F9/2285

  Pilot-operated systems · CPC title