Construction machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10995473-B2
Application number	US-201916641712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2019
Priority date	Feb 9, 2018
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

Provided is a construction machine that can prevent a machine body from being lowered without placing a blade in a floating state when the machine body is jacked up, even if the operator performs an erroneous operation, and that can perform favorable leveling work by placing the blade in the floating state when the machine body is not jacked up. A hydraulic excavator includes a pressure sensor that detects the pressure in a bottom-side oil chamber of a blade cylinder, and a controller that switches between validation and invalidation of a floating command and a lowering command for a blade operation device. In the case where the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is less than a predetermined value, the controller switches a solenoid selector valve to an interruption position to invalidate the floating command when a forward stroke of the operation lever is equal to or more than a reference value. In the case where the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the controller holds the solenoid selector valve in a communication position to validate the floating command when the forward stroke of the operation lever is equal to or more than the reference value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A construction machine including
a blade provided to be drivable in a vertical direction relative to a machine body,
a blade cylinder that is operated by a hydraulic fluid delivered from a hydraulic pump and that drives the blade in the vertical direction,
a blade control valve that switches to one of a neutral position for stopping the blade, a raising position for driving the blade in a raising direction, a lowering position for driving the blade in a lowering direction, and a floating position for setting the blade in a floating state, to thereby control a flow of the hydraulic fluid in relation to the blade cylinder, and
a blade operation device that has an operation lever, that outputs a raising command for switching the blade control valve to the raising position when the operation lever is operated to one side, that outputs a lowering command for switching the blade control valve to the lowering position when the operation lever is operated to the other side and a stroke of the operation lever is less than a reference value, and that outputs a floating command for switching the blade control valve to the floating position when the operation lever is operated to the other side and a stroke of the operation lever is equal to or more than the reference value,
the construction machine comprising:
a pressure sensor that detects a pressure in a bottom-side oil chamber of the blade cylinder; and
a controller that switches between validation and invalidation of the floating command and the lowering command based on a result of detection by the pressure sensor,
a predetermined value, preset as a pressure in the bottom-side oil chamber of the blade cylinder to be a reference for determining as to whether or not the blade is jacking up the machine body, being stored in the controller,

the controller
validating the floating command when the operation lever is operated to the other side and a stroke of the operation lever is equal to or more than the reference value, in a case where the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is less than the predetermined value, and
invalidating the floating command when the operation lever is operated to the other side and a stroke of the operation lever is equal to or more than the reference value, and invalidating the lowering command until the stroke of the operation lever becomes less than the reference value and the operation lever is operated to the neutral position, in a case where the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or more than the predetermined value.

2. The construction machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the blade operation device includes
a first pilot valve that generates a first pilot pressure corresponding to the raising command when the operation lever is operated to the one side, and outputs the first pilot pressure to the blade control valve through a first pilot hydraulic line to switch the blade control valve to the raising position, and
a second pilot valve that generates a second pilot pressure corresponding to either of the lowering command and the floating command according to a stroke of the operation lever when the operation lever is operated to the other side, and outputs the second pilot pressure to the blade control valve through a second pilot hydraulic line to switch the blade control valve to either of the lowering position and the floating position,
a solenoid selector valve having a communication position and an interruption position and a pilot pressure sensor for detecting the second pilot pressure are provided in the second pilot hydraulic line,
a reference pilot pressure preset as a second pilot pressure to be a reference for determining as to whether or not the operation lever is operated to the other side and a stroke of the operation lever is equal to or more than the reference value, and a neutral pilot pressure preset as a second pilot pressure to be a reference for determining as to whether or not the operation lever is operated to the neutral position, are stored in the controller, and

the controller
holds the solenoid selector valve in the communication position to validate the second pilot pressure corresponding to the floating command when the second pilot pressure detected by the pilot pressure sensor is equal to or more than the reference pilot pressure, in a case where the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is less than the predetermined value, and
switches the solenoid selector valve to the interruption position to invalidate the second pilot pressure corresponding to the floating command when the second pilot pressure detected by the pilot pressure sensor is equal to or more than the reference pilot pressure, and holds the solenoid selector valve in the interruption position to invalidate the second pilot pressure corresponding to the lowering command until the second pilot pressure detected by the pilot pressure sensor becomes less than the reference pilot pressure and becomes the neutral pilot pressure, in a case where the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or more than the predetermined value.

3. The construction machine according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller
holds the solenoid selector valve in the communication position to validate the second pilot pressure corresponding to the floating command when the second pilot pressure detected by the pilot pressure sensor is equal to or more than the reference pilot pressure, and switches the solenoid selector valve to the interruption position to invalidate the second pilot pressure corresponding to the lowering command until the second pilot pressure detected by the pilot pressure sensor becomes less than the reference pilot pressure and becomes the neutral pilot pressure, in a case where the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is less than the predetermined value.

Assignees

• Hitachi Construction Machinery Tierra Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takebayashi Yoshifumi
• Yoshida Hajime
• Nakamura Natsuki
• Oka Daisuke

Classifications

• F15B2211/6313

  the pressure being a load pressure · CPC title

• E02F9/2235

  including an electronic controller · CPC title

• F15B2211/67

  Methods for controlling pilot pressure · CPC title

• E02F9/2203 Primary

  Arrangements for controlling the attitude of actuators, e.g. speed, floating function · CPC title

• E02F9/2292

  Systems with two or more pumps · CPC title