A vehicle includes a chassis, an implement coupled to the chassis, a hydraulic actuator configured to move the implement relative to the chassis, a tractive element coupled to the chassis, a hydraulic motor configured to drive the tractive element to propel the vehicle, a drive pump fluidly coupled to the hydraulic motor, a charge pump coupled to the chassis and configured to provide a flow of pressurized fluid, and a valve assembly fluidly coupled to the charge pump. The valve assembly is configured to (a) direct a first portion of the flow of pressurized fluid to the drive pump and (b) selectively direct a second portion of the flow of pressurized fluid to the hydraulic actuator.

A dual pressure margin priority circuit and method for controlling flow from a pump to steering valve and low priority inlets. A steering pressure valve controls flow from pump to steering valve inlets, and provides a steering valve load sense pressure. A priority valve controls flow from pump to low priority inlets. A load sense cutoff valve has a first inlet receiving the steering valve load sense pressure. The load sense cutoff valve controls flow through the priority valve based on steering valve load sense pressure at the first cutoff valve inlet. The cutoff valve can include a second inlet coupled to tank, and a load sense input coupled to the steering valve load sense pressure. The cutoff valve can be a pressure limiter valve. The priority and steering pressure valves can be 2-way proportional flow spool valves with bias springs, and contributing and opposing load sense inputs.

A hydraulic excavator 1 includes an engine 16, a main hydraulic pump 17 driven by the engine 16, a plurality of hydraulic actuators driven with pressure oil discharged from the main hydraulic pump 17, a plurality of flow rate control valves adapted to control the flow rate of pressure oil to be supplied from the main hydraulic pump 17 to the respective hydraulic actuators, a pilot hydraulic pump 18 adapted to supply pressure oil for driving the flow rate control valves, and a controller 15 configured to control the discharge flow rate of the pilot hydraulic pump 18. The controller 15 controls the discharge flow rate of the pilot hydraulic pump 18 such that it becomes equal to the sum of requested pilot flow rates determined in accordance with control commands for the respective flow rate control valves and a preset standby flow rate.

A shovel includes a lower traveling structure, an upper swing structure swingably mounted on the lower traveling structure, a first hydraulic pump provided on the upper swing structure, an attachment attached to the upper swing structure, a first actuator, a second actuator, a first directional control valve corresponding to the first actuator, a second directional control valve corresponding to the second actuator, a first conduit connecting the first hydraulic pump and the first directional control valve, a second conduit connecting the first conduit and the second directional control valve, a control valve installed in the second conduit, and processing circuitry configured to control the opening area of the control valve according to information on work details.

A vehicle includes a chassis, an implement coupled to the chassis, a hydraulic actuator configured to move the implement relative to the chassis, a tractive element coupled to the chassis, a hydraulic motor configured to drive the tractive element to propel the vehicle, a drive pump fluidly coupled to the hydraulic motor, a charge pump coupled to the chassis and configured to provide a flow of pressurized fluid, and a valve assembly fluidly coupled to the charge pump. The valve assembly is configured to (a) direct a first portion of the flow of pressurized fluid to the drive pump and (b) selectively direct a second portion of the flow of pressurized fluid to the hydraulic actuator.

A hydraulic drive system includes a hydraulic pump, a boom-dedicated control valve, a turning-dedicated control valve, a boom-dedicated operation unit, a turning-dedicated operation unit, and a driving control unit. If an operating amount of the turning-dedicated operating portion where a concurrent operation is performed and a single operation is performed are the same, the driving control unit adjusts a turning driving command, that an opening area between the hydraulic pump and a turning motor where the concurrent operation is performed is less than the opening area between the hydraulic pump and the turning motor where the single operation is performed, the concurrent operation wherein the turning operation command is outputted from the turning-dedicated operation unit and a boom operation command is outputted from the boom-dedicated operation unit, the single operation wherein the turning operation command is outputted, but the boom operation command is not outputted from the boom-dedicated operation unit.

An excavator includes a plurality of hydraulic actuators, and a setting unit that performs a setting related to operation speeds of the plurality of hydraulic actuators during a combined operation of the hydraulic actuators, so that when the operation speed of one of the actuators increases, the operation speed of another one of the actuators decreases. The setting unit is capable of performing the setting for a plurality of kinds of combined operations.

A work vehicle includes: a hydraulic pump driven by an engine; a hydraulic actuator that is driven by hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump; a switching valve configured to switch from one to the other of a first state in which the hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump is supplied to a first channel and a second state in which the hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump is supplied to a second channel; a restriction operation device configured to generate an operation signal that restricts the drive of the hydraulic actuator; and a controller that controls the switching valve. The controller includes: an operation signal acquisition unit configured to acquire the operation signal; and an instruction output unit configured to output, to the switching valve, a control instruction that restricts the drive of the hydraulic actuator with the engine driving, in response to the operation signal.

A flow control valve includes a valve body having an inner circumferential surface defining a longitudinal bore to which first and second fluid passages are connected. A spool is slidably inserted into the bore to allow a flow of fluid from the first to second fluid passage. A valve regulates a flow rate of fluid flowing through the first fluid passage. A first seat surface is defined between an area in which the first fluid passage is connected to the bore and an area in which the second fluid passage is connected to the bore. When the flow of fluid from the first to second fluid passage is initiated, an area of a gap between the first seat surface and the spool on a plane taken in a transverse direction is 5%˜50%, preferably 10%˜20% of an area of an opening defined by the first seat surface.

A hydraulic arrangement is disclosed for distributing a fluid in pressure coming from a source of fluid in pressure among hydraulic units of a work vehicle. The hydraulic arrangement includes a priority valve configured to divide the flow of the fluid source between a subset of the hydraulic units on the base of an equivalent load sensing signal derived from the hydraulic units. The hydraulic arrangement further includes by-pass means fluidly interposed between the source and the subset of the hydraulic units and configured to allow direct passage of fluid by-passing priority valve from the source to the subset of the hydraulic units according to a predefined condition.