HYDRAULIC VALVE DEVICE

Abstract

To efficiently supply a large quantity of oil to the linear motion slide, a hydraulic valve device 1 is provided, which controls the oil supply from a hydraulic pump to a hydraulic device by actuating a slide provided in a valve body, wherein the valve body 20 contains two pump oil passages 21A and 21B, which are connected to separate hydraulic pumps 9 via pump ports 22A and 22B, and several cylinder slides 33, which are separately provided corresponding to several hydraulic cylinders 11 and 12, wherein the pump oil passages 21A and 21B are provided in the valve body 20 to be arranged side by side in the same direction, wherein the several cylinder slides 33 are connected by a section located on one side of the pump ports 22A and 22B in the pump oil passages 21A and 21B, and the pump oil passages 21A and 21B are connected to each other via a merging / separating oil passage 42.which includes a 44V merging / separating switching valve at an end section located on one side of pump connections 22A and 22B.

Description

AREA

[0001] The present invention relates to a hydraulic valve device, and more particularly to a hydraulic valve device in which a plurality of linear motion spools corresponding to a linear motion hydraulic device such as a hydraulic cylinder are provided in a valve body. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a hydraulic valve device that controls the oil supply to a plurality of hydraulic cylinders, two pump oil passages are provided in a valve body, and each of the pump oil passages is connected to a hydraulic pump via a pump port. A linear motion spool for controlling the oil supply to the hydraulic cylinders is connected to each pump oil passage. A merge / separation switching valve is provided between the two pump oil passages. This type of hydraulic valve has the advantage that oil supplied to one pump port and oil supplied to the other pump port can be merged and supplied to the hydraulic cylinder by connecting the two pump oil passages through the merge / separation switching valve (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). CITATION LISTPATENT LITERATURE

