Variable charge pump system for closed hydrostatic circuits

Abstract

The invention relates to a charge pump system (190) comprising a hydrostatic charge pump (12) capable to generate a hydraulic flow rate to be fed into a closed circuit of a hydrostatic transmission, a planetary gear set (20), whose planet wheel carrier (22) is connected to an input shaft (11) of the charge pump (12), and whose sun wheel (21) is driveable by a driving shaft (3); and a charge pump motor (30) capable to drive the ring gear (23) of planetary gear set (20).

Claims

1. A charge pump system comprising: a hydrostatic charge pump configured to generate a hydraulic flow rate to be fed into a closed circuit of a hydrostatic transmission; a planetary gear set, whose planet wheel carrier is connected to an input shaft of the charge pump, and whose sun wheel is driveable by a driving shaft; and a charge pump motor capable to drive a ring gear of the planetary gear set.

2. The charge pump system according to claim 1, further comprising a worm gear or a spur gear by means of which the charge pump motor can be coupled to the ring gear.

3. The charge pump according to claim 2, further comprising a clutch by means of which the charge pump motor is coupled to the ring gear.

4. The charge pump system according to claim 2, whereas the charge pump motor is an electric motor controllable in its rotational speed.

5. The charge pump system according to claim 2, whose charge pump is a Gerotor pump, a gear pump, an internal gear pump, a vane pump or a roller vane pump.

6. The charge pump system according to claim 2, whose planetary gear set is made of plastic material.

7. The charge pump according to claim 1, further comprising a clutch by means of which the charge pump motor is coupled to the ring gear.

8. The charge pump system according to claim 7, whereas the charge pump motor is an electric motor controllable in its rotational speed.

9. The charge pump system according to claim 7, whose charge pump is a Gerotor pump, a gear pump, an internal gear pump, a vane pump or a roller vane pump.

10. The charge pump system according to claim 1, whereas the charge pump motor is an electric motor controllable in its rotational speed.

11. The charge pump system according to claim 10, whose charge pump is a Gerotor pump, a gear pump, an internal gear pump, a vane pump or a roller vane pump.

12. The charge pump system according to claim 1, whose charge pump is a Gerotor pump, a gear pump, an internal gear pump, a vane pump or a roller vane pump.

13. The charge pump system according to claim 1, whose planetary gear set is made of plastic material.

14. The charge pump system according to claim 1, whose ring gear is part of an electrical ring motor.

15. The charge pump system according to claim 1, whereas the charge pump system comprise a casing for housing the charge pump, the planetary gear set, the charge pump motor.

16. The charge pump system according to claim 1, whereas either an internal gear or an external gear of the charge pump is driveable via the planet wheel carrier of the planetary gear set.

17. A hydrostatic pump with a charge pump system according to claim 1, whereas the sun wheel of the planetary gear set is driveable by a drive shaft of the hydrostatic pump.

18. A hydrostatic transmission with a closed hydraulic fluid circuit chargeable by a charge pump system according to claim 1.

19. The hydrostatic transmission of claim 18, whereas the sun wheel is driveable by the hydraulic pump of the hydrostatic transmission or by a drive shaft of a rotational drive driving the hydraulic pump of the hydrostatic transmission or by an auxiliary drive engine.

20. The hydrostatic transmission of claim 19, whereas the rotational drive is a combustion engine or an electric motor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following the inventive charge pump system will be explained in more details by the help of preferred embodiments and the following figures. Thereby, the shown embodiments do not limit the scope protection and are only used to explain the inventive idea exemplarily. It is shown with:

(2) FIG. 1 shows the inventive charge pump system;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the inventive charge pump system; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the inventive working principle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) Further, for equal parts and assembly groups shown in the FIGS. 1 to 3 the same reference numbers are used for easier comprehension.

(6) In FIG. 1 a first embodiment of an inventive charge pump system 10 coupled to a hydrostatic main pump 1 is shown in a schematic way. Hydrostatic pump 1 is driven by a rotational drive 2, for instance a drive engine of the combustion type. In this embodiment hydrostatic pump 1 is of the variable displacement type, however, can be of the constant or fixed displacement pump type also. Hydrostatic pump 1 conveys hydraulic fluid in a closed hydrostatic circuit indicated in the FIGS. 1 to 3 with working lines 7 and 8. A driving shaft 3 connecting the rotational drive 2 with the main pump 1 drives the sun wheel 21 of a planetary gear set 20. The planet wheel carrier 22 of the planetary gear set 20 is designed as rotational input power for a charge pump 12. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 the internal gear 13 of the charge pump 12 is driven by a input shaft 11 connected to the planet wheel carrier 22. Naturally, a input shaft 11 driving the external gear 14 of charge pump 12 is also covered by the invention. Depending on the type of charge pump used, the rotatable part of such a charge pump 12 is connected to the planet wheel carrier in order to be driven by the same.

