Work machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12297624-B2
Application number	US-202218685547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2022
Priority date	Jan 25, 2022
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a work machine that makes it possible to perform, with a simple configuration, speed control of respective actuators and thrust control of a particular actuator that regenerates the flow of a return fluid, at the time of combined operation to simultaneously drive the particular actuator and another actuator. For this purpose, a controller calculates a target thrust that is a target value of a thrust of the particular actuator on the basis of an input amount of an operation device and an output value of a posture sensor, calculates a target meter-out pressure that is a target value of a meter-out pressure of the particular actuator on the basis of the target thrust and a meter-in pressure of the particular actuator, and calculates a regeneration control valve target opening area that is a target value of an opening area of a regeneration control valve on the basis of the target meter-out pressure and the meter-out pressure of the particular actuator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A work machine comprising:
a machine body;
a work implement attached to the machine body;
a hydraulic working fluid tank;
a variable displacement hydraulic pump that sucks and delivers a hydraulic working fluid from the hydraulic working fluid tank;
a regulator that controls a displacement of the hydraulic pump;
a plurality of actuators that drive the work implement;
a plurality of directional control valves that control a flow of a hydraulic fluid supplied from the hydraulic pump to the plurality of actuators;
an operation device that gives an instruction for an action of the plurality of actuators;
a regeneration flow path that connects a meter-out flow path connecting a particular directional control valve in the plurality of directional control valves to the hydraulic working fluid tank, and a meter-in flow path connecting the particular directional control valve to the hydraulic pump;
a regeneration valve that is provided on the regeneration flow path and causes a return fluid of a particular actuator that is one of the plurality of actuators and corresponds to the particular directional control valve to merge with the meter-in flow path from the meter-out flow path;
a regeneration control valve that is provided downstream of a point of branch from the regeneration flow path on the meter-out flow path and controls a passing flow rate of the regeneration valve by adjusting a flow rate of the hydraulic fluid returned from the particular actuator to the hydraulic working fluid tank; and
a controller that controls the regulator, the plurality of directional control valves, and the regeneration control valve according to an input amount of the operation device, wherein
the work machine includes
a first pressure sensor that senses a pump pressure that is a delivery pressure of the hydraulic pump,
second pressure sensors that sense meter-in pressures and meter-out pressures of the plurality of actuators, and
a posture sensor that senses postures and action states of the machine body and the work implement,

the plurality of directional control valves are formed by using identical valve bodies and identical housings such that meter-in opening areas become smaller than meter-out opening areas in response to a valve displacement, and
the controller is configured to
calculate an actuator target flow rate that is a target value of a flow rate of the hydraulic fluid supplied from the hydraulic pump to the plurality of actuators on a basis of the input amount of the operation device,
calculate an estimated regeneration flow rate that is an estimated value of the passing flow rate of the regeneration valve on a basis of an opening area of the regeneration valve and a meter-in pressure and a meter-out pressure of the particular actuator,
calculate a pump target flow rate that is a target value of a delivery flow rate of the hydraulic pump on a basis of the actuator target flow rate and the estimated regeneration flow rate,
calculate a target meter-in opening area that is a target value of meter-in opening areas of the plurality of directional control valves on a basis of the actuator target flow rate, the pump pressure, and the meter-in pressure,
calculate a target thrust that is a target value of a thrust of the particular actuator on a basis of the input amount of the operation device and an output value of the posture sensor,
calculate a target meter-out pressure that is a target value of the meter-out pressure of the particular actuator on a basis of the target thrust and the meter-in pressure of the particular actuator,
calculate a regeneration control valve target opening area that is a target value of an opening area of the regeneration control valve on a basis of the target meter-out pressure and the meter-out pressure of the particular actuator,
control the regulator according to the pump target flow rate,
control the plurality of directional control valves according to the target meter-in opening area, and
control the regeneration control valve according to the regeneration control valve target opening area.

2. The work machine according to claim 1 , comprising:
a bleed-off valve that discharges the hydraulic working fluid delivered from the hydraulic pump, to the hydraulic working fluid tank, wherein
the controller is configured to
calculate a bleed-off valve target opening area that is a target value of an opening area of the bleed-off valve on a basis of the input amount of the operation device,
calculate an estimated bleed-off flow rate that is an estimated value of a passing flow rate of the bleed-off valve on a basis of the bleed-off valve target opening area and the pump pressure, and
calculate the pump target flow rate on a basis of the actuator target flow rate, the estimated regeneration flow rate, and the estimated bleed-off flow rate.

Assignees

• Hitachi Construction Mach Co

Inventors

• Kumagai Kento
• Imura Shinya
• Tsuruga Yasutaka
• Chiba Takaaki
• Yamamoto Shinjirou
• Amano Hiroaki
• Nishikawa Shinji
• Narazaki Akihiro

Classifications

• E02F9/2235

  including an electronic controller · CPC title

• E02F9/2221

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

• E02F9/2292

  Systems with two or more pumps · CPC title

• E02F9/2228

  including an electronic controller · CPC title

• E02F9/2296

  Systems with a variable displacement pump · CPC title