A spool valve is provided. A valve housing has a pilot fluid passage, and a first portion and a second portion lengthwisely spaced apart from each other. A spool is movably inserted in the valve housing, and includes a plug able to enter the pilot fluid passage between the first portion and the second portion to change a flow area of the pilot fluid passage following movement of the spool. A hydraulic machine provides that when pilot fluid is supplied to the pilot fluid passage through the first portion, at least a portion of the supplied pilot fluid is provided to the holding valve through the second portion. The holding valve allows a flow of working fluid from the first chamber to the spool valve, and the spool moves to a third position to forward working fluid to the second chamber.

There is provided a work machine which can improve accuracy of control of an actuator when a pressure difference between a hydraulic pump and the actuator is large and the demanded flow rate of the actuator is small. An auxiliary flow rate controller is configured such that an opening area of a main valve changes between a maximum opening area and zero according to the opening area of a pilot variable restrictor when the opening area of the pilot variable restrictor is equal to or more than a predetermined opening area and that the opening area of the main valve is zero irrespective of the opening area of the pilot variable restrictor when the opening area of the pilot variable restrictor is less than the predetermined opening area.

An actuator control arrangement includes a hydraulic actuator having a housing and a piston rod axially moveable within the housing, a stop disposed within the housing to limit the extent of movement of the piston rod into the housing, and a solenoid valve arranged between a pressure source and the actuator. The solenoid valve is switchable between a first mode and a second mode in response to an electric control signal, wherein, in the first mode, the solenoid valve creates a fluid flow path from the pressure source to the actuator so as to locate the stop in its neutral position and in the second mode, the solenoid valve creates a fluid flow path to release pressure from the actuator to permit the stop to move to its retracted position. In the event of electrical failure, the stop will set the actuator to its neutral position.

A system and method for providing redundancy in hydraulic circuits in multi-cycle hydraulic tools is described. The problems of dysfunctional hydraulic tool due to the failure of electromechanical actuators are addressed by providing redundant actuators and associated circuitry design.

The invention relates to a compressed-air supply system for operating a pneumatic installation in a pneumatic system of a vehicle, comprising: a compressed-air feed; a compressed-air connection point to the pneumatic installation; a venting connection point to the environment; a pneumatic main line between the compressed-air feed and the compressed-air connection point, which pneumatic main line has an air dryer; a venting valve, which is arranged on the pneumatic main line and is designed as a pilot valve and has a pilot connection point; a compressor having at least one compressor stage; and, in addition to the pneumatic main line, a pilot valve and a pneumatic pilot channel that connects the pilot valve to the pilot connection point of the venting valve. With respect to the compressed-air supply system, according to the invention, a pressure-holding pneumatic reservoir device is connected to the pilot connection point, which reservoir device is designed to provide a control pressure for the pilot connection point, in particular independently of a pressure in the pneumatic main line during venting of the pneumatic system, and the pressure-holding pneumatic reservoir device has at least one separate pilot pressure accumulator, which can be pneumatically connected to the pilot connection point via the control line.

A hydraulic drive device for an industrial vehicle includes a tank, a hydraulic pump, a capacity control valve, a plurality of hydraulic cylinders, a plurality of direction switching valves, a first hydraulic oil passage, a second hydraulic oil passages, a pilot line, a relief valve, a relief pressure setting portion, a plurality of operation detecting portions, and a control unit. The control valve controls the hydraulic pumps so that a differential pressure between a discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump and a pilot pressure of the pilot line is to be a predetermined pressure. The control unit controls the relief pressure setting portion.

A single-rod hydrostatic actuator or pump-controlled actuator, comprises a hydrostatic pump connected in a closed circuit to a single-rod hydraulic cylinder where the cylinder velocity is directly controlled by the pump flow, without the need of intermediary valves. Due to the absence of throttling losses, the efficiency of hydrostatic actuators is considerably superior to the efficiency of conventional valve-controlled circuits. However, because of the differential areas at the cap and rod sides of the cylinder, the flows coming into and out of the cylinder do not match. Several attempts have been made to this date to produce a stable, robust and reliable circuit that can be used in everyday applications but no circuit has ever been conceived to reach the high standards of reliability and robustness required by industry. The current invention solves the problem of the differential flows with a design that is reliable, oscillation-free and robust. The present conception is based on the correction of a misstated theory concerning the modus operandi of hydrostatic actuators. The resulting design can be translated into different embodiments using electronic or hydraulic technologies and uses only logical combinations of the pressure readings at the cap and rod-sides of the circuit.

A hydraulic system for a working machine includes a hydraulic actuator having a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber, an accumulator, an outputting fluid tube to output an operation fluid, and a switching valve to be switched between a first position and a second position. The first position allows the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber to be communicated with the outputting fluid tube and thereby allowing a floating operation. The second position allows the first fluid chamber and the accumulator to be communicated with each other, allows the second fluid chamber and the outputting fluid tube to be communicated with each other, and thereby allows an anti-vibration operation.

A work machine including: a hydraulic cylinder 20 configured to drive a work implement 3; a control valve 22 configured to connect a delivery line of a hydraulic pump 21 switchingly to a bottom fluid chamber and a rod fluid chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 20 and a tank; a pilot pump 23 configured to output a pilot pressure to drive the control valve 22; an engine 24 configured to drive the hydraulic pump 21 and the pilot pump 23; and an accumulator 26 configured to accumulate a return hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic cylinder 20 is provided with: a bypass line 41 configured to connect the bottom fluid chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 20 and a delivery line 21a of the hydraulic pump 21 by bypassing the control valve 22 and be provided with the accumulator 26 thereon; a pressure-accumulation control valve 27 provided between the bottom fluid chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 20 and the accumulator 26; a release control valve 28 provided between the accumulator 26 and the delivery line 21a; and a hydraulic system controller 30 configured to open the release control valve 28 if an engine revolution speed N becomes lower than a set value Ns.

A hydraulic system for a working machine includes a hydraulic actuator having a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber, an accumulator, an outputting fluid tube to output an operation fluid, and a switching valve to be switched between a first position and a second position. The first position allows the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber to be communicated with the outputting fluid tube and thereby allowing a floating operation. The second position allows the first fluid chamber and the accumulator to be communicated with each other, allows the second fluid chamber and the outputting fluid tube to be communicated with each other, and thereby allows an anti-vibration operation.