Excavator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12018460-B2
Application number	US-202117448407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2021
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Jun 25, 2024
Grant date	Jun 25, 2024

Abstract

An excavator may include a lower traveling body; an upper turning body pivotally installed to the lower traveling body; an engine installed in the upper turning body; a main pump driven by the engine; and a processor and a memory that stores program instructions causing the processor to control a flow rate of hydraulic oil discharged by the main pump. The program instructions can cause the processor to, when a load of the engine increases, delay a response of the main pump 14 until an actual torque of the engine rises up to a level corresponding to the load of the engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An excavator, comprising:
a lower traveling body;
an upper turning body pivotally installed to the lower traveling body;
an engine installed in the upper turning body;
an oil hydraulic pump driven by the engine;
a memory; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to control a flow rate of hydraulic oil discharged by the oil hydraulic pump,
wherein
the processor is configured to
calculate a torque limit based on a required torque required to achieve a required flow rate that is the flow rate of the hydraulic oil required to be discharged by the oil hydraulic pump, and
delay a response of the oil hydraulic pump by gradually increasing the calculated torque limit until an actual torque of the engine rises to a level corresponding to a load of the engine, when the load of the engine increases.

2. The excavator as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the processor is further configured to cause an increase in the flow rate of the hydraulic oil discharged by the oil hydraulic pump to correspond to rising up of the actual torque of the engine.

3. The excavator as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the processor is further configured to reduce an increase in the flow rate of the hydraulic oil actually discharged by the oil hydraulic pump in response to an increase in the required flow rate.

4. The excavator as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the processor is further configured to calculate a flow rate command value based on the torque limit.

5. The excavator as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the processor is further configured to calculate a flow rate command value that delays the response of the oil hydraulic pump also before the load of the engine increases.

6. The excavator as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the processor is further configured to calculate the torque limit that delays the response of the oil hydraulic pump also before the load of the engine increases.

7. The excavator as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein
the processor is further configured to estimate an output state of the engine based on the required flow rate.

8. The excavator as claimed in claim 7 ,
wherein
the processor is further configured to reduce an increase in the flow rate of the oil hydraulic pump based on the estimated output state of the engine.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Construction Machinery Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sano Kiminori
• Shiratani Ryuji

Classifications

• E02F9/2296

  Systems with a variable displacement pump · CPC title

• E02F9/2029

  Controlling the position of implements in function of its load, e.g. modifying the attitude of implements in accordance to vehicle speed (control for hydraulic or pneumatic drives E02F9/2203, E02F9/2221 and E02F9/2253 take precedence) · CPC title

• F15B11/02

  Systems essentially incorporating special features for controlling the speed or actuating force of an output member · CPC title

• E02F9/123

  Drives or control devices specially adapted therefor (E02F9/125 and E02F9/128 take precedence) · CPC title

• E02F9/2221

  Control of flow rate; Load sensing arrangements (E02F9/2203 take precedence over E02F9/2221) · CPC title