[0003] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H03-140678 (Second Drawing) SUMMARYTECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0004] However, in the hydraulic valve device described above, oil flows at a high flow rate from the two hydraulic pumps that have been passed through the merge / separation switching valve through a portion of the pump oil passage to which the other linear motion spool is connected. Therefore, there is still room for improvement considering the pressure loss until oil is supplied to the target linear motion spool.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic valve device capable of efficiently supplying a large amount of oil to a linear motion spool. SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a hydraulic valve device is arranged between a hydraulic device and a hydraulic pump and controls the oil supply from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic device by operating a spool provided in a valve body.The valve body further includes two pump oil passages connected to separate hydraulic pumps via pump ports, and a plurality of linear motion spools provided separately and corresponding to a plurality of linear motion hydraulic devices, the two pump oil passages being arranged side by side in the valve body in the same direction, the plurality of linear motion spools being connected to a portion located on one side of the pump port in the pump oil passages, and the two pump oil passages being connected to each other via a merge / separation oil passage including a merge / separation switching valve at an end portion located on one side of the pump port. Advantageous effects of the invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently supply a large amount of oil to the linear motion piston while minimizing the pressure loss because the oil that has passed through the merge / separation switching valve does not mix with the oil supplied from another hydraulic pump before reaching the target linear motion spool, and the flow rate of the oil flowing through the pump oil passage is reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the interior of a hydraulic valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the interior of the Fig. 1 illustrated hydraulic valve device from a different angle. Fig. 3A is a perspective view showing Fig. 1 and only one configuration of a working equipment slide in the Fig. 1 illustrated hydraulic valve device. Fig. 3B is a perspective view showing Fig. 2 and only the configuration of the travel valve of the working equipment in the Fig. 1 illustrated hydraulic valve device. Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing Fig. 1 and only one configuration of a travel valve in the Fig. 1 illustrated hydraulic valve device. Fig. 4B is a perspective view showing Fig. 2 and only the configuration of the travel valve in the Fig. 1 illustrated hydraulic valve device. Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing Fig. 1 and only one configuration of a swing gate valve in the Fig. 1 illustrated hydraulic valve device. Fig. 5B is a perspective view showing Fig. 2 and only the configuration of the swing gate valve in the Fig. 1 illustrated hydraulic valve device. Fig. 6A is a side view illustrating a working machine on which the Fig. 1 shown hydraulic valve device is attached. Fig. 6B is a rear view illustrating the working machine to which the Fig. 1 shown hydraulic valve device is attached. Fig. Figure 6C is a plan view illustrating the working machine on which the Fig. 1 shown hydraulic valve device is attached. Fig. 7 is a plan view schematically illustrating a hydraulic circuit of the working machine to which the Fig. 1 shown hydraulic valve device is attached. Fig. 8 is a front view of the Fig. 1 shown hydraulic valve device, seen from the front. Fig. 9 is a left side view of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a right side view of Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a rear view of Fig. 8. Fig. 12 is a plan view of Fig. 8. Fig. 13 is a bottom view of Fig. 8. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X1-X1 in Fig. 8. Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X2-X2 in Fig. 8. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X3-X3 in Fig. 8. Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X4-X4 in Fig. 8. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a hydraulic valve device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0009] Fig. 1 to 5B show a concept for a hydraulic valve device according to the present invention. As shown in the Fig. 6A, Fig. 6B, Fig. 6C and Fig. 7, a hydraulic valve device 1 described herein is mounted on a work machine including an upper swing body 3, a boom 4, and an arm 5 in an upper portion of a lower traveling body 2. The lower traveling body 2 includes crawler belts 6 on both sides and traveling hydraulic motors (rotary hydraulic device) 7 separately corresponding to the respective crawler belts 6, and can move by driving the crawler belts 6 via the traveling hydraulic motors 7. The upper swing body 3 is rotatably supported with respect to the lower traveling body 2 around a swing axis in the vertical direction. A swing hydraulic motor (rotary hydraulic device) 8 is provided between the lower traveling body 2 and the upper swing body 3 to allow the upper swing body 3 to swing with respect to the lower traveling body 2.The travel hydraulic motor 7 and the swing hydraulic motor 8 each have two supply ports 7a and 8a and can rotate in both forward and reverse directions by changing the oil supply direction. A hydraulic pump 9 is mounted on the upper swing body 3. The hydraulic pump 9 is driven by a motor 10, and two hydraulic pumps 9 with the same maximum discharge flow rate are provided in the upper swing body 3. In the illustrated example, the motor 10 is mounted on the left side in the rear section of the upper swing body 3, and the two hydraulic pumps 9 are mounted on the right side in the rear section of the upper swing body 3 and simultaneously adjacent to the motor 10. The boom 4 is rotatably supported by the upper swing body 3 via a support shaft at a base end portion thereof in the horizontal direction.The arm 5 is rotatably supported at a distal end portion of the boom 4 via a base end portion thereof by a horizontal support shaft. A boom hydraulic cylinder (linear motion hydraulic device) 11 is provided between the upper swing body 3 and the boom 4, and an arm hydraulic cylinder (linear motion hydraulic device) 12 is provided between the boom 4 and the arm 5. The boom hydraulic cylinder 11 and the arm hydraulic cylinder 12 are each of a double-acting single-rod type cylinder with a single piston rod. The boom hydraulic cylinder 11 is supported by the upper swing body 3 via a cylinder body 11a and by the boom 4 via a piston rod 11b. The arm hydraulic cylinder 12 is supported by the boom 4 via a cylinder body 12a and by the arm 5 via a piston rod 12b.

