Distributed electro-hydraulic actuator and heat dissipation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator and a heat dissipation method thereof. The distributed electro-hydraulic actuator comprises: a motor body, the motor body being externally sheathed with a water-cooled casing, the water-cooled casing being provided with a coolant inlet and a casing cooling circuit, the coolant inlet being connected to the casing cooling circuit; a valve block being connected to one end of the water-cooled casing, the valve block being provided with a valve block cooling circuit, the valve block cooling circuit being connected to the casing cooling circuit; and a plunger pump being installed within the valve block and connected to the motor body. By improving the heat dissipation structure, the present invention can rapidly cool the hydraulic oil within the electro-hydraulic actuator, thereby improving the execution accuracy and service life of the hydraulic system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electro-hydraulic actuators, and in particular to a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator and a heat dissipation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Electro-hydraulic actuators are devices that convert a standard input signal into an angular displacement output torque or linear displacement output force corresponding to the input signal through electro-hydraulic conversion and hydraulic amplification. Currently, electro-hydraulic actuators are moving towards compact designs to improve the integration of various engineering machinery, reduce the dew point of system pipeline connections, and minimize the lag time between component responses.

[0003] Although traditional electro-hydraulic actuators are in line with this development direction in terms of compact structure, they have poor heat dissipation performance and severe local heat accumulation due to the large heat generated by the components and the small spacing between the components. This causes the temperature of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic system to rise rapidly, greatly affecting the working state of the system. In addition, excessively high temperatures also shorten the service life of the components in the system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to address the poor heat dissipation problem of existing electro-hydraulic actuators. This invention provides a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator and a heat dissipation method thereof. By improving the heat dissipation structure, the hydraulic oil inside the electro-hydraulic actuator can be rapidly cooled, thereby improving the actuation accuracy and service life of the hydraulic system.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is: a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator, comprising:

[0006] A motor body, wherein the motor body is externally sheathed with a water-cooling casing, the water-cooling casing is provided with a coolant inlet and a casing cooling circuit, and the coolant inlet is in communication with the casing cooling circuit;

[0007] a valve block connected to one end of the water-cooled casing, wherein a valve block cooling circuit is provided in the valve block and the valve block cooling circuit is in communication with the casing cooling circuit;

[0008] A plunger pump is installed in the valve block and connected to the motor body.

[0009] Furthermore, the casing cooling circuit is spiral-shaped, and the valve block cooling circuit includes a first cooling channel, which is connected to one end of the casing cooling circuit.

[0010] Furthermore, the valve block cooling circuit also includes: a second cooling channel, a third cooling channel, and a fourth cooling channel, the second cooling channel is connected to the first cooling channel, the third cooling channel is connected to the second cooling channel, the fourth cooling channel is connected to the third cooling channel, and the fourth cooling channel is connected to the coolant outlet on the valve block.

[0011] Furthermore, the first cooling channel, the second cooling channel, the third cooling channel and the fourth cooling channel are arranged around the plunger pump.

[0012] Furthermore, the water-cooling casing is further provided with a first hydraulic oil cooling channel, one end of the first hydraulic oil cooling channel is connected to the inner cavity of the water-cooling casing, and the other end of the first hydraulic oil cooling channel is connected to the valve block.

[0013] Furthermore, a second hydraulic oil cooling channel, a third hydraulic oil cooling channel and a hydraulic oil outlet are provided in the valve block. The second hydraulic oil cooling channel is connected to the other end of the first hydraulic oil cooling channel, one end of the third hydraulic oil cooling channel is connected to the second hydraulic oil cooling channel, and the other end of the third hydraulic oil cooling channel is connected to the hydraulic oil outlet.

[0014] Furthermore, a mounting cavity is provided in the valve block, the plunger pump is installed in the mounting cavity, and one end of the plunger pump is communicated with the inner cavity.

[0015] Furthermore, a mounting flange is provided at one end of the plunger pump. When the plunger pump is installed in the mounting cavity, the mounting flange is fixedly connected to the valve block to fix the plunger pump.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes: a hydraulic cylinder, which is located at the bottom of the valve block, and the valve block is also provided with a rodless chamber oil port and a rod chamber oil port, the rodless chamber oil port is connected to the rodless chamber of the hydraulic cylinder, and the rod chamber oil port is connected to the rod chamber of the hydraulic cylinder.