(7) The ring gear 23 of the planetary gear set 20 is drivable by a charge pump motor 30, according to the invention preferably with variable rotational speed. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 a clutch 15 for stopping the ring gear 23 from turning is arranged between the ring gear 23 and, for instance, the casing 9 of the inventive charge pump system 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the charge pump motor 30 is of the ring construction type whereas the rotor of charge pump motor 30 is connected to the ring gear 23 and the stator of the same is fixed relative to the charge pump casing 9, for instance.

(8) In operation of hydrostatic pump 1 charge pump 12 is driven via a hollow input shaft 11 connected to the planet wheel gear carrier 22. The sun wheel 21 driving the planet wheel 22 carrier is connected to the drive shaft 3 of hydrostatic pump 1 such that charge pump 12 provides a charge pump flow rate according to the rotational speed of hydrostatic pump 1, if, at the same time, ring gear 23 is standing still. The rotational speed of ring gear 23 and therewith the rotational speed of charge pump 12 can be adapted to the necessary charge flow rate for the closed hydrostatic circuit (not shown) by controlling the rotational speed of charge pump motor 30.

(9) FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the inventive charge pump system 10, in which the ring gear 23 is driven by a worm gear 16 arranged on the outer side of ring gear 23. Thereby the worm gear 16 is driven by a charge pump motor 30. However, in FIG. 2 the charge pump motor 30 is shown connected in parallel via a driving shaft 31 to worm gear 16. This is for illustration reasons only as the charge pump motor 30 is arranged preferably in direction of rotation of the worm gear 16. As already mentioned above the connection of charge pump motor 30 in order to drive ring gear 23 can be done via a worm gear 16 as shown in FIG. 2 or by any other commonly known transmission gear such as a spur gear, a crown gear, a friction gear or the like.

(10) The inventive idea is not limited either to the embodiment that the drive motor acts on the outer circumferential side of the ring gear 23, since can be arranged also in that way that his drive shaft 31 acts on the internal gear teeth of the ring gear 23 or on a lateral surface. For a person skilled in the art there are a multitude of possibilities to drive ring gear 23 in an adequate way for varying the rotational speed of charge pump 12.

(11) In FIG. 3 a schematic diagram is shown showing five different operation conditions for the charge pump, if the rotational speed of hydraulic pump 1 is maintained constant, for instance at 3000 rpm (rounds per minute). On the right side a Kutzbachplan-diagram is shown for five different operational conditions: A: Ring gear 23 at standstill B: rotational speed of ring gear 23 is approx. 2000 rpm C: rotational speed of ring gear 23 is equal to the rotational speed of drive shaft 3, here e.g. 3000 rpm D: rotational speed of ring gear 23 is approx. 4000 rpm E: ring gear 23 is driven by charge pump motor 30 to approx. 5000 rpm

(12) According to the Kutzbach-diagram for the operational condition A the resulting rotational speed of the planet wheel carrier 22 is about 900 rpm, whereas for condition B the rotational speed of the charge pump rotor 13 is approx. 2350 rpm. For condition C the rotational speed of the input shaft 11 is equal to the rotational speed of the drive shaft 3, i.e. 3000 rpm. The resulting rotational speeds of the planet wheel carrier 22 and therefore the rotational speed of charge pump 12 for operational conditions D and E result to about 3250 rpm respectively to 4500 rpm.

(13) From FIG. 3, showing five different operational conditions, one can easily derive that the range of the rotational speed of the charge pump 12 can be adjusted in the range between 900 and 4500 rpm by rotating ring gear 23 in a rotational speed range between 0 rpm to 5000 rpm. Furthermore, as the Kutzbach-diagram of FIG. 3 shows left of operational condition C (dashed lines) rotational speeds of the input shaft 11 of the charge pump are lower than the rotational speed of the driving shaft 3, what can be obtained by decelerating ring gear 23. Thereby, according to the example of FIG. 3 with a suitable control/braking of ring gear 23, a rotational speed range of input shaft 11 between approx. 900 rpm (standstill of ring gear 23) and approx. 3000 rpm can be achieved without empowering charge pump motor 30. Only for the operational conditions in which the demanded charge flow rate requires revolutional speeds of the charge pump 12 higher than the rotational speed of drive shaft 3, the charge pump motor 30 have to speed up ring gear 23. This is shown exemplarily in the diagram of FIG. 3, for rotational speeds higher than 3000 rpm (dotted lines). Therefore, in particular, at rotational speeds of the input shaft 11 lower than the rotational speed of drive shaft 3, energy can be saved by e.g. mechanically controlling/reducing the rotational speed of ring gear 23. In this cases energy is saved at the main pump as no excess of rotated weights or charge pump flow rate is generated.

(14) Naturally, for a person skilled in the art any other speed range for the charge pump can be achieved by varying either component of the planetary gear set or by varying the transmission ratio between the hydrostatic pump 1 and the sun wheel 21. In the example of FIG. 3 the transmission ratio is chosen for illustration reasons exemplarily to 1:1.

(15) While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described with respect to a particular embodiment thereof, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications to this disclosure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.