[0010] The hydraulic valve device 1 is arranged between the above-described travel hydraulic motor 7, the swing hydraulic motor 8, the boom hydraulic cylinder 11 and the arm hydraulic cylinder 12 (hereinafter, the devices may be collectively referred to as hydraulic devices) and the hydraulic pump 9, controls the oil supply from the hydraulic pump 9 to the hydraulic devices 7, 8, 11 and 12, and includes a valve body 20 as shown in Fig. 1. The valve body 20 has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, which Fig. 1 in the vertical direction. In the following description, Fig. 1, for the sake of simplicity, a surface located obliquely on the right front surface of the valve body 20 is referred to as the front surface 20a, a surface running parallel to the front surface 20a is referred to as the rear surface 20b, and two surfaces located on both sides are referred to as side surfaces 20c and 20d. In addition, in Fig. 1 an upwardly facing surface is referred to as upper surface 20e and a downwardly facing surface is referred to as lower surface 20f.

[0011] As in Fig. 1 to 5B and Fig.As shown in FIGS. 8 to 17, two pump oil passages 21A and 21B are provided in the valve body 20. The pump oil passages 21A and 21B each extend linearly in the vertical direction of the valve body 20 and are formed to have the same inner diameter. In the illustrated example, the two pump oil passages 21A and 21B are arranged side by side at symmetrical positions, running parallel to each other in a portion biased toward the rear surface 20b. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, the lower ends of the two pump oil passages 21A and 21B are both closed. When closing the lower ends of the pump oil passages 21A and 21B, a plug may be attached after the oil passage is formed. The upper ends of the two pump oil passages 21A and 21B are opened toward the upper surface 20e of the valve body 20.In the present embodiment, the pump oil passages 21A and 21B are connected to the individual hydraulic pumps 9 via pump ports 22A and 22B, respectively. The pump ports 22A and 22B extend straight rearward from the pump oil passages 21A and 21B and open at the rear surface 20b of the valve body 20. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, the distances between the pump ports 22A and 22B and the hydraulic pump 9 are equal.

[0012] In each of the pump oil passages 21A and 21B, two cylinder spool holes 23 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, in a portion located above a connecting portion with the pump ports 22A and 22B. Furthermore, each of the pump oil passages 21A and 21B is provided with a travel spool hole 24 at a portion below the connecting portion with the pump ports 22A and 22B. Furthermore, a swing spool hole 25 is provided in the pump oil passage 21A, which is located on the left side from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20, in a portion located below the travel spool hole 24. The cylinder spool hole 23, the travel spool hole 24, and the swing spool hole 25 extend linearly along the front-rear direction of the valve body 20 and communicate with the pump oil passages 21A and 21B by penetrating into the corresponding pump oil passages 21A and 21B.Both ends of the slide holes 23, 24 and 25 are closed.

[0013] The cylinder spool hole 23 is provided with a cylinder port 23a at a portion near the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. The cylinder port 23a extends from a side portion facing the side surfaces 20c and 20d of the valve body 20 in each cylinder spool hole 23 toward the side surfaces 20c and 20d, respectively, bends toward the front surface 20a, and is open to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. A boom rod oil passage 11Ha communicating with a rod chamber 11H of the boom hydraulic cylinder 11 is connected to the cylinder port 23a, which opens to the upper right as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. A lower boom oil passage 11Ba communicating with a lower chamber 11B of the boom hydraulic cylinder 11 is connected to the cylinder port 23a opening downward rightward as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20.Similarly, an arm bottom oil passage 12Ba communicating with a lower chamber 12B of the arm hydraulic cylinder 12 is connected to the cylinder port 23a opening upward to the left as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. An arm rod oil passage 12Ha communicating with a rod chamber 12H of the arm hydraulic cylinder 12 is connected to the cylinder port 23a opening downward to the left as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20.