[0017] The present invention also provides a heat dissipation method for the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator, comprising:

[0018] Step S1: Coolant enters the casing cooling circuit from the coolant inlet. At this time, the coolant can cool the motor body and the hydraulic oil in the water-cooled casing;

[0019] Step S2: The coolant enters the valve block cooling circuit through the casing cooling circuit, thereby cooling the hydraulic oil of the plunger pump;

[0020] Step S3: the coolant returns to the external cooling device from the coolant outlet;

[0021] Step S4: repeat steps S1 to S3 to implement cyclic cooling of the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator.

[0022] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that the present invention can cool the motor and plunger pump by improving the internal structure of the electro-hydraulic actuator; compared with the natural convection heat dissipation method of the traditional electro-hydraulic actuator, the heat exchange efficiency of the present invention is greatly increased, and the problems of poor heat dissipation performance caused by the integrated layout and local heat accumulation causing rapid increase in oil temperature are improved, thereby extending the service life of the motor and the pipelines in the system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 It is a partial cross-sectional view of the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the valve block cooling circuit of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the first hydraulic oil cooling channel of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the second hydraulic oil cooling channel of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the third hydraulic oil cooling channel of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 8 It is a perspective view of the plunger pump of the present invention.

[0032] In the figure: 1. Motor body; 2. Water-cooled casing; 3. Valve block; 4. Plunger pump; 5. Hydraulic cylinder; 21. Coolant inlet; 22. Casing cooling circuit; 23. First hydraulic oil cooling channel; 24. Inner cavity; 31. Valve block cooling circuit; 32. Second hydraulic oil cooling channel; 33. Third hydraulic oil cooling channel; 34. Hydraulic oil outlet; 35. Mounting cavity; 36. Rodless cavity oil port; 37. Rod cavity oil port; 38. Coolant outlet; 311. First cooling channel; 312. Second cooling channel; 313. Third cooling channel; 314. Fourth cooling channel; 41. Mounting flange DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are simplified schematic diagrams that illustrate the basic structure of the present invention in a schematic manner.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplified description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. In addition, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0036] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator of the present invention includes: a motor body 1, a water-cooled casing 2, a valve block 3 and a plunger pump 4. The water-cooled casing 2 is mounted on the outside of the motor body 1. The water-cooled casing 2 is provided with a coolant inlet 21 and a casing cooling circuit 22. The coolant inlet 21 is connected to the casing cooling circuit 22. The valve block 3 is connected to one end of the water-cooled casing 2. A valve block cooling circuit 31 is provided in the valve block 3. The valve block cooling circuit 31 is connected to the casing cooling circuit 22. The plunger pump 4 is installed in the valve block 3, and the plunger pump 4 is connected to the motor body 1. It should be noted that after the coolant enters the casing cooling circuit 22 from the coolant inlet 21, it can cool the hydraulic oil in the water-cooled casing 2 and the hydraulic oil in the motor body 1. Then, the coolant enters the valve block cooling circuit 31 through the casing cooling circuit 22, and can cool the hydraulic oil of the plunger pump 4. Therefore, on the one hand, the heat dissipation effect and heat dissipation efficiency can be significantly improved. On the other hand, integrating the plunger pump 4 into the valve block 3 can not only further improve the compactness of the electro-hydraulic actuator, but also shorten the cooling path, further improving the cooling effect.

[0037] For example, the casing cooling circuit 22 is spiral-shaped, and the valve block cooling circuit 31 includes a first cooling channel 311, which is connected to one end of the casing cooling circuit 22. This enables communication between the casing cooling circuit 22 and the valve block cooling circuit 31. Furthermore, the spiral cooling circuit can more comprehensively cool the hydraulic oil in the motor body 1, thereby improving the cooling effect.

