SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING AT LEAST ONE HYDRAULIC VALVE

Abstract

System 100 for controlling at least one hydraulic valve 136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142'' by a user 154, comprising a sensor unit 102 arranged on the body of the user 154; an evaluation unit 118 communicatively connected to the sensor unit 102; and a control unit 132 communicatively connected to the evaluation unit 118; wherein the at least one hydraulic valve 136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142'' is communicatively connected to the control unit 132 and is controlled thereby.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to the control of systems that effect a lifting action with fluids. In particular, the present invention relates to a system for controlling at least one hydraulic valve and, accordingly, to a vehicle and method. Technical background and task

[0002] In forestry and agriculture, machines are used that use hydraulic valves for high flow rates. For example, logging trailers, forwarders, loading grapples, and forestry cranes are used in forestry to process or move tree trunks. In agriculture, however, bale grapples, harvesters, and round balers are used. All of these machines frequently use hydraulically operated elements such as grapples, for example, to hold or move large loads. Most machines are operated with simple levers.

[0003] Serious accidents occur repeatedly during this work, especially during loading operations. Loading itself, for example, of tree trunks, is also often time-consuming. Both of these are often caused by the limited and non-intuitive functionality of the levers, which allow only a few settings (such as "forward," "backward," and "neutral / zero position"). In the worst case, only one lever can be operated at a time, or a lever controls a specific joint of the machine, e.g., the opening / closing mechanism of a tong.

[0004] Therefore, an inexperienced user may have to think for a while about which lever will defuse a dangerous situation. An experienced user, on the other hand, knows which lever to use. However, valuable time can be lost because only two levers can be operated simultaneously (left and right hand) or because using multiple levers simultaneously is not possible at all.

[0005] From DE 10 2020 113 890 A1, systems are known which control a working hydraulic system by means of an operating device with a sensor surface arranged on an armrest.

[0006] Furthermore, WO 2009 / 024 881 A1 discloses systems relating to the provision of a command to a remote target in a local wireless network. The remote target is identified and controlled by moving a motion detection device, such as a jacket with appropriate sensors, through a sequence of first and second movements. These movements can be part of a gesture language. If the second movement matches at least one movement feature associated with a command, the command is provided to the identified remote target.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a system for controlling at least one hydraulic valve and, accordingly, a vehicle and a method which eliminates at least one of the aforementioned disadvantages. Disclosure of the invention

[0008] The object is achieved according to the invention by the features of the main claims. Advantageous embodiments can be found in the subclaims.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, a system for controlling at least one hydraulic valve by a user comprises a sensor unit arranged on the user's body. Furthermore, the system comprises an evaluation unit communicatively connected to the sensor unit, as well as a control unit communicatively connected to the evaluation unit. The at least one hydraulic valve is communicatively connected to the control unit and is controlled by it.

[0010] A hydraulic valve is a device that controls the flow of fluids in a system where forces are to be transmitted using fluids. This is achieved by changing the pressure conditions, for example, by starting, stopping, or changing the fluid flow by opening, closing, or constricting a passage. The hydraulic valve thus enables the conversion of hydraulic energy into mechanical work.

[0011] The sensor unit is used to capture a user-intentioned movement, such as the gripping of a pair of pliers or the swiveling of a crane, in sensor data. The evaluation unit can then process the sensor data and convert it into a control signal. This signal can then be forwarded to at least one hydraulic valve to control it.

[0012] The advantage of the system described above is that it can be operated from a safe distance. Furthermore, the system allows for intuitive control of multiple hydraulic valves simultaneously, which also has a positive effect on loading times.

[0013] In an advantageous embodiment, the at least one hydraulic valve is connected to at least one joint of a machine. Additional components are typically present to transfer force from the hydraulic valve to a joint, for example, a piston rod. A hydraulic valve can also exert a force on multiple joints simultaneously, for example, using multiple piston rods, as in the case of pliers.

[0014] In an advantageous configuration, the machine corresponds to one of the following forestry machines: logging trailer, forwarder, loading grapple, or forestry crane. Working in one of these machines can significantly reduce the risk potential, as large and heavy loads are handled.

[0015] In an advantageous design, the machine corresponds to one of the following agricultural machines: bale grab, harvester, boom mulcher or round baler.

[0016] In an advantageous design, the sensor unit is designed as an arm warmer and / or glove. This allows the human user to input control commands particularly intuitively, and thus safely and quickly.

