Mixer drum drive with additional pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021237312-A1
Application number	US-202117158662-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 26, 2021
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Aug 5, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine, an electric energy system, a drum configured to mix drum contents received therein, and a drum drive system coupled to the drum and the engine. The drum drive system includes a primary pump, an electric motor powered by the electric energy system, an auxiliary pump fluidly coupled to the mechanical pump and powered by the electric motor, and a drum motor fluidly coupled to the primary pump and the auxiliary pump and positioned to drive the drum to agitate the drum contents.

First claim

1 . A vehicle, comprising:
an engine; an electric energy system; a drum configured to mix drum contents received therein; and a drum drive system coupled to the drum and the engine, the drum drive system including:
a primary pump mechanically coupled to the engine;
an electric motor powered by the electric energy system;
an auxiliary pump fluidly coupled to the primary pump and powered by the electric motor; and
a drum motor fluidly coupled to the primary pump and the auxiliary pump and positioned to drive the drum to agitate the drum contents.

2 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the electric energy system comprises:
a battery electrically coupled to the electric motor; and an internal combustion generator that is separate from the engine and that utilizes a fuel to generate electricity to charge the battery.

3 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the electric motor operates in parallel with the primary pump.

4 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary pump is a variable displacement pump, and wherein a displacement of the auxiliary pump is controlled based on at least one of a current or a voltage supplied to the auxiliary pump by the electric energy system.

5 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the primary pump and the auxiliary pump are variable displacement pumps, and wherein the drum motor is a variable displacement motor.

6 . The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a control system coupled to the engine and the drum drive system, the control system configured to:
receive an operating status of the vehicle; receive a target rotational speed of the drum; and activate the electric motor based on the operating status and the target rotational speed.

7 . The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the operating status is an engine operating speed, and wherein the control system is further configured to control a displacement of the auxiliary pump based on the engine operating speed to maintain an approximately constant drum rotational speed.

8 . The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the operating status is an engine operating speed, and wherein the control system is further configured to control a speed of the electric motor based on the engine operating speed to maintain an approximately constant drum rotational speed.

9 . The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the operating status is indicative of whether the engine is activated or deactivated, and wherein the control system is configured to activate the electric motor in response to the engine being deactivated and based on the target rotational speed.

10 . The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the operating status is indicative of whether a transmission of the vehicle is coupled to the engine or decoupled from the engine, and wherein the control system is configured to activate the electric motor in response to the transmission being decoupled from the engine and based on the target rotational speed.

11 . An auxiliary drum drive system, comprising:
a battery; an electric motor electrically connected to the battery; an auxiliary pump mechanically coupled to the electric motor, the auxiliary pump fluidly couplable to a hydraulic circuit of a concrete mixing vehicle, the hydraulic circuit comprising a drum motor and a primary pump fluidly coupled thereto; and a controller communicably coupled to the electric motor, the controller configured to:
receive an operating status of the concrete mixing vehicle;
receive a target rotational speed of a drum of the concrete mixing vehicle; and
activate the electric motor based on the operating status and the target rotational speed.

12 . The auxiliary drum drive system of claim 11 , further comprising an internal combustion generator that utilizes a fuel to generate electricity to charge the battery.

13 . The auxiliary drum drive system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to operate the electric motor in parallel with the primary pump.

14 . The auxiliary drum drive system of claim 11 , wherein the auxiliary pump is a variable displacement pump, and wherein the controller is further configured to control a displacement of the auxiliary pump by controlling at least one of a current or a voltage supplied to the auxiliary pump by the battery.

15 . The auxiliary drum drive system of claim 14 , wherein the operating status is an operating speed of an engine of the concrete mixing vehicle, and wherein the controller is further configured to control the displacement of the auxiliary pump based on the operating speed to maintain an approximately constant drum rotational speed.

16 . The auxiliary drum drive system of claim 11 , wherein the operating status is an operating speed of an engine of the concrete mixing vehicle, and wherein the controller is further configured to control a speed of the electric motor based on the operating speed to maintain an approximately constant drum rotational speed.

17 . The auxiliary drum drive system of claim 11 , wherein the operating status is indicative of whether an engine of the concrete mixing vehicle is activated or deactivated, and wherein the controller is configured to activate the electric motor in response to the engine being deactivated and based on the target rotational speed.

18 . The auxiliary drum drive system of claim 11 , wherein the operating status is indicative of whether a transmission of the concrete mixing vehicle is coupled to an engine of the concrete mixing vehicle or decoupled from the engine, and wherein the controller is configured to activate the electric motor in response to the transmission being decoupled from the engine and based on the target rotational speed.

19 . A method, comprising:
receiving, from a sensor onboard a vehicle, a first operating status of the vehicle; receiving a target rotational speed of a drum of the vehicle, the drum configured to mix drum contents received therein; generating a first control signal to activate a primary pump of the vehicle to (i) engage the primary pump with an engine of the vehicle, and (ii) activate a drum motor that is fluidly coupled to the primary pump; receiving, from the sensor, a second operating status of the vehicle that is different from the first operating status; and in response to the receiving the second operating status, generating a second control signal to activate an electric motor onboard the vehicle to (i) activate an auxiliary pump that is mechanically coupled to the electric motor, and (ii) activate the drum motor that is fluidly coupled to the auxiliary pump.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the first operating status is an indication that the engine is activated, and wherein the second operating status is an indication that the engine is deactivated.

Assignees

• Oshkosh Corp

Inventors

• Datema Bryan
• Ilgert David
• Varao Robert
• Hou Yanming

Classifications

• Y02T90/12

  Electric charging stations · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• B60P3/16

  for carrying mixed concrete, e.g. having rotatable drums {(concrete-mixing apparatus specially adapted for being mounted on vehicles with provision for mixing during transport B28C5/42)} · CPC title

• B60L1/003

  to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors · CPC title