The invention provides a construction machine in which the load torque at the time of engine start-up can be reduced even when the engine stops against the will of the operator. A hydraulic excavator includes a control device (35) having a pump displacement control section (37) and an unload control section (38). The pump displacement control section (37) makes the displacement of a hydraulic pump (16) variable to a minimum displacement by controlling a regulator device (20) when the speed of an engine (14) detected by a speed sensor (41) becomes equal to or less than a preset low speed N3 at the time of driving of the engine (14). The unload control section (40) controls an unloading valve (24) to the open position at the time of start-up of the engine (14).

A work machine including a specific actuator that supplies hydraulic fluid from a plurality of hydraulic pumps includes: first and second hydraulic pumps communicating with a first hydraulic actuator; a first control valve returning hydraulic fluid delivered by the first hydraulic pump to a tank; and a load detection section that detects a load on the first hydraulic actuator. A control valve drive section drives the first control valve such that a communication area between the first hydraulic pump and the tank is enlarged corresponding to an increase in the load on the first hydraulic actuator; and a flow rate control section, during supply of the hydraulic fluid from the first and second hydraulic pumps to the first hydraulic actuator, controls to reduce a delivery flow rate of the first hydraulic pump corresponding to an increase in the load on the first hydraulic actuator.

A work machine including a specific actuator that supplies hydraulic fluid from a plurality of hydraulic pumps includes: first and second hydraulic pumps communicating with a first hydraulic actuator; a first control valve returning hydraulic fluid delivered by the first hydraulic pump to a tank; and a load detection section that detects a load on the first hydraulic actuator. A control valve drive section drives the first control valve such that a communication area between the first hydraulic pump and the tank is enlarged corresponding to an increase in the load on the first hydraulic actuator; and a flow rate control section, during supply of the hydraulic fluid from the first and second hydraulic pumps to the first hydraulic actuator, controls to reduce a delivery flow rate of the first hydraulic pump corresponding to an increase in the load on the first hydraulic actuator.

A neutral valve includes a spool inserted in a housing so as to be movable in a predetermined direction, the spool configured to move to a neutral position set such that a first and second port are connected to each other through a valve passage, a first offset position located at neutral position's first side in the predetermined direction and set such that second port and valve passage are disconnected from each other, and a second offset position located at neutral position's second side in the predetermined direction and set such that first port and valve passage are disconnected from each other. The spool's outer peripheral portion includes a first pressure receiving surface receiving first port's fluid pressure to be pushed toward the first side in the predetermined direction and a second pressure receiving surface receiving second port's fluid pressure to be pushed toward second side in the predetermined direction.

A neutral valve includes a spool inserted in a housing so as to be movable in a predetermined direction, the spool configured to move to a neutral position set such that a first and second port are connected to each other through a valve passage, a first offset position located at neutral position's first side in the predetermined direction and set such that second port and valve passage are disconnected from each other, and a second offset position located at neutral position's second side in the predetermined direction and set such that first port and valve passage are disconnected from each other. The spool's outer peripheral portion includes a first pressure receiving surface receiving first port's fluid pressure to be pushed toward the first side in the predetermined direction and a second pressure receiving surface receiving second port's fluid pressure to be pushed toward second side in the predetermined direction.

A hydraulic system (600) and method for reducing boom dynamics of a boom (30), while providing counter-balance valve protection, includes a hydraulic actuator (110), first and second counter-balance valves (300, 400), first and second independent control valves (700, 800), and first and second blocking valves (350, 450). The actuator includes first and second corresponding chambers. In a first mode, the second counter-balance valve is opened by the first control valve, and the first counter-balance valve is opened by the second control valve. In a second mode, at least one of the counter-balance valves is closed. A meter-out control valve (800, 700) may be operated in a flow control mode, and/or a meter-in control valve (700, 800) may be operated in a pressure control mode. Boom dynamics reduction may occur while the boom is in motion (e.g., about a worksite). By opening the counter-balance valves, sensors at the control valves may be used to characterize external loads. The control valves may respond to the external loads and at least partially cancel unwanted boom dynamics. The system may further detecting faults in actuators with counter-balance valves and prevent any single point fault from causing a boom falling event and/or mitigate such faults.

