Hydraulic excavator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9328480-B2
Application number	US-201214127652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2012
Priority date	Aug 24, 2011
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

In a hydraulic excavator, a hydraulic cylinder drives a boom via a hydraulic fluid discharged from a first hydraulic pump. A first hydraulic circuit connects the first hydraulic pump and the hydraulic cylinder and forms a closed circuit therebetween. A hydraulic motor rotates a revolving upper unit with hydraulic fluid discharged from a second hydraulic pump. A second hydraulic circuit independent from the first hydraulic circuit connects the second hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor. A motor hydraulic pressure reduction unit reduces the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic motor when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined condition is a condition in which an operation of the boom operating member to raise the boom and an operation of the rotation operating member to rotate the revolving upper unit are conducted together and an operation amount of the boom operating member is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydraulic excavator comprising:
an undercarriage;
a revolving upper unit disposed on the undercarriage, the revolving upper unit being configured to rotate with respect to the undercarriage;
a working implement including a boom pivotably attached to the revolving upper unit;
a first hydraulic pump configured to discharge hydraulic fluid;
a hydraulic cylinder configured to drive the boom with hydraulic fluid discharged from the first hydraulic pump;
a first hydraulic circuit connecting the first hydraulic pump and the hydraulic cylinder, the first hydraulic circuit forming a closed circuit between the first hydraulic pump and the hydraulic cylinder;
a second hydraulic pump configured to discharge hydraulic fluid;
a hydraulic motor configured to rotate the revolving upper unit with hydraulic fluid discharged from the second hydraulic pump;
a second hydraulic circuit provided independently of the first hydraulic circuit, the second hydraulic circuit connecting the second hydraulic pump and the hydraulic motor;
a boom operating member configured to operate the boom;
a rotation operating member configured to operate a rotation of the revolving upper unit; and
a motor hydraulic pressure reduction unit configured to reduce a driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic motor when a predetermined condition is satisfied,
the predetermined condition being a condition in which
an operation of the boom operating member to raise the boom and an operation of the rotation operating member to rotate the revolving upper unit are conducted together and
an operation amount of the boom operating member is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

2. The hydraulic excavator according to claim 1 , wherein
the motor hydraulic pressure reduction unit is configured to reduce the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic motor so that an acceleration of the rotation of the revolving upper unit is reduced when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

3. The hydraulic excavator according to claim 1 , wherein
the motor hydraulic pressure reduction unit is configured to reduce the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic motor so that a steady-state velocity of the rotation of the revolving upper unit is maintained and an acceleration of the rotation of the revolving upper unit is reduced when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

4. The hydraulic excavator according to claim 1 , wherein
the motor hydraulic pressure reduction unit includes a hydraulic pressure adjusting mechanism provided in the second hydraulic circuit and a setting pressure control unit configured to control the hydraulic pressure adjusting mechanism;
the hydraulic pressure adjusting mechanism is configured to adjust a hydraulic pressure of the second hydraulic circuit so that the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic motor does not exceed a predetermined setting pressure;
the setting pressure is variable; and
the setting pressure control unit is configured to reduce the setting pressure when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

5. The hydraulic excavator according to claim 4 , wherein
the hydraulic pressure adjusting mechanism is a relief valve that allows switching of the setting pressure between a predetermined first setting pressure and a predetermined second setting pressure lower than the first setting pressure; and
the setting pressure control unit is configured to switch the setting pressure from the first setting pressure to the second setting pressure when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

6. The hydraulic excavator according to claim 4 , wherein
the hydraulic pressure adjusting mechanism includes a first relief valve and a second relief valve;
the first relief valve is configured to adjust a hydraulic pressure of the second hydraulic circuit so that the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic motor does not exceed the predetermined first setting pressure;
the second relief valve is configured to adjust a hydraulic pressure of the second hydraulic circuit so that the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic motor does not exceed the second setting pressure lower than the first setting pressure; and
the setting pressure control unit is configured to control
the first relief valve to adjust the hydraulic pressure of the second hydraulic circuit when the predetermined condition is not satisfied, and
the second relief valve to adjust the hydraulic pressure of the second hydraulic circuit when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

7. The hydraulic excavator according to claim 5 , wherein
the second setting pressure is equal to the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinder when raising the boom.

8. The hydraulic excavator according to claim 4 , further comprising
a cylinder hydraulic pressure detecting unit configured to detect a driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinder,
the hydraulic pressure adjusting mechanism being a relief valve that allows a continuous change of the setting pressure, and
the setting pressure control unit being configured to change the setting pressure in response to the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinder detected by the cylinder hydraulic pressure detecting unit.

9. The hydraulic excavator according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a hydraulic pressure control valve provided in the second hydraulic circuit, the hydraulic pressure control valve being configured to control the driving hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic motor,
the hydraulic pressure adjusting mechanism being located further downstream than the hydraulic pressure control valve in a flow path of hydraulic fluid from the second hydraulic pump toward the hydraulic motor in the second hydraulic circuit.

Assignees

• Akiyama Teruo
• Iida Noboru
• Oshima Kenji
• Sasano Kenji
• Komatsu Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Akiyama Teruo
• Iida Noboru
• Oshima Kenji
• Sasano Kenji

Classifications

• E02F9/123 Primary

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

• E02F9/2037

  Coordinating the movements of the implement and of the frame · CPC title

• E02F9/2235

  including an electronic controller · CPC title

• F15B2211/50518

  using pressure relief valves · CPC title

• F15B2211/6653

  Pressure control · CPC title