Construction machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9255386-B2
Application number	US-201214000633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2012
Priority date	Mar 15, 2011
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A construction machine includes a condenser 24 for cooling refrigerant for an air conditioner; a fan 21 for cooling the condenser 24 by using forward cooling air produced during normal-rotation drive; other cooled objects such as a radiator 25 and the like disposed under the lee of the forward cooling air with respect to the condenser 24 ; a refrigerant pressure detector 27 for detecting the pressure of the refrigerant flowing in the condenser 24 ; and a controller 136 for executing reverse-rotation stop processing for returning the fan 21 to the normal-rotation drive when the pressure P of the air conditioner refrigerant detected by the refrigerant pressure detector 27 reaches a preset normal-rotation return pressure P 1 during reverse-rotation drive of the fan 21 . Thus, the lowering of the cooling effect of an air conditioner can be suppressed while reducing the burden of cleaning an engine room.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A construction machine comprising:
a vehicle body;
a work implement mounted on a front of the vehicle body;
an operating room mounted on the vehicle body;
an engine room disposed on a side of the operating room, where the engine room houses:
a condenser to cool a refrigerant for an air conditioner,
a fan to cool the condenser with forward cooling air produced during normal-rotation driving,
another cooled object disposed under the lee of the forward cooling air with respect to the condenser,
a refrigerant pressure detector to detect a pressure of a refrigerant flowing in the condenser; and

a controller configured to execute reverse-rotation stop processing for returning the fan to normal-rotation driving when the pressure of the refrigerant detected by the refrigerant pressure detector reaches a preset normal-rotation return pressure during reverse-rotation driving of the fan.

2. The construction machine according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller executes, before the execution of the reverse-rotation stop processing, forced reverse-rotation processing for continuing the reverse-rotation driving of the fan regardless of the detected pressure of the refrigerant until a predetermined forced reverse-rotation period elapses after the reverse-rotation driving of the fan has been started.

3. The construction machine according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller is further configured to execute automatic reverse-rotation processing in which the fan is driven for reverse rotation for a preset reverse-rotation period at regular time intervals, and during the execution of the automatic reverse-rotation processing, the controller sequentially executes the forced reverse-rotation processing and the reverse-rotation stop processing and returns the fan to the normal-rotation driving after the reverse-rotation drive period elapses with the fan remaining driven for reverse rotation.

4. The construction machine according to claim 2 , comprising;
a forced period setter for setting the forced reverse-rotation period or a connecting portion to which the forced period setter is connected.

5. The construction machine according to claim 2 , comprising:
changeover means for changing over validity and invalidity of the reverse-rotation stop processing.

6. The construction machine according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an engine housed by the engine room;
a hydraulic pump to drive the engine;
a hydraulic actuator driven by hydraulic operating fluid delivered from the hydraulic pump;
a hydraulic operating fluid temperature detector to detect a temperature of the hydraulic operating fluid;
a transmission to change vehicle speed;
a torque converter to transmit a drive force of the engine to the transmission;
a torque converter oil temperature detector to detect a temperature of torque converter oil, which is a power transmission medium of the torque converter;
a radiator as the other cooled object housed by the engine room, to cool water for the engine; and
an engine control unit configured to execute control of and monitor the engine,
wherein the controller returns the fan to the normal-rotation driving regardless of elapsed time after the start of the reverse rotation driving of the fan or the detected pressure of the refrigerant if any one of detected values of the hydraulic operating fluid temperature detector and the torque converter oil temperature detector reaches a corresponding one of respective preset values, or, if the controller receives a signal warning of overheating of the engine from the engine control unit, during the reverse-rotation drive of the fan.

7. The construction machine according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a parking brake actuator to actuate a parking brake device,
wherein the controller executes the forced reverse-rotation processing if the parking brake device is not in operation, before the execution of the reverse-rotation stop processing, until the forced reverse-rotation period elapses after the reverse-rotation driving of the fan has been started.

Assignees

• Kikuchi Keigo
• Hyodo Koji
• Aoki Isamu
• Tanaka Tetsuji
• Hitachi Construction Machinery

Inventors

• Kikuchi Keigo
• Hyodo Koji
• Aoki Isamu
• Tanaka Tetsuji

Classifications

• E02F9/226

  Safety arrangements, e.g. hydraulic driven fans, preventing cavitation, leakage, overheating · CPC title

• B60H2001/3251

  of the refrigerant at a condensing unit · CPC title

• B60H1/00828

  Ventilators, e.g. speed control (B60H1/00864 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E02F9/2095

  Control of electric, electro-mechanical or mechanical equipment not otherwise provided for, e.g. ventilators, electro-driven fans (control of hydraulic driven equipment E02F9/22) · CPC title

• F28F27/00

  Control arrangements or safety devices specially adapted for heat-exchange or heat-transfer apparatus (control arrangements in general G05) · CPC title