[0014] The travel valve hole 24 is provided with the travel motor connections 24a1 and 24a2 in the middle or in a section next to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. The travel motor port 24a1 provided in the center of the travel valve hole 24 extends from an upper part facing the upper surface 20e of the valve body 20 to the upper surface 20e, bends toward the front surface 20a, and opens to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. The travel motor port 24a2 provided in a portion adjacent to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20 extends from the lateral portions facing the side surfaces 20c and 20d of the valve body 20 to the side surfaces 20c and 20d, bends toward the front surface 20a, and opens to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. The two travel motor ports 24a1 and 24a2 opening to the left as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20 are connected to the Oil passages 24MA1 or24MA2 of the travel hydraulic motor, which communicate with the supply port 7a of the travel hydraulic motor 7 on the right side of the lower travel body 2. The two travel motor ports 24a1 and 24a2, which open to the right as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20, are connected to the travel hydraulic motor oil passages 24MB1 and 24MB2, respectively, which communicate with the supply port 7a of the travel hydraulic motor 7 arranged on the left side of the lower travel body 2. The left and right sides of each of the travel hydraulic motors 7 have the same oil supply condition. That is, a passage length of the travel hydraulic motor oil passages 24MA1+24MA2 connected to one travel hydraulic motor 7 is equal to a passage length of the oil passages 24MB1+24MB2 connected to the other travel hydraulic motor 7, and the inner diameters of the oil passages 24MA1, 24MA2, 24MB1, and 24MB2 are also equal to each other.

[0015] The swing valve hole 25 is provided with swing motor connections 25a1 and 25a2 in the center or at a portion adjacent to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. The oscillating motor port 25a1 in the center of the oscillating valve hole 25 extends from a lateral portion facing the right side surface 20d as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20, toward the side surface 20d, bends toward the front surface 20a, and opens to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20. The oscillating motor port 25a2, located in a portion adjacent to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20, extends from a lateral portion facing the left side surface 20c as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20, toward the side surface 20c, bends toward the front surface 20a of the valve body 20, and opens to the front surface 20a of the valve body 20.The two swing motor ports 25a1 and 25a2 of the swing motor are each connected to a swing hydraulic motor oil passage 25M, which is connected to the supply port 8a of the swing hydraulic motor 8.

[0016] The spools (also called spools) are separately arranged in the cylinder spool hole 23, the travel spool hole 24, and the above-described swing spool hole 25. Although not shown in the drawings, the spool moves in an axial direction when pilot pressure is applied from a single EPC (electromagnetic proportional control) valve. Specifically, a cylinder spool (linear motion spool) 33 arranged in the cylinder spool hole 23 moves in the axial direction to switch an intermittent state between the pump oil passages 21A and 21B and the cylinder port 23a, and establishes a cylinder direction switching valve 33V with the cylinder spool hole 23.Similarly, a traveling spool (rotary spool) 34 disposed in the traveling spool hole 24 moves in the axial direction to switch an intermittent state between the pump oil passages 21A and 21B and the traveling motor ports 24a1 and 24a2, and establishes a traveling direction switching valve 34V with the traveling spool hole 24. A swinging spool (rotary spool) 35 disposed in the swinging spool hole 25 moves in the axial direction to switch an intermittent state between the pump oil passage 21A and the swinging motor ports 25a1 and 25a2, and establishes a swinging direction switching valve 35V with the swinging spool hole 25. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, the plurality of EPC valves corresponding to the spools 33, 34 and 35, respectively, are housed in a housing box EPCB located on the rear surface 20b of the valve body 20.

[0017] On the upper surface 20e of the valve body 20, a unit block 41 of a merge / separation switching unit 40 is arranged. The unit block 41 has a size that allows simultaneous coverage of the openings of the two pump oil passages 21A and 21B opened in the upper surface 20e of the valve body 20, and includes a merge / separation oil passage 42 and a valve spool hole 43 therein. The merge / separation oil passage 42 extends in the left-right direction within the unit block 41, and each end portion thereof is bent downward and opened to a lower surface of the unit block 41. The merge / separation oil passage 42 is connected to the upper ends of the pump oil passages 21A and 21B via openings at the lower end.The spool hole 43 extends linearly in the front-to-rear direction and communicates with the merging / separating oil passage 42 by penetrating the merging / separating oil passage 42 in the middle of a section extending in the left-right direction. Both end portions of the spool hole 43 are closed. A merging / separating spool 44 is disposed in the spool hole 43. When pilot pressure is applied from the EPC valve, the merging / separating spool 44 moves in the axial direction to switch an intermittent state of the merging / separating oil passage 42, and establishes a merging / separating switching valve 44V with the spool hole 43.

