EP3719219A1

EP3719219A1 - A control method for actuating a combined movement of a boom and an implement in a work vehicle, a corresponding control system and a work vehicle comprising such control system

Info

Publication number: EP3719219A1
Application number: EP20168286.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Adriano GARRAMONE; Andrea Gravili; Stefano Liberti; Antonio Venezia
Original assignee: CNH Industrial Italia SpA
Current assignee: CNH Industrial Italia SpA
Priority date: 2019-04-05
Filing date: 2020-04-06
Publication date: 2020-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2040-04-06
Also published as: IT201900005234A1; EP3719219B1

Abstract

A control method for actuating a combined movement of a boom and an implement in a work vehicle powered by a motor is disclosed. Actuating the boom and the implement occurs by means of a joystick controlled by a user, a movement of the joystick in a predetermined control area according to a first preset direction causing the actuation of the boom by a first hydraulic actuator and a movement of the joystick in the control area according to a second preset direction causing the actuation of the implement by a second hydraulic actuator. Each hydraulic actuator include a respective open centre directional solenoid valve whose opening degree is controlled by means of a driving current as a function of the position of the joystick. The control method comprises acquiring a current position of the joystick as well as a current rotational speed of the motor, and applying a correction factor to a nominal driving current of the second open centre directional solenoid valve, based on a predetermined reference model of said correction factor indicative of a nominal relation between the first component of the current position of the joystick along the first preset direction, the rotational speed of the motor, and the correction factor.

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates generally to a work vehicle, such as for example a compact wheel loader, and particularly to a control method of actuating a combined movement of a boom and an implement connected to the boom in a work vehicle, and to a corresponding control system.

Prior art

Motorized work vehicles are well known for use in material handling that carry an implement and have a hydraulically operated lifting arm for moving the implement. Examples of such vehicles are tractors and loaders.
A loader is a heavy equipment machine used in construction to move aside on the ground or load materials such as asphalt, demolition debris, dirt, snow, feed, gravel, logs, raw minerals, recycled material, rock, sand, woodchips, etc. into or onto another type of machinery (such as a dump truck, conveyor belt, feed-hopper, or railroad car). There are many types of loader, which, depending on design and application, are called by various names, including bucket loader, front loader, front-end loader, payloader, scoop, shovel, skip loader, wheel loader, or skid-steer. In particular, compact wheel loaders are compact vehicles that have road wheels and carry a working implement, such as a bucket, attached to a lift arm or boom, that is hydraulically powered.
Referring to figure 1, a work vehicle 1, such as a compact wheel loader, is shown. However, the invention is not limited to such a kind of work vehicle, but is applicable to any other kind of work vehicle.
A compact wheel loader includes a bucket 2 connected to a frame 3 of the work vehicle for movement relative thereto. As shown, a pair of booms 5 (only one being shown) is each pivotally connected at one end on opposite sides of frame 3. The bucket 2 is pivotally connected at the opposite end of booms for tilting movement relative to the frame 3 about a generally horizontal axis. The above-described features form no substantial part of the present invention and are generally well known in the art. A bucket may be replaced in operation by any other implement or attachment.
Usually, the movement of the boom 5 and of the bucket 2 is controlled by the user through a joystick 7 placed inside an operator's cab or cabin 9 of the work vehicle 1.
As can be seen in figure 2, which shows a control diagram of the work vehicle 1, the boom 3 and the bucket 2 are moved by an hydraulic control circuit 10 comprising a first and a second hydraulic actuators 12, 14 which are controlled by an electronic control unit 16 through respective solenoid valves 18, 20 according to the position of the joystick 7 controlled by the user.
Further attachments that can be operated in parallel to the bucket (and the boom) by means of respective hydraulic actuators (not shown) which are controlled by an electronic control unit 16 through respective solenoid valves in a like manner, e.g. by means of push-buttons embodied in the joystick or according to the position of a separate joystick controlled by the user.
Load-sensing valves allow a pressure compensation so that downstream channels take proportional allocation of flow depending on the load. The flow rate at a predetermined opening degree is not dependent upon the load downstream each valve and is not dependent upon the pump inlet flow. When a plurality of loads is actuated, load-sensing valves with flow sharing also prevent the working fluid from taking the path of least resistance. However, this solution is very expensive. Advantageously, open centre directional solenoid valves are less expensive than load-sensing valves.
For example, each hydraulic actuator comprises an hydraulic cylinder operatively connected respectively to the boom and the implement, that uses hydraulic power of a working fluid to facilitate mechanical operation, the working fluid being controlled by means of open centre directional solenoid valves 18, 20. As liquids are nearly impossible to compress, a hydraulic actuator can exert a large force. The rate of actuation of the boom and implement is controlled by the opening degree of the respective open centre directional solenoid valve 18, 20 by means of a driving current thereof as a function of the position of the joystick.
The hydraulic flow rate of the working fluid required to operate the boom and the implement is produced by a hydraulic fixed displacement pump P connected to a fluid reservoir T and driven by an internal combustion engine or an electrical motor M (hereinafter simply referred to as motor) of the vehicle, e.g. by a mechanical linkage. The same motor is also used to drive the wheels as a propulsion means of the work vehicle. Therefore, the rate of movement of the boom and the implement at a predetermined joystick position is dependent upon the motor rotational speed. For instance, when the motor is working at a high rotational speed, it is necessary a minimum movement of the joystick by the user to start the movement of the boom and/or the implement. On the contrary, when the motor is working at a low rotational speed, or at idle, it is necessary a large movement of the joystick by the user to start the movement of the boom and/or the bucket.
Figure 3 shows an exemplary joystick of a work vehicle. A movement of the joystick in an associated bi-dimensional control area A according to a first direction y causes the actuation of the boom and a movement of the joystick in said bi-dimensional control area A according to a second direction x causes the actuation of the implement. The intersection of said x and y directions is defined as origin O of the control area A, and corresponds to the neutral position of the joystick.
A neutral region N around the neutral position of the joystick is a region where the boom and implement are not actuated. A region externally surrounding the neutral region is defined a driving region and indicated D in this figure.
For example, according to the orientation depicted in figure 3, in an embodiment where the implement is a bucket when the joystick is moved up from the origin O of the control area A according to the y direction the boom is lowered with respect to ground and when the joystick is moved down from the origin O according to the y direction the boom is lifted towards ground. Further, when the joystick is moved right from the origin O according to the x direction the implement, e.g. a bucket, is tilted towards a dumping position, and when the joystick is moved left from the origin O according to the x direction the implement, e.g. the bucket, is tilted towards a dig position and beyond.
A combination of movement in both directions x and y of the joystick is allowed in order to move simultaneously the boom and the bucket.
Disadvantageously, in open centre directional solenoid valves the flow rate at a predetermined opening degree is dependent upon the force driving the pump, the number of valves supplied by the pump and the load downstream each valve. When a plurality of loads, such as the boom and the implement, e.g. the bucket, is to be actuated by opening the respective open centre solenoid valves to a predetermined degree controlled by the driving current set through the joystick position, the pumped working fluid would take the path of least resistance, i.e. flow mainly to the hydraulic actuator of the smallest load, resulting in the system typically activating the implement. As a consequence, the user can activate either the boom - with a specific joystick movement - or the bucket - due to the behaviour of the hydraulic system, irrespectively of the joystick position.

