Hydraulic circuit for a swing system in a machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11198987-B2
Application number	US-202016858367-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2020
Priority date	Apr 24, 2020
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

A hydraulic circuit is disclosed. The hydraulic circuit may include a hydrostatic pump to provide, at a flow rate, a fluid to a hydraulic motor, wherein the hydrostatic pump has a displacement, and wherein the hydraulic motor drives a swinging element; a swing circuit pressure sensor to sense a circuit pressure of the hydraulic circuit; a pilot pressure actuator to control, based on a supply pressure, the displacement of the hydrostatic pump; a pilot pressure override valve to control the supply pressure; and a controller configured to adjust, based on sensed signals and with the pilot pressure override valve, the supply pressure, wherein the sensed signals include: a circuit pressure signal based on the circuit pressure sensed by the swing circuit pressure sensor; and a sensed swing speed signal based on a swing speed of the swinging element sensed by one or more machine sensors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An excavator, comprising:
a swinging element;
one or more input components configured to generate command signals to control the swinging element;
a swing speed sensor configured to generate a sensed swing speed signal;
a hydraulic motor configured to drive the swinging element, wherein the hydraulic motor is a first hydraulic motor configured to engage a drive mechanism on the swinging element;
a second hydraulic motor configured to engage the drive mechanism on the swinging element;
a hydrostatic pump to provide, at a flow rate, a fluid to the hydraulic motor,
wherein the hydrostatic pump has a displacement;

a swing circuit pressure sensor to sense a circuit pressure of a hydraulic circuit including the hydraulic motor and the hydrostatic pump;
a pilot pressure actuator to control, based on a supply pressure, the displacement of the hydrostatic pump;
a pilot pressure override valve to control the supply pressure; and
a controller configured to adjust, with the pilot pressure override valve and based on the sensed swing speed signal and the circuit pressure, the supply pressure.

2. The excavator of claim 1 , wherein the swing speed sensor comprises one or more devices configured to configured to sense a swing speed of the swinging element and to generate, based on the swing speed of the swinging element, the sensed swing speed signal.

3. The excavator of claim 1 , wherein the swing circuit pressure sensor is a first swing circuit pressure sensor,
wherein the hydraulic circuit further includes the second hydraulic motor,
wherein the circuit pressure is a first circuit pressure of fluid flowing through the hydraulic circuit in a first direction,
wherein the excavator comprises a second swing circuit pressure sensor to sense a second circuit pressure of fluid flowing through the hydraulic circuit in a second direction opposite the first direction, and
wherein the controller is configured to adjust, with the pilot pressure override valve, the supply pressure based on at least one of the sensed swing speed signal, the first circuit pressure, or the second circuit pressure.

4. The excavator of claim 1 , further comprising:
an engine configured to drive the hydrostatic pump.

5. The excavator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to, based on the sensed swing speed signal, the circuit pressure, a commanded swing speed signal from the one or more input components, and a torque signal from the one or more input components:
adjust, with the pilot pressure override valve, the supply pressure to cause the pilot pressure actuator to adjust the displacement of the hydrostatic pump.

6. The excavator of claim 1 , wherein the one or more input components comprise:
a first input component configured to generate a directional swing signal based on directional operator input and a commanded swing speed signal based on swing speed operator input; and
a second input component configured to generate a torque signal.

7. An excavator, comprising:
a swinging element;
a swing speed sensor configured to generate, based on a swing speed of the swinging element, a sensed swing speed signal;
a hydraulic motor configured to drive the swinging element;
a hydrostatic pump to provide, at a flow rate, a fluid to the hydraulic motor,
wherein the hydrostatic pump has a displacement;

a swing circuit pressure sensor to sense a circuit pressure of a hydraulic circuit including the hydraulic motor and the hydrostatic pump;
a pilot pressure actuator to control, based on a supply pressure, the displacement of the hydrostatic pump;
a pilot pressure override valve to control the supply pressure;
an engine configured to drive the hydrostatic pump; and
a controller configured to:
adjust, with the pilot pressure override valve and based on the sensed swing speed signal and the circuit pressure, the supply pressure;
control the engine to adjust the flow rate at which the hydrostatic pump provides the fluid; and
control, based on a command signal to decrease swing speed, the hydrostatic pump and the hydraulic motor to provide a braking torque,
wherein the hydrostatic pump recovers energy during the braking torque,
wherein, when the swing speed decreases, the hydraulic motor provides the fluid to the hydrostatic pump, and
wherein, when the hydraulic motor provides the fluid to the hydrostatic pump, the fluid drives the hydrostatic pump to provide the recovered energy to at least one of the engine or an energy storage system.

8. The excavator of claim 7 , further comprising:
one or more input components configured to generate command signals to control the swinging element.

9. The excavator of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to, based on the sensed swing speed signal, the circuit pressure, a commanded swing speed signal, and a torque signal:
adjust, with the pilot pressure override valve, the supply pressure to control, with the pilot pressure actuator, the displacement of the hydrostatic pump.

10. The excavator of claim 7 , wherein the braking torque is a maximum braking torque, and
wherein the particular braking torque causes at least one of a deceleration of the swinging element or a braking event.

11. The excavator of claim 7 , wherein the swinging element comprises at least one of a machine body, a boom, a stick, or a tool.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Metzger Rustin Glenn
• Nackers Adam Martin
• Fossum Joshua Aaron
• Ruemelin Christopher M
• Gorman Corey Lee

Classifications

• E02F9/2296

  Systems with a variable displacement pump · CPC title

• E02F9/2289

  Closed circuit · CPC title

• E02F9/2235

  including an electronic controller · CPC title

• E02F9/205

  Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles (E02F3/8866 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F15B7/006 Primary

  Rotary pump input · CPC title