Working machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11635141-B2
Application number	US-202117394612-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2021
Priority date	Aug 15, 2020
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

In a working machine, a traveling pump is driven by a prime mover to rotate a traveling motor by fluid therefrom. The traveling motor has a rotation speed shiftable between a lower first speed and a higher second speed. A traveling change-over valve is shiftable between a first state where the rotation speed of the traveling motor is set to the first speed and a second state where the rotation speed of the traveling motor is set to the second speed. A controller performs a shock-mitigation for reducing a rotation speed of the prime mover when the traveling change-over valve is shifted from the second state to the first state. The controller determines a reduction amount of rotation speed of the prime mover reduced by the shock mitigation based on a difference between a target rotation speed of the prime mover and an actual rotation speed of the prime mover.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A working machine comprising:
a prime mover;
a traveling pump driven by power of the prime mover so as to deliver operation fluid;
a traveling motor configured to be rotated by the operation fluid delivered from the traveling pump, the traveling motor having a rotation speed shiftable between a first speed and a second speed that is higher than the first speed;
a machine body provided thereon with the prime mover, the traveling pump and the traveling motor;
a traveling change-over valve shiftable between a first state where the rotation speed of the traveling motor is set to the first speed and a second state where the rotation speed of the traveling motor is set to the second speed; and
a controller configured or programmed to perform a shock-mitigation control for reducing a rotation speed of the prime mover when the traveling change-over valve is shifted from the second state to the first state, wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to determine a reduction amount of rotation speed of the prime mover reduced by the shock mitigation control based on a drop amount defined as a difference between a target rotation speed of the prime mover and an actual rotation speed of the prime mover.

2. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to calculate a mitigation value of the prime mover in the shock mitigation control by subtracting the reduction amount from the actual rotation speed of the prime mover.

3. The working machine according to claim 2 , wherein
when a period for the shock mitigation control until the actual rotation speed of the prime mover reduced by the shock mitigation control reaches the mitigation value is defined as a mitigation period, the controller is configured or programmed to reduce the actual rotation speed of the prime mover at a first reduction rate kept constant for the mitigation period from a start point thereof to an end point thereof.

4. The working machine according to claim 2 , wherein
when a period for the shock mitigation control until the actual rotation speed of the prime mover reduced by the shock mitigation control reaches the mitigation value is defined as a mitigation period, the controller is configured or programmed to reduce the actual rotation speed of the prime mover at a second reduction rate for a first part of the mitigation period from a start point thereof to an intermediate point thereof, and to reduce the actual rotation speed of the prime mover at a third reduction rate less than the second reduction rate for a second part of the mitigation period from the intermediate point thereof to an end point thereof.

5. The working machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to change a timing for shifting the traveling change-over valve from the second state to the first state in correspondence to the drop amount.

6. The working machine according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a change-over switch operable to issue a speed-shift instruction selected between an acceleration instruction to shift the rotation speed of the traveling motor from the first speed to the second speed and a deceleration instruction to shift the rotation speed of the traveling motor from the second speed to the first speed; and
an accelerator operable to set a target rotation speed of the prime mover, wherein when the change-over switch is operated to issue the speed-shift instruction, the controller is configured or programed to reduce the actual rotation speed of the prime mover to the mitigation value determined based on the reduction amount, and to shift the traveling change-over valve to either the first state or the second state in correspondence to the speed-shift instruction.

7. The working machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to determine the reduction amount based on the drop amount in such a way that the reduction amount becomes larger as the drop amount becomes smaller, and the reduction amount becomes smaller as the drop amount becomes larger.

8. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to change a timing for shifting the traveling change-over valve from the second state to the first state in correspondence to the drop amount.

9. The working machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a change-over switch operable to issue a speed-shift instruction selected between an acceleration instruction to shift the rotation speed of the traveling motor from the first speed to the second speed and a deceleration instruction to shift the rotation speed of the traveling motor from the second speed to the first speed; and
an accelerator operable to set a target rotation speed of the prime mover, wherein when the change-over switch is operated to issue the speed-shift instruction, the controller is configured or programed to reduce the actual rotation speed of the prime mover to the mitigation value determined based on the reduction amount, and to shift the traveling change-over valve to either the first state or the second state in correspondence to the speed-shift instruction.

10. The working machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to determine the reduction amount based on the drop amount in such a way that the reduction amount becomes larger as the drop amount becomes smaller, and the reduction amount becomes smaller as the drop amount becomes larger.

11. The working machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first traveling device provided on a left portion of the machine body; and
a second traveling device provided on a right portion of the machine body, wherein a first traveling motor configured to output a traveling power to the first traveling device and a second traveling motor configured to output a traveling power to the second traveling device are each provided as the traveling motor,
the traveling pump is configured to rotate the first traveling motor and the second traveling motor, and
the traveling change-over valve is configured to shift the rotation speed of the first and second traveling motors between the first speed and the second speed.

Assignees

• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• Hamamoto Ryota
• Ueda Kazuki
• Abe Daiki
• Nagao Kohei

Classifications

• F16H61/47

  for achieving a target output speed · CPC title

• F16H2061/6615

  Imitating a stepped transmissions · CPC title

• E02F9/2246

  Control of prime movers, e.g. depending on the hydraulic load of work tools · CPC title

• E02F9/2289

  Closed circuit · CPC title

• E02F9/2296

  Systems with a variable displacement pump · CPC title