Summary of the invention

The aim of the present invention is to provide a solution that avoids the drawbacks of the prior art. Particularly, an aim of the present invention is to improve the controllability of a boom and an implement in a work vehicle, specifically in applications where the simultaneous movement of the boom and the implement (and possibly of any further attachment) is required.
According to the invention, this aim is achieved by a control method for actuating a combined movement of a boom and an implement in a work vehicle, having the features claimed in claim 1.
Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims, whose content is also to be considered an integral part of the present description. Features of the dependent claims may be combined with the features of the independent claims as appropriate, and in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims.
Further subjects of the invention are a control system for actuating a combined movement of a boom and an implement in a work vehicle, as well as a work vehicle, as claimed.
In summary, an actuation strategy of a boom and an implement of a work vehicle is disclosed according to which, based on information about the joystick position - that can be retrieved as an electronic signal provided by a position sensor associated with the joystick - and about the current rotational speed of the motor - that can be retrieved as an electronic signal provided on a CAN network of the vehicle - actuation is controlled by recognizing if the user is requesting simultaneous actuation of the boom and the implement (and possibly any other auxiliary attachment) and, in the affirmative, by reducing the driving current of the open centre directional solenoid valve of the hydraulic actuating means associated with the implement (and possibly of any other hydraulic actuating means associated with an auxiliary attachment), depending on the actuation request of the boom and the motor rotational speed.

Brief description of the drawings

Further functional and structural characteristics and advantages of the present invention are set out in the detailed description below, provided purely as a non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a prior art exemplary work vehicle, in particular a compact wheel loader;
figure 2 shows a prior art control diagram of a work vehicle;
figure 3 shows a prior art exemplary joystick of a work vehicle; and
figure 4 shows a control diagram of a work vehicle according to the invention.