[0038] The valve block cooling circuit 31 also includes a second cooling channel 312, a third cooling channel 313, and a fourth cooling channel 314. The second cooling channel 312 communicates with the first cooling channel 311, the third cooling channel 313 communicates with the second cooling channel 312, and the fourth cooling channel 314 communicates with the third cooling channel 313. The fourth cooling channel 314 communicates with the coolant outlet 38 on the valve block 3. In other words, the coolant flows from the coolant inlet 21 through the casing cooling circuit 22, the first cooling channel 311, the second cooling channel 312, the third cooling channel 313, and the fourth cooling channel 314, before flowing out of the coolant outlet 38. During this process, the coolant can simultaneously cool the hydraulic oil in the motor body 1 and the hydraulic oil in the plunger pump 4. By improving the cooling circuit structure, the present invention not only improves the heat dissipation effect and efficiency, but also increases the utilization rate of the coolant.

[0039] It should be noted that the first cooling channel 311, the second cooling channel 312, the third cooling channel 313, and the fourth cooling channel 314 are arranged around the plunger pump 4. Therefore, when the coolant passes through the first cooling channel 311, the second cooling channel 312, the third cooling channel 313, and the fourth cooling channel 314, the hydraulic oil of the plunger pump 4 can be fully cooled, thereby increasing the cooling speed.

[0040] For example, the water-cooled housing 2 is further provided with a first hydraulic oil cooling channel 23, one end of which is connected to the inner cavity 24 of the water-cooled housing 2, and the other end of which is connected to the valve block 3. A second hydraulic oil cooling channel 32, a third hydraulic oil cooling channel 33, and a hydraulic oil outlet 34 are also provided within the valve block 3. The second hydraulic oil cooling channel 32 is connected to the other end of the first hydraulic oil cooling channel 23, one end of the third hydraulic oil cooling channel 33 is connected to the second hydraulic oil cooling channel 32, and the other end of the third hydraulic oil cooling channel 33 is connected to the hydraulic oil outlet 34. The plunger pump 4 of the present invention does not have a sealing structure at its shaft end. In other words, the hydraulic oil of the plunger pump 4 can enter the first hydraulic oil cooling channel 23 through the inner cavity 24 of the water-cooled housing 2, and then pass through the second hydraulic oil cooling channel 32 and the third hydraulic oil cooling channel 33 before returning to the oil tank from the hydraulic oil outlet 34 for cooling.

[0041] The distributed electro-hydraulic actuator of the present invention can internally cool the hydraulic oil of the motor body 1 and the plunger pump 4 through the cooling circuit, and can realize heat exchange between the hydraulic oil and the outside world through the hydraulic oil cooling channel. Through the combination of these two aspects, a more efficient thermal balance of the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator can be achieved, thereby improving the problems of poor heat dissipation performance and local heat concentration of the electro-hydraulic actuator.

[0042] Specifically, a mounting cavity 35 is provided within the valve block 3, and a plunger pump 4 is mounted within the mounting cavity 35. One end of the plunger pump 4 is connected to the inner cavity 24. A mounting flange 41 is provided at one end of the plunger pump 4. When the plunger pump 4 is installed within the mounting cavity 35, the mounting flange 41 is fixedly connected to the valve block 3 to secure the plunger pump 4. In this way, the plunger pump 4 can be integrated with the valve block 3. Compared with existing electro-hydraulic actuators (in which the plunger pump is located between the motor and the valve block), the present invention not only reduces the size of the electro-hydraulic actuator and improves the compactness of the device, but also reduces the number of connection leaks in the pipelines of the electro-hydraulic actuator and shortens the length of the cooling circuit and cooling channel.

[0043] The distributed electro-hydraulic actuator of the present invention further includes a hydraulic cylinder 5, which is located at the bottom of the valve block 3. The valve block 3 is also provided with a rodless chamber oil port 36 and a rod chamber oil port 37. The rodless chamber oil port 36 communicates with the rodless chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 5, and the rod chamber oil port 37 communicates with the rod chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 5. The hydraulic cylinder 5 can compensate for asymmetric flow in the hydraulic circuit and oil leakage from the plunger pump 4.