[0017] In an advantageous embodiment, the sensor unit is formed with at least one pressure sensor and / or at least one acceleration sensor and / or at least one magnetic sensor and / or at least one gyroscope and / or at least one rotation rate sensor. These sensors are reliable and readily available.

[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the evaluation unit is formed with at least one computer-readable storage medium and a processor. The computer-readable storage medium can serve multiple purposes, for example, storing sensor data from the sensor unit or a computer program product that can evaluate the sensor data. Examples of computer-readable storage media are flash memory or solid-state drives. The processor can be embodied, for example, as an ECU (electronic control unit).

[0019] According to a second aspect of the invention, a vehicle comprises a system as described above. It should be noted that the system can be embodied as a single component. However, it is also possible to implement different parts of the system in different components. For example, the evaluation unit can correspond to an HPC (high-performance computer), i.e., a central computer of the vehicle.

[0020] The vehicle can be a forestry machine such as a logging trailer, forwarder, loader, or forestry crane. However, the vehicle can also be of other types, such as a truck, a motor vehicle, a train, an airplane, a helicopter, a bale grab, a harvester, or a round baler.

[0021] According to a third aspect of the invention, a method for controlling at least one hydraulic valve by a user comprises the following steps: - Obtaining sensor data from a sensor unit located on the user’s body, - Providing a model, wherein the model correlates the sensor data with pressures for a desired behavior of the at least one hydraulic valve, - Generation of an electrical control signal based on the model, and - Control of at least one hydraulic valve based on the electrical control signal.

[0022] The sensor data is generated using a sensor unit worn on the user's body. The sensor unit can be designed, for example, as a glove or sleeve on which one or more sensors are arranged. The sensors are selected and arranged so that they can detect user movement, for example, the movement of the fingers and an arm.

[0023] In addition, a model must be provided that correlates user movements, in the form of sensor data, with how a machine moved by hydraulic valves should behave. For example, the model can be used to define that a pair of pliers should close when the user closes their hand, or that a crane should follow the movements of the user's arm. Ultimately, the pressures of the hydraulic valve must be correlated with the desired behavior (closing the pliers, following the arm movement), which is conveyed in the form of sensor data.

[0024] In a subsequent step, an electrical control signal for the at least one hydraulic valve can be generated. This is based on the model, as it provides the necessary pressure (or pressures) for the at least one hydraulic valve to achieve the desired movement input by the user via the sensor unit.

[0025] Now, the at least one hydraulic valve is controlled directly or indirectly by means of the electrical control signal. The electrical control signal can be further converted before it is used to actually control the at least one hydraulic valve. This depends on the type of hydraulic valve used, as hydraulic valves can be controlled in different ways, for example, by force (push button, lever, pedal), mechanically (push button, spring, roller), electrically (electromagnet, electric motor), hydraulically or pneumatically, or by complex valves that represent a combination of the above-mentioned controls.

[0026] In an advantageous embodiment, the electrical control signal is used to control a push button, a lever, a spring, a pedal, a roller, an electromagnet, a motor, a valve or a combination of the above.

[0027] Using this procedure, carried out by a system as previously described, allows the control of hydraulic valves and the joints connected to them in a safe and intuitive way. Summary of the characters

[0028] The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments and figures. The figures show: Fig. 1: A flowchart of an embodiment of a system for controlling multiple hydraulic valves; Fig. 2: A schematic drawing of an embodiment of a vehicle with a system for controlling multiple hydraulic valves; and Fig. 3: A flowchart of a method for controlling at least one hydraulic valve. Detailed description of the characters

[0029] Fig. 1 shows a flow diagram of an embodiment of a system 100 for controlling a plurality of hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142.

[0030] The system 100 comprises a sensor unit 102, which in turn comprises three different sensors 104, 108, 112: a pressure sensor 104, an acceleration sensor 108 and a magnetic sensor 112. Each sensor 104, 108, 112 generates its own sensor data 106, 110, 114 in the form of pressure sensor data 106, acceleration sensor data 110 and magnetic sensor data 114. All sensor data 106, 110, 114 are in the example of Fig. 1 into fused sensor data 116. They are thus combined and processed in such a way that fragmented and contradictory sensor data 106, 110, 114 represent a homogeneous overall picture. However, it would be entirely possible to use the individual sensor data 106, 110, 114 instead of fused sensor data 116 for further use in system 100.