Detailed description

In the following description, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) are to be interpreted as is customary in the art. It will be further understood that terms in common usage should also be interpreted as is customary in the relevant art and not in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. All orientation terms, such as upper and lower, are used in relation to the drawings and should not be interpreted as limiting the invention.
In the following, a preferred embodiment of a control method for actuating a combined movement of a boom and at least an implement, such as an implement connected to the boom, in a work vehicle is described. Reference is made to the control diagram of Figure 4, where the electronic control unit 16 is configured to implement the control method of the invention.
As disclosed above and with further reference to Figure 3, actuation of the boom 5 and the implement 2 occurs by means of joystick 7 controlled by a user, whose movement in the control area A according to direction y causes the actuation of the boom 5 by first hydraulic actuating means 12 and whose movement in the control area A according to direction x causes the actuation of the implement 2 by second hydraulic actuating means 14.
Each hydraulic actuating means 12, 14 include an hydraulic cylinder operatively connected respectively to the boom 5 and the implement 2, and a respective first and second open centre directional solenoid valve 18, 20 whose opening degree is adapted to control the flow of a working fluid to the respective hydraulic cylinder.
The rate of actuation of the boom 5 is controlled by the opening degree of the first open centre directional solenoid valve 18 by means of the driving current thereof as a function of a first component of the position P of the joystick 7 along direction y in the control area A. The rate of actuation of the implement 2 is controlled by the opening degree of the second open centre directional solenoid valve 20 by means of the driving current thereof as a function of a second component of the position P of the joystick 7 along direction x in the control area A. The first component of the position P of the joystick 7 along direction y is indicated y_P in figure 3 and is the projection over y axis of a vector representing the position P of the joystick in the control area A. The second component of the position P of the joystick 7 along direction x is indicated x_P in figure 3 and is the projection over x axis of the vector representing the position P of the joystick in the control area A.
The electronic control unit 16 has first input means adapted to receive at least a signal S_J indicative of a position of the joystick in the control area as well as second input means adapted to receive at least a signal S_E indicative of the rotational speed of the motor M, and output means adapted to issue at least a signal S_DC indicative of the respective driving currents intended to control an opening degree of the open centre directional solenoid valve 18, 20.
The electronic control unit has also memory means (not shown) storing a predetermined reference model of a correction factor, indicative of a nominal relation between the actuation command of the boom, the hydraulic flow rate of the working fluid, and a correction factor for the actuation of the implement. Specifically, said reference model is an analytical relationship between, or a map of numerical values in a bijective correspondence of, the component Y_P of the position of the joystick along y direction - corresponding to the actuation command of the boom, the rotational speed of the motor - corresponding to the hydraulic flow rate of the working fluid, and a correction factor for the driving current of the open centre directional solenoid valve 20 for actuation of the implement.
In operation, the electronic control unit 16 is configured to acquire the signal S_J indicative of the current position of the joystick 7 in the control area A, particularly a position in a driving region D of the control area A external to the neutral region N. The electronic control unit is also configured to acquire the signal S_E indicative of the rotational speed of the motor M.
When the electronic control unit receives the signal S_J indicative of the current joystick position, the first component Y_P of the position P of the joystick 7 along direction y and the second component X_P of the position P of the joystick 7 along direction x are acquired or determined, and a respective nominal driving current for controlling the opening degree of the first and second open centre directional solenoid valves 18, 20 is determined.
If a boom actuation is not present, i.e. the electronic control unit detects that the joystick position does not have any component along direction y, the electronic control unit applies the nominal driving current to the open centre directional solenoid valve 20 of the implement. Otherwise, if a boom actuation is present, i.e. the electronic control unit detects that the joystick position has a component along direction y, the electronic control unit applies a correction factor to the nominal driving current intended to the open centre directional solenoid valve 20 of the implement according to the stored predetermined reference model, based on the current rotational speed of the motor acquired through the signal S_E, so as to calculate an actual driving current to be applied to said open centre directional solenoid valve, which is included in signal S_DC. The corrector factor is a reduction factor, i.e. a coefficient comprised between 0 and 1.
In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of reference models indicative of a nominal relation between the actuation command of the boom, the hydraulic flow rate of the working fluid, and a correction factor for the actuation of the implement may be considered, depending upon different control modes of the work vehicle that may be provided by the manufacturer, such as a "smooth" mode, a "moderate" mode, an "aggressive" mode. Depending on the control mode selected by the user, the electronic control unit is configured to select the corresponding reference model.
Where the present invention has been described referring to a joystick configured to be operated by movement in a bi-dimensional control area combining the actuation of the boom and the actuation of the implement, it would be clear to a skilled person that a pair of independent joysticks or levers movable along respective, separate unidimensional control tracks are comprised within the scope of the invention as an equivalent embodiment, the principle of the invention being the same.
Therefore, by virtue of the present invention, sharing of the flow of the working fluid between different hydraulic actuators is controlled at any motor speed so as to achieve a simultaneous operation of a boom and an implement, such as the bucket, and possible auxiliary attachments of a work vehicle.
The example embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to implement a control system in a work vehicle arranged to carry out the disclosed control method herein described.
Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining unchanged, the embodiments and the constructional details may vary widely from those described and illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A control method for actuating a combined movement of a boom and an implement in a work vehicle powered by a motor,
wherein actuating the boom and the implement occurs by means of a joystick controlled by a user, a movement of the joystick in a predetermined control area according to a first preset direction causing the actuation of the boom by first hydraulic actuating means and a movement of the joystick in said control area according to a second preset direction causing the actuation of the implement by second hydraulic actuating means,