[0018] The above-described hydraulic valve device 1 is mounted at a position in front of the engine 10 and substantially at the center in the left-right direction in the upper swing body 3, while the front surface 20a of the valve body 20 faces the front surface of the working machine and the upper surface 20e faces upward. In the working machine incorporating the hydraulic valve device 1, when an operating lever (not illustrated) is operated, the corresponding spools 33, 34, 35, and 44 are appropriately operated via the EPC valve, and the oil supply state from the hydraulic pump 9 to the hydraulic devices 7, 8, 11, and 12 is changed.For example, when the pump oil passage 21B and the cylinder port 23a are communicated with each other by the operation of the cylinder spool 33 located in the upper right portion as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20, oil from the hydraulic pump 9 is supplied into the rod chamber 11H of the boom hydraulic cylinder 11 via the pump oil passage 21B, the cylinder port 23a, and the boom rod oil passage 11Ha. As a result, the boom hydraulic cylinder 11 is retracted, and the working machine can be caused to move a distal end of the boom 4 downward.Similarly, when the pump oil passage 21A and the cylinder port 23a are connected by the operation of the cylinder spool 33 located in the upper left portion as viewed from the front surface 20a of the valve body 20, oil from the hydraulic pump 9 is supplied into the bottom chamber 12B of the arm hydraulic cylinder 12 via the pump oil passage 21A, the cylinder port 23a, and the arm bottom oil passage 12Ba. As a result, the arm hydraulic cylinder 12 is extended, enabling a pulling operation of the distal end of the arm 5 toward the upper swing body 3 with respect to the working equipment.

[0019] While the joining / separating oil passage 42 is blocked by the joining / separating spool 44, oil is supplied to the hydraulic cylinders 11 and 12 via one of the pump oil passages 21A and 21B. On the other hand, when the joining / separating oil passage 42 is brought into communication by the joining / separating spool 44, the oil supplied from one hydraulic pump 9 into one pump oil passage 21A and the oil supplied from the other hydraulic pump 9 into the other pump oil passage 21B in the valve body 20 can be joined. As a result, oil can also be supplied from the other pump oil passage 21B to the cylinder port 23a connected to the one pump oil passage 21A, and the operation of the hydraulic cylinders 11 and 12 can be accelerated.Furthermore, according to the hydraulic valve device 1 described above, the merge / separation switching valve 44V configured by the merge / separation spool 44 is provided in the merge / separation oil passage 42 connecting the upper end portion of each of the pump oil passages 21A and 21B, and the cylinder spool 33 is connected to a portion of each of the pump oil passages 21A and 21B located above the connecting portions with the pump ports 22A and 22B. Therefore, the oil that has passed through the merge / separation switching valve 44V does not pass through the travel spool 34 or the swing spool 35 located below the connecting portion with the pump ports 22A and 22B before reaching the target cylinder spool 33.Since the oil that has passed through the merge / separation switching valve 44V does not mix with the oil supplied from the other hydraulic pump 9 before reaching the target cylinder spool 33, pressure loss in the oil passage can be prevented. As a result, more oil can be efficiently supplied to the cylinder spool 33 while minimizing pressure loss.