[0044] The present invention also provides a heat dissipation method for a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator, comprising: Step S1: Coolant enters the casing cooling circuit 22 from the coolant inlet 21, thereby cooling the hydraulic oil in the motor body 1 and the water-cooled casing 2. Step S2: The coolant enters the valve block cooling circuit 31 through the casing cooling circuit 22, thereby cooling the hydraulic oil in the plunger pump 4. Step S3: The coolant returns to the external cooling device from the coolant outlet 38. Step S4: Repeat Steps S1 to S3 to achieve cyclic cooling of the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator.

[0045] The heat dissipation method further includes: the hydraulic oil of the plunger pump 4 enters the inner cavity 24, and then returns to the oil tank through the first hydraulic oil cooling channel 23, the second hydraulic oil cooling channel 32, the third hydraulic oil cooling channel 33 and the hydraulic oil outlet 34 to achieve cooling.

[0046] In other words, the heat dissipation method of the present invention includes two methods for cooling hydraulic oil: passive cooling (corresponding to the cooling circuit) and active cooling (corresponding to the hydraulic oil cooling channel). During passive cooling, coolant enters the housing cooling circuit 22 and the valve block cooling circuit 31 from the coolant inlet 21, cooling the hydraulic oil on the motor side and the hydraulic oil on the plunger pump 4 side in turn. The coolant finally flows back to the external cooling device. During active cooling, the hydraulic oil on the plunger pump 4 side can enter the inner cavity 24, and the hydraulic oil on the motor side is also in the inner cavity 24. The inner cavity 24 is connected to the first hydraulic oil cooling channel 23. The hydraulic oil inside the electro-hydraulic actuator can pass through the first hydraulic oil cooling channel 23, the second hydraulic oil cooling channel 32, the third hydraulic oil cooling channel 33, and the hydraulic oil outlet 34 to return to the oil tank for cooling. The two heat dissipation methods can be used in parallel, significantly improving the heat dissipation efficiency and heat dissipation performance of the electro-hydraulic actuator. In addition, the temperature of the motor body 1 can be significantly reduced, allowing the motor to select a higher input power when operating.

[0047] In summary, the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator of the present invention has at least the following advantages:

[0048] 1. The present invention can cool the motor and plunger pump by improving the internal structure of the electro-hydraulic actuator. Compared with the natural convection heat dissipation method of traditional electro-hydraulic actuators, the heat exchange efficiency of the present invention is greatly improved, and the problems of poor heat dissipation performance caused by the integrated layout and the rapid increase in oil temperature caused by local heat accumulation are improved, thereby extending the service life of the motor and the pipelines in the system.

[0049] 2. The present invention integrates two heat dissipation methods to ensure the overall thermal balance of the mechanism, greatly improves the heat dissipation efficiency of the motor body 1 and the plunger pump 4, and significantly reduces the temperature of the motor body 1, so that the motor can select a larger input power range when working.

[0050] 3. During installation, the present invention connects the mounting flange 41 of the plunger pump 4 to the mounting surface of the valve block 3 by screws, thereby increasing the integration of the device, reducing leakage points in pipeline connections, and shortening the length of the control oil channel.