Accurate control is to be performed while taking an advantage of the hydraulic pressure sealing-type control. A control device of a vehicle includes a hydraulic chamber (15) into which a hydraulic pressure operating a power transmission element (10) is introduced, a first pressure regulating mechanism (35, 37) and a second pressure regulating mechanism (43) that switch hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic chamber (15), and a control device (50). The control device (50) can switch a first state in which the pressure regulating mechanism (35, 37) is in a pressure rising state and the second pressure regulating mechanism (43) is in a holding state so as to increase pressure of the hydraulic chamber, and a second state in which the second pressure regulating mechanism (43) is in a non-holding state so as to decompress the hydraulic chamber.

In a hydraulic drive system of a work machine which drives a plurality of actuators using three or more pumps, for an operation not including traveling, a highly efficient combined operation in a front implement and excellent combined operability of a swing and the front implement are enabled, while for an operation including traveling, a highly efficient traveling operation and a highly efficient combined operation of traveling and the front implement are enabled, and a sufficient operation speed of the front implement is achieved. To this end, each of the flow rates of the first, second, and third pumps (101, 201, 301) can be controlled independently by performing the load sensing control, and in a combined operation for driving a boom (511) and an arm (512), ether one of them is driven by the first pump while the other one is driven by the second pump, and the swing is driven by the third pump. In the traveling operation, the maximum capacity of the first and second pumps is switched to the maximum capacity for the traveling operation and driven by an open center circuit. In a combined operation of traveling and the front implement, the front implement is driven by performing the load sensing control using the third pump.

A shovel includes a hydraulic pump, multiple hydraulic actuators, a center bypass oil passage supplied with hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump, multiple directional control valves, and a bleed-off valve. The directional control valves are arranged in tandem in the center bypass oil passage and configured to supply the hydraulic actuators with the hydraulic oil from the center bypass oil passage. At least a directional control valve other than the most downstream directional control valve in the center bypass oil passage among the directional control valves opens the center bypass oil passage. The bleed-off valve is connected to part of the center bypass oil passage upstream of at least one of the directional control valves.

The invention relates to a method for controlling the driving engine (M) and hydraulic pumps (PUMP1, PUMP2) of a hydraulic machine (10), the method comprising: driving at least one hydraulic variable displacement pump (PUMP1, PUMP2) that supplies pressurized medium to the hydraulic system of the machine by the driving engine (M), determining the working pressure pi, p2) and volume flow (Qip, Q2p) output from at least one hydraulic pump (PUMP1, PUMP2), determining the torque (T-ip, T2p) required of at least one hydraulic pump (PUMP1, PUMP2) or the total torque (Tpk0k) required by two or more hydraulic pumps (PUMP1, PUMP2) by means of the working pressure (p-i, p2) and volume flow (Qip, Q2p) of pressurized medium output from at least one hydraulic pump (PUMP1, PUMP2), as well as the rotation speed (i) of the driving engine (M); controlling the rotation speed (i) of the driving engine (M) and the displacement (V1p, V2p) of at least one hydraulic pump (PUMP1, PUMP2) automatically so that the torque (Td, Tdeff) produced by the driving engine approaches the torque (Tip, T2p) required by at least one hydraulic pump (PUMP1, PUMP2) driven by the driving engine (M), or the total torque (Tpk0k) of two or more hydraulic pumps (PUMP1, PUMP2) in such a way that the volume flow (Q1p, Q2p) produced by at least one hydraulic pump (PUMP1, PUMP2) will remain unchanged. The invention also relates to a system for controlling the driving engine (M) and hydraulic pumps (PUMP1, PUMP2) of a hydraulic machine (10), as well as a pile driving rig comprising the system according to the invention.