Hydraulic control circuit for construction machine
11008734 · 2021-05-18
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
F15B2211/20576
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/329
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/20546
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
E02F9/2217
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
F15B2211/327
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/851
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/50554
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/526
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/3111
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/7142
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/50536
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/20523
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/6309
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/625
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F15B2211/6355
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
International classification
Abstract
To provide a hydraulic control circuit for a construction machine capable of shortening a time duration from the start of an engine until the pressure of a pump oil passage reaches a required pressure. A hydraulic control circuit for a construction machine includes a hydraulic pump that is driven by an engine; a hydraulic actuator that is operated by hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump; a hydraulic pilot type control valve that controls an amount and a direction of supply of the hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuator from the hydraulic pump; a pump oil passage that connects the hydraulic pump and a pump port of the hydraulic pilot type control valve; a bypass oil passage that branches from the pump oil passage and extends to a hydraulic oil tank; a bypass valve that is disposed in the bypass oil passage and controls an amount of the hydraulic oil returning to the hydraulic oil tank through the bypass oil passage; and a pilot oil passage that branches from the pump oil passage and extends to a pilot port of the hydraulic pilot type control valve; an electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve that is disposed in the pilot oil passage and controls a pressure acting on the pilot port; a controller that controls an operation of the bypass valve and the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve; and an operation implement for outputting an operation signal to the controller in response to an operation applied from an operator. The controller sets the opening area A of the bypass valve to a second opening area A1 in a state where an operation signal is not output from the operation implement after the engine has been started and the pressure of the pump oil passage has reached a required pressure P0, and sets the opening area A of the bypass valve to a second opening area A2 which is smaller than the first opening area A1 during a time duration from the start of the engine until the pressure of the pump oil passage reaches the required pressure P0.
Claims
1. A hydraulic control circuit for a construction machine, the hydraulic control circuit comprising: a hydraulic pump that is driven by an engine; a hydraulic actuator that is operated by hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump; a hydraulic pilot type control valve that controls an amount and a direction of supply of the hydraulic oil from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic actuator; a pump oil passage that connects the hydraulic pump and a pump port of the hydraulic pilot type control valve; a bypass oil passage that branches from, the pump oil passage and extends to a hydraulic oil tank; a bypass valve that is disposed in the bypass oil passage and controls an amount of the hydraulic oil returning to the hydraulic oil tank through the bypass oil passage; a pilot oil passage that branches from the pump oil passage and extends to a pilot port of the hydraulic pilot type control valve; an electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve that is disposed in the pilot oil passage and controls a pressure acting on the pilot port; a controller that controls an operation of the bypass valve and the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve; and an operation implement for outputting au operation signal to the controller in response to an operation applied from an operator, wherein the controller sets the opening area of the bypass valve to a first opening area in a state where an operation signal is not output from the operation implement after the engine has been started and the pressure of the pump oil passage has reached a required pressure, and sets the opening area of the bypass valve to a second opening area which is smaller than the first opening area during a time duration from the start of the engine until the pressure of the pump oil passage reaches the required pressure.
2. The hydraulic control circuit for the construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the bypass valve includes a bypass valve housing, a bypass valve spool movably housed in the bypass valve housing, a bypass valve spring that urges the bypass valve spool to an initial position, and a proportional solenoid that causes the bypass valve spool to move against an urging force of the bypass valve spring, wherein, the opening area of the bypass valve is set at the second opening area when the bypass valve spool is positioned at the initial position, the opening area of the bypass valve is set at 0 when a movement stroke from the initial position of the bypass valve spool reaches a first movement stroke, and the opening area of the bypass valve is set at the first opening area when a movement stroke from the initial position of the bypass valve spool reaches a second movement stroke which is larger than the first movement stroke.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1)
(2)
(3)
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(4) Hereinbelow, embodiments of a hydraulic control circuit for a construction machine configured in accordance with the present invention will be discussed with reference to the drawings.