[0031] The sensor unit 102 can take various forms: a glove, a sleeve, a helmet, or a shirt. The sensors 104, 108, 112 can be of different nature depending on the type of sensor unit 102 and can be arranged accordingly. In a helmet, for example, acceleration sensors 108 can be attached to the front and rear parts to detect head tilt. In a glove, pressure sensors 104 can be attached to the fingertips to detect when the hand is closed. In general, the sensors 104, 108, 112 are to be arranged such that a movement desired by the user 154, for example, grasping a pair of pliers or swiveling a crane, can be captured in the sensor data 106, 108, 114.

[0032] The fused sensor data 116 is then transmitted to an evaluation unit 118. This can be done wirelessly, for example, using UWB (ultra wide band) or Bluetooth. Of course, this can also be achieved via any wired connection.

[0033] The evaluation unit 118 has a computer-readable storage medium 120 and a processor 126. A computer program product 124 is stored on the computer-readable storage medium 120, which can execute the steps of a method 160 for controlling at least one hydraulic valve 136, 138, 140, 142 (see Fig. 3). The computer program product 124 is in the form of a digital file written in a programming language, for example, Python or C++.

[0034] In addition, a model 122 is stored on the computer-readable storage medium 120. The model 122 correlates movements of the user 154 in the form of the fused sensor data 116 with a desired behavior of a machine movable by hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142. For example, the model 122 can be used to define that a pair of pliers should be closed when the user 154 closes his hand, or that a crane should follow the movements of the user 154's arm. For this purpose, the pressures of the hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142 must be correlated with the desired behavior (closing the pliers, following the arm movement), which is conveyed in the form of the fused sensor data 116.

[0035] The processor 126 executes the computer program product 124 stored on the computer-readable storage medium 120, using the model 122, and calculates the pressures to be set at the hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142 such that the movement input by the user 154 via the sensor unit 102 would be executed. For this purpose, the processor 126 generates an electronic control signal 128.

[0036] The electronic control signal 128 is transmitted to a control unit 132 of a forestry machine 130. This is typically done via a wired connection, although wireless transmission is also possible. In the control unit 132, the electronic control signal 128 is received by a signal converter 134. This converter is responsible for converting the electronic control signal 128 so that it can be processed by the hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142. In the example of Fig. 1, the hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142 are adjusted by an electric motor. The electronic control signal 128 encodes a pressure to be set for each hydraulic valve 136, 138, 140, 142. In the signal converter 134, these pressure values ​​are converted into electrical voltages to control the electric motors of the hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142. It is also possible for such a signal converter 134 to be installed directly in the hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142, and only the corresponding part of the control signal 128 is forwarded to the respective hydraulic valve 136, 138, 140, 142.

[0037] The hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142 are now actuated according to the control signal 128. The hydraulic valves 136, 138, 140, 142 are in turn connected to joints 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, often using piston rods 158 to enable power transmission over longer distances. The first and third hydraulic valves 136, 140 are each connected to two joints 144, 146; 148, 150. The third joint 148 is operated by the second and third hydraulic valves 138, 140. The fourth hydraulic valve 142 controls only the fifth joint 152.

[0038] Fig. 2 shows a schematic drawing of an embodiment of a vehicle 130 with a system 100 for controlling a plurality of hydraulic valves 136, 142, 142', 142''.

[0039] The vehicle 130 in Fig. 2 is designed as a forestry machine 130, which is used to lift and load a tree trunk 156. For this purpose, a user 154 sits in the forestry machine 130 and is equipped with a sensor unit 102 designed as a glove. This can communicate wirelessly with an evaluation unit 118 arranged in the forestry machine 130 and transmit its sensor data 106, 110, 114 thereto. The evaluation unit 118 generates an electronic control signal 128 and transmits it to a signal converter 134 to convert it into a signal usable for hydraulic valves 136, 142, 142', 142''.

[0040] In addition, the forestry machine 130 has the fourth hydraulic valve 142 Fig. 1, which is connected to only one joint, the fifth joint 152, by means of a piston rod 158. Furthermore, the forestry machine 130 has further fourth hydraulic valves 142', 142'' as well as further fifth joints 152', 152''. In these, one hydraulic valve 142', 142'' is always connected to exactly one joint 152', 152'' via a piston rod 158.