[0051] Based on the above-described ideal embodiments of the present invention, and in accordance with the above description, relevant personnel are fully capable of making various changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the technical concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A heat dissipation method for a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator, characterized in that: include: A motor body (1), wherein the motor body (1) is externally provided with a water-cooling casing (2), the water-cooling casing (2) is provided with a coolant inlet (21) and a casing cooling circuit (22), and the coolant inlet (21) is in communication with the casing cooling circuit (22); A valve block (3), the valve block (3) being connected to one end of the water-cooled casing (2), a valve block cooling circuit (31) being provided in the valve block (3), and the valve block cooling circuit (31) being in communication with the casing cooling circuit (22); A plunger pump (4), the plunger pump (4) being installed in the valve block (3), and the plunger pump (4) being connected to the motor body (1); The heat dissipation method comprises: S1, the coolant enters the casing cooling circuit (22) from the coolant inlet (21), and at this time, the coolant can cool the motor body (1) and the hydraulic oil in the water-cooled casing (2); S2, the coolant enters the valve block cooling circuit (31) through the casing cooling circuit (22), and at this time, the hydraulic oil of the plunger pump (4) can be cooled; S3, the coolant returns to the external cooling device from the coolant outlet (38) on the valve block (3); S4, repeating steps S1 to S3 to achieve cyclic cooling of the distributed electro-hydraulic actuator; The heat dissipation method further includes: The hydraulic oil of the plunger pump (4) enters the inner cavity (24), and then returns to the oil tank through the first hydraulic oil cooling channel (23), the second hydraulic oil cooling channel (32), the third hydraulic oil cooling channel (33) and the hydraulic oil outlet (34) to achieve cooling; The heat dissipation method includes two ways to cool the hydraulic oil, namely passive cooling and active cooling. The passive cooling process is that the coolant enters the casing cooling circuit (22) and the valve block cooling circuit (31) from the coolant inlet (21), cools the hydraulic oil on the motor side and the hydraulic oil on the plunger pump (4) side in turn, and the coolant finally flows back to the external cooling device: The active cooling process is that the hydraulic oil on the plunger pump (4) side enters the inner cavity (24), the hydraulic oil on the motor side is also in the inner cavity (24), the inner cavity (24) is connected to the first hydraulic oil cooling channel (23), and the hydraulic oil inside the electro-hydraulic actuator can pass through the first hydraulic oil cooling channel (23), the second hydraulic oil cooling channel (32), the third hydraulic oil cooling channel (33), and the hydraulic oil outlet (34) to return to the oil tank for cooling.

2. The heat dissipation method of a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The casing cooling circuit (22) is spiral-shaped, and the valve block cooling circuit (31) comprises a first cooling channel (311), wherein the first cooling channel (311) is connected to one end of the casing cooling circuit (22).

3. The heat dissipation method of a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The valve block cooling circuit (31) further comprises: a second cooling channel (312), a third cooling channel (313) and a fourth cooling channel (314), wherein the second cooling channel (312) is connected to the first cooling channel (311), the third cooling channel (313) is connected to the second cooling channel (312), the fourth cooling channel (314) is connected to the third cooling channel (313), and the fourth cooling channel (314) is connected to a coolant outlet (38) on the valve block (3).

4. The heat dissipation method of a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first cooling channel (311), the second cooling channel (312), the third cooling channel (313) and the fourth cooling channel (314) are arranged around the plunger pump (4).

5. The heat dissipation method of a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water-cooling housing (2) is also provided with a first hydraulic oil cooling channel (23), one end of the first hydraulic oil cooling channel (23) is connected to the inner cavity (24) of the water-cooling housing (2), and the other end of the first hydraulic oil cooling channel (23) is connected to the valve block (3).

6. The heat dissipation method of a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator according to claim 5, characterized in that: The valve block (3) is further provided with a second hydraulic oil cooling channel (32), a third hydraulic oil cooling channel (33) and a hydraulic oil outlet (34); the second hydraulic oil cooling channel (32) is connected to the other end of the first hydraulic oil cooling channel (23); one end of the third hydraulic oil cooling channel (33) is connected to the second hydraulic oil cooling channel (32); and the other end of the third hydraulic oil cooling channel (33) is connected to the hydraulic oil outlet (34).

7. The heat dissipation method of a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator according to claim 5, characterized in that: A mounting cavity (35) is provided in the valve block (3), the plunger pump (4) is mounted in the mounting cavity (35), and one end of the plunger pump (4) is communicated with the inner cavity (24).

8. The heat dissipation method of a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator according to claim 7, characterized in that: One end of the plunger pump (4) is provided with a mounting flange (41). When the plunger pump (4) is installed in the mounting cavity (35), the mounting flange (41) is fixedly connected to the valve block (3) to fix the plunger pump (4).

9. The heat dissipation method of a distributed electro-hydraulic actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A hydraulic cylinder (5), the hydraulic cylinder (5) is located at the bottom of the valve block (3), and the valve block (3) is further provided with a rodless chamber oil port (36) and a rod chamber oil port (37), the rodless chamber oil port (36) is connected to the rodless chamber of the hydraulic cylinder (5), and the rod chamber oil port (37) is connected to the rod chamber of the hydraulic cylinder (5).

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