[0020] On the other hand, when the operating lever is operated to supply oil to the travel hydraulic motor 7, the work machine can be moved along the crawler belt 6, and when oil is supplied to the swing hydraulic motor 8, the upper swing body 3 can be swung with respect to the lower travel body 2. According to the above-mentioned hydraulic valve device 1, each of the pump oil passages 21A and 21B is provided with the travel spool 34 at a portion located below the connecting portion with the pump ports 22A and 22B. The oil passages from the pump ports 22A and 22B to each spool 34 are the same. In addition, the travel spool 34 is first connected to a portion located below the pump ports 22A and 22B, and the other travel spools 33 and 35 are not interposed.That is, in the hydraulic valve device 1 described above, there are no problems caused by the difference in the oil passage length between the two spools 34, nor are there problems caused by the difference in pressure loss. As a result, by operating the straight-running operating lever, the supply pressure and supply flow rate of oil to the two spools 34 can be equalized, thereby improving the straightness of the working machine to which the invention is applied.

[0021] In the above-described embodiment, the four cylinder spools 33 corresponding to the boom 4 and the arm 5 of the work machine are illustrated as linear motion spools. A linear motion spool corresponding to other linear motion hydraulic devices (hydraulic cylinders) may be provided to constitute the hydraulic valve device. For example, in the above-described work machine, a hydraulic valve device may be provided with a bucket spool corresponding to a bucket hydraulic cylinder for operating a bucket 13 provided at a distal end portion of the arm 5.

[0022] Further, in the above-described embodiment, the rotary valves 34 and 35 are provided corresponding to the hydraulic motors 7 and 8, which are rotary hydraulic devices, but the rotary valves 34 and 35 are not necessarily provided. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 1 HYDRAULIC VALVE DEVICE 7 DRIVE HYDRAULIC MOTOR 8 VIBRATION HYDRAULIC MOTOR 9 HYDRAULIC PUMP 11 BOOM HYDRAULIC CYLINDERS 12 ARM HYDRAULIC CYLINDERS 20 VALVE BODY 21A, 21B PUMP OIL PASSAGE 22A, 22B PUMP CONNECTION 33 CYLINDER VALVES 34 travel valves 35 SWING SLIDES 42 COMBINE / SEPARATE OIL PASSAGE 44V COMBINE / SEPARATE SWITCH VALVE QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 03-140678

[0003]

Claims

[1] A hydraulic valve device arranged between a hydraulic device and a hydraulic pump and controlling the oil supply from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic device by actuating a spool provided in a valve body, the valve body comprising: two pump oil passages connected to separate hydraulic pumps via pump connections, and several linear motion slides, which are provided separately for several linear motion hydraulic devices, the two pump oil passages in the valve body are provided to be arranged side by side in the same direction, the plurality of linear motion slides are connected to a portion located on one side of the pump ports in the pump oil passages, and the two pump oil passages are connected to each other via a merge / separate oil passage which includes a merge / separate switching valve at one end portion located on one side of the pump ports. [2] Hydraulic valve device according to claim 1, wherein the valve body contains rotary valves corresponding to rotating hydraulic devices, the pump connections are provided in the middle of the respective pump oil passages, and the rotary vanes are connected to a section located on the other side of the pump connections in the oil passages of the pump. [3] A hydraulic valve device according to claim 2, wherein the rotary valves control the oil supply to a travel hydraulic motor, two of the rotary valves are provided in the valve body, and the rotary valves are connected to separate pump oil passages without passing through other valves at positions where the distances to the pump ports are equal to each other. [4] A hydraulic valve device arranged between a hydraulic device and a hydraulic pump and controlling the oil supply from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic device by actuating a spool provided in a valve body, the valve body comprising: two pump oil passages connected to separate hydraulic pumps via pump connections, a plurality of linear motion slides provided separately for a plurality of linear motion hydraulic devices, and Rotary valves, which correspond to rotating hydraulic devices, the two pump oil passages in the valve body are arranged to lie next to each other in the same direction, the pump connections are provided in the middle of the pump oil passages, the plurality of linear motion slides are connected to a section located on one side of the pump ports in the pump oil passages, the rotary vanes are connected to a section located on the other side of the pump connections in the pump oil passages, and the two pump oil passages are connected to each other via a merging / separating oil passage which includes a merging / separating switching valve at one end portion to which the plurality of linear motion spools are connected.

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