[0041] The forestry machine 130 also has a first hydraulic valve 136, which is characterized in that it is connected to two, namely the first and second joints 144, 146, via piston rods 158, and can thus open and close a clamp of the forestry machine 130.

[0042] The user 154 can now, for example, move the hand inserted into the (glove) sensor unit 102 left / right / up / down. The sensors 104, 108, 112 in the sensor unit 102 detect this movement and transmit the corresponding sensor data 106, 110, 114 to the evaluation unit 118. This unit identifies the movement and, using the model 122, translates it into pressures to be applied to the hydraulic valves 136, 142, 142', 142'' in order for the forestry machine 130 to execute the movement performed by the user 154.

[0043] The operator 154 can also close his hand to grasp the log 156 with the tongs. This makes loading logs 156 safer and faster.

[0044] Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a method 160 for controlling at least one hydraulic valve 136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142''.

[0045] In a maintenance step 162, which is carried out continuously (indicated by the circular arrow in Fig. 3), sensor data 106, 110, 114 of a sensor unit 102 arranged on the body of a user 154 are obtained.

[0046] In a provision step 164 executed independently, a model 122 is provided. The model 122 correlates the sensor data 106, 110, 114 with pressures for a desired behavior of the at least one hydraulic valve 136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142''.

[0047] Now, in a generation step 166, an electrical control signal 128 is generated based on the model 122.

[0048] Thereafter, in a control step 168, the at least one hydraulic valve 136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142'' is controlled on the basis of the electrical control signal 128. List of reference symbols 100 systems 102 Sensor unit 104 Pressure sensor 106 Pressure sensor data 108 Accelerometer 110 Accelerometer data 112 Magnetic sensor 114 Magnetic sensor data 116 Fused sensor data 118 Evaluation unit 120 Computer-readable storage medium 122 Model 124 Computer program product 126 processor 128 Electrical control signal 130 forestry machine 132 Control unit 134 signal converters 136 First hydraulic valve 138 Second hydraulic valve 140 Third hydraulic valve 142 Fourth hydraulic valve 142', 142'' Additional fourth hydraulic valve 144 First joint 146 Second joint 148 Third joint 150 Fourth joint 152 Fifth joint 152', 152'' Additional Fifth Joint 154 users 156 tree trunk 158 Piston rod 160 procedures 162 Conservation step 164 Deployment step 166 Generation step 168 Control step

Claims

[1] System (100) for controlling at least one hydraulic valve (136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142'') by a user (154), comprising a) a sensor unit (102) arranged on the body of the user (154), b) an evaluation unit (118) which is communicatively connected to the sensor unit (102), c) a control unit (132) which is communicatively connected to the evaluation unit (118), and wherein the at least one hydraulic valve (136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142'') is communicatively connected to the control unit (132) and is controlled thereby. [2] System according to claim 1, characterized by that the at least one hydraulic valve (136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142'') is connected to at least one joint (144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 152', 152'') of a machine. [3] System according to claim 2, characterized bythat the machine corresponds to one of the following forestry machines: logging trailer, forwarder, loading grapple or forestry crane. [4] System according to claim 2, characterized by that the machine corresponds to one of the following agricultural machines: bale grab, harvester, boom mulcher or round baler. [5] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the sensor unit (102) is designed as an arm warmer and / or glove. [6] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the sensor unit (102) is formed with at least one pressure sensor (104) and / or at least one acceleration sensor (108) and / or at least one magnetic sensor (112) and / or at least one gyroscope and / or at least one rotation rate sensor. [7] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the evaluation unit (118) is formed with at least one computer-readable storage medium (120) and a processor (126). [8] Vehicle (130) comprising a system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims. [9] Method (160) for controlling at least one hydraulic valve (136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142'') by a user (154), comprising the steps: a) receiving (162) sensor data (106, 110, 114) from a sensor unit (102) arranged on the body of the user (154), b) providing (164) a model (122), wherein the model (122) correlates the sensor data (106, 110, 114) with pressures for a behavior to be achieved of the at least one hydraulic valve (136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142''), c) generating (166) an electrical control signal (128) based on the model (122), and d) controlling (168) the at least one hydraulic valve (136, 138, 140, 142, 142', 142'') on the basis of the electrical control signal (128). [10] Method according to claim 9, characterized by that the electrical control signal (128) is used to control a push button, a lever, a spring, a pedal, a roller, an electromagnet, a motor, a valve or a combination of the above.

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