(5) Hydraulic control circuit 2 illustrated in
(6) As illustrated in
(7) With reference to
(8) The hydraulic control circuit 2 will be discussed with reference to
(9) As illustrated in
(10) The operation of the hydraulic control circuit 2 configured as described above will be discussed. First, the operation of the hydraulic control circuit 2 in a state after the engine 4 is started and the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 reaches a required pressure P0 will be discussed. In a state where no operation signal is output to the controller 50 from the operation implement 52, after the engine 4 has been started and the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 has reached the required pressure P0 (i.e., when the operation implement 52 is put in neutral, with no operation being applied to the operation implement 52), the controller 50 applies electric current to the proportional solenoid 36 of the bypass valve 30 so that the movement stroke S from the initial position of the bypass valve spool 32 reaches the second movement stroke S2, to set the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 at the first opening area A1. The size of the first opening area A1 is a size that allows the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 to be maintained at a level of the required pressure P0, in a state where the rotational speed of the engine 4 is a level of a predetermined rotational speed (e.g., a rated rotational speed), and the discharge amount of the hydraulic pump 6 is a level of a predetermined amount. The required pressure P0 is, for example, about 4 MPa, which is a value larger than the pilot primary pressure. The pilot primary pressure is a value larger than a maximum value of a pilot secondary pressure for operating the control valve spool 12 against the urging force of the control valve spring 14. On the other hand, increasing the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 when the operation implement is put in neutral leads to an increase in fuel consumption that is not used for the work of the construction machine, and therefore it is suitable that the required pressure P0 is as small as possible from the viewpoint of energy saving. When the operation implement is in neutral, the controller 50 does not apply electric current to each of the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 46, and therefore the opening area of each of the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 46 is 0 (fully closed), and each of the control valve spools 12 is positioned at the neutral position by the control valve spring 14. If the state where the operation signal is not output from the operation implement 52 to the controller 50 continues for a predetermined time, the controller 50 applies electric current to the proportional solenoid 36 of the bypass valve 30 so that the movement stroke S reaches a third movement stroke S3, to set the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 at a third opening area A3. Consequently, the pressure loss of the bypass oil passage 28 is reduced, and thus energy saving can be achieved when the operation implement is put in neutral.
(11) When an operation is applied to the operation implement 52 and an operation signal is output from the operation implement 52, after the engine 4 has been started and the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 has reached the required pressure P0, the controller 50 applies electric current to the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve 46 corresponding to the operation applied to the operation implement 52 and opens the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve 46 depending on the operation signal output from the operation implement 52. Then, the pilot secondary pressure acts on the pilot port 10d of the hydraulic pilot type control valve 10 corresponding to the operation applied to the operation implement 52, and thereby the control valve spool 12 moves. In addition, the controller 50 changes on directly proportional basis electric current to be applied to the proportional solenoid 36 of the bypass valve 30, in accordance with the operation signal output from the operation implement 52. That is, as the amount of operation applied to the operation implement 52 increases from 0 (when the operation implement is put in neutral) to the maximum, the controller 50 decreases on directly proportional basis the movement stroke S from the initial position of the bypass valve spool 32 from the second movement stroke S2 to the first movement stroke S1 or S1′, and decreases on directly proportional basis the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 down to 0 (fully closed) from the first opening area A1. Therefore, the amount of the hydraulic oil returning to the hydraulic oil tank 20 passing through the bypass oil passage 28 decreases, depending on the amount of the operation applied to the operation implement 52, and the hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump 6 is supplied to the hydraulic actuator 8 passing through the pump oil passage 16, the hydraulic pilot type control valve 10 and an actuator oil passage 22, and thereby the hydraulic actuator 8 is operated.
(12) As described above, in the hydraulic control circuit 2, when the operation implement is put in neutral, in a state after the engine 4 has been started and the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 has reached the required pressure P0, the controller 50 sets the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 at the opening area A1. Accordingly, the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 is maintained at a level of the required pressure P0 which is larger than the pilot primary pressure for generating the pilot secondary pressure, so that the pilot secondary pressure immediately acts on the control valve spool 12 when the operation of the operation implement 52 is applied, to allow an amount and a direction of the supply of the hydraulic oil supplied to the hydraulic actuator 8 to be controlled. Thus, the operational responsiveness of the hydraulic actuator 8 to the operation applied to the operation implement 52 is preferable. In the illustrated embodiment, pilot oil is guided to the other end side of the bypass valve spool 32 by providing an additional oil passage 48, and the proportional solenoid 36 and the pilot primary pressure acts on the other end side of the bypass valve spool 32. For this reason, the opening area of the bypass valve 30 becomes larger than the second opening area A2 when the operation implement is put in neutral. Correspondingly with this, if the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 becomes smaller than the required pressure P0, and the pilot primary pressure becomes smaller than the predetermined pressure, then the movement stroke S of the bypass valve spool 32 will become smaller than the second movement stroke S2, and accordingly the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 will become smaller. Thus, the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 is adjusted so as to attain the required pressure P0.