wherein the first hydraulic actuating means and the second hydraulic actuating means each include an hydraulic cylinder operatively connected respectively to the boom and the implement, and a respective first and second open centre directional solenoid valve whose opening degree is adapted to control the flow of a working fluid to the respective hydraulic cylinder,

the rate of actuation of the boom being controlled by the opening degree of the first open centre directional solenoid valve by means of a driving current thereof as a function of a first component of the position of the joystick along said first preset direction in the control area, and the rate of actuation of the implement being controlled by the opening degree of the second open centre directional solenoid valve by means of a driving current thereof as a function of a second component of the position of the joystick along said second preset direction in the control area,
the control method comprising the steps of:
a) acquiring a signal or data indicative of a current position of the joystick in said control area;

b) acquiring a signal or data indicative of a current rotational speed of the motor; and

c) applying a correction factor to a nominal driving current of the second open centre directional solenoid valve, corresponding to the second component of the current position of the joystick along said second preset direction in the control area, based on a predetermined reference model of the correction factor, indicative of a nominal relation between the first component of the current position of the joystick along said first preset direction in the control area, the rotational speed of the motor, and said correction factor.
The control method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined reference model is an analytical relationship between, or a map of numerical values in a bijective correspondence of, the first component of the current position of the joystick along said first preset direction in the control area, the rotational speed of the motor, and the correction factor to the nominal driving current of the second open centre directional solenoid valve.
The control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said correction factor is comprised between 0 and 1.
The control method according to claim 3, wherein said correction factor is 1 if the first component of the current position of the joystick along the first preset direction in the control area is null.
The control method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said predetermined reference model is one of a plurality of predetermined reference models associated with different control modes of the work vehicle.
A control system for actuating a combined movement of a boom and an implement in a work vehicle powered by a motor, comprising:
- first input means adapted to receive at least a signal indicative of a position in a control area of a joystick controlled by a user for actuating the boom and the implement;

- second input means adapted to receive at least a signal indicative of the rotational speed of the motor;

- output means adapted to issue at least a first signal indicative of a nominal driving current intended to control an opening degree of a first open centre directional solenoid valve of first hydraulic actuating means of said boom and a second signal indicative of a nominal driving current intended to control an opening degree of a second open centre directional solenoid valve of second hydraulic actuating means of said implement; and

- memory means adapted to store a predetermined reference model of a correction factor, indicative of a nominal relation between a first component of the position of the joystick along a first preset direction in the control area causing the actuation of the boom, the rotational speed of the motor, and a correction factor to a nominal driving current of said second open centre directional solenoid valve of said second hydraulic actuating means of the implement;
the system being arranged to carry out a control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
Work vehicle, in particular compact wheel loader, comprising
- a motor for propulsion of the work vehicle;

- a boom and an implement connected to the boom;

- a joystick operatively controlled by a user for actuating the boom and the implement, the joystick being movable in a predetermined control area according to a first preset direction for actuating the boom and in a second preset direction for actuating the implement;

- first hydraulic actuating means for actuating the boom and second hydraulic actuating means for actuating the implement, wherein the first hydraulic actuating means and the second hydraulic actuating means each include an hydraulic cylinder operatively connected respectively to the boom and the implement, and a respective first and second open centre directional solenoid valve whose opening degree is adapted to control the flow of a working fluid supplied by pumping means to the respective hydraulic cylinder, the pumping means being driven by the motor of the work vehicle, wherein the opening degree of said first and second open centre directional solenoid valve is operatively controlled by means of a respective driving current; and

- a control system for actuating the combined movement of the boom and the implement, according to claim 6.