(13) Next, the operation of the hydraulic control circuit 2 when the engine 4 is started will be discussed. Because no electric current is applied from the controller 50 to the proportional solenoid 36 of the bypass valve 30 before the engine 4 is started, the bypass valve spool 32 is positioned at the initial position by the bypass valve spring 34, and thus the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 is set at the second opening area A2. In addition, the opening area of each electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve 46 is 0 (fully closed), because no current is also applied from the controller 50 to each of the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 46, and therefore the control valve spool 12 of each of the hydraulic pilot type control valves 10 is positioned at the neutral position by the control valve spring 14. When the engine 4 is started in this manner, the pump oil passage 16 is closed by the hydraulic pilot type control valve 10, and the pilot oil passage 38 is closed by each of the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 46. However, the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 is set at the second opening area A2, that is, the bypass oil passage 28 is not closed by the bypass valve 30. This configuration prevents a sudden rise in the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 immediately after the engine 4 is started and the hydraulic pump 6 is driven by the engine 4, and prevents a rapid increase in the load of the engine 4 due to the sudden increase in the pressure of the pump oil passage 16. In addition, during a time duration from the start of the engine 4 until the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 reaches the required pressure P0, the controller 50 does not apply electric current to the proportional solenoid 36 of the bypass valve 30 and each of the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 46 as well, sets the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 at the second opening area A2 smaller than the first opening area A1 and closes the electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valves 46, similarly to before the engine 4 is started. In this manner, during a time duration d from the start of the engine 4 until the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 reaches the required pressure P0, the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 is set at the second opening area A2 smaller than the first opening area A1 when the operation implement is put in neutral. Thus, the time from the start of the engine 4 until the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 reaches the required pressure P0 can be shortened. In other words, the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 immediately after the start of the engine 4, in which the rotational speed of the engine 4 is smaller than the predetermined rotational speed and the discharge amount of the hydraulic pump 6 is also less than the predetermined discharge amount, is set at the second opening area A2 smaller than the first opening area A1, equivalent to a size which allows the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 to be maintained at a level of the required pressure P0 in a state where the rotational speed of the engine 4 is a level of the predetermined rotation speed and the discharge amount of the hydraulic pump 6 is a level of the predetermined amount. As a result, compared to the prior art in which the opening area of the bypass valve 30 when the operation implement is put in neutral and the opening area of the bypass valve 30 immediately after the engine 4 is started are equal, the time from the start of the engine 4 until the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 reaches the required pressure can be shortened. Thus, an improved operational responsiveness of the hydraulic actuator to the operation applied to the operation implement is achieved.
(14) In the illustrated embodiment, if the operation of the bypass valve 30 is disabled by reason that an electric wire connecting the controller 50 and the proportional solenoid 36 of the bypass valve 30 is cut, for example, then the bypass valve spool 32 is positioned at the initial position by the bypass valve spring 34, and the opening area A of the bypass valve 30 reaches the second opening area A2. Even in the above-mentioned case, the pressure of the pump oil passage 16 rises to a degree enough to secure the pilot secondary pressure enough to cause the bypass valve spool 32 to move, and thus, the construction machine can be operated to some extent even in the above-mentioned case.
(15) Regarding a configuration in which the controller 50 detects that the engine 4 is started, it can be configured in such a manner that a switch (not illustrated) of the engine 4 and the controller 50 are electrically connected to each other, an operation applied to the switch for starting or stopping the engine 4 is input into the controller 50, whereby allowing the controller 50 to detect that the engine 4 has been started. Alternatively, it may be configured in such a manner as to provide a rotational speed detector (not illustrated) for detecting a rotational speed of the engine 4, to electrically connect the rotational speed detector and the controller 50, and to input the rotational speed of the engine 4 into the controller 50, whereby allowing the controller 50 to detect that the engine 4 has been started.
(16) In the illustrated embodiment, an example has been described, in which the hydraulic oil is supplied to the pump oil passage 16 and the pilot oil passage 38 from the single hydraulic pump 6. As illustrated in
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
(17) 2 hydraulic control circuit 4 engine 6 hydraulic pump 8 hydraulic actuator 10 hydraulic pilot type control valve 10a pump port 10b tank port 10c actuator port 10d pilot port 16 pump oil passage 20 hydraulic oil tank 28 bypass oil passage 30 bypass valve 32 bypass valve spool 34 bypass valve spring 36 proportional solenoid 38 pilot oil passage 46 electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve 50 controller 52 operation implement A opening area of bypass valve A1 first opening area A2 second opening area S1 first movement stroke S2 second movement stroke