Pump allocation method and apparatus, and electronic device

Abstract

A pump allocation method and apparatus, and an electronic device. The pump allocation method is applied to a multi-pump system, and comprises: receiving a first action signal used for instructing a target actuator to execute a target action; and then in response to the first action signal, taking at least one target pump out of a pump pond; and allocating the at least one taken-out target pump to the target actuator. The method avoids the flow loss by frequent pump switching.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310626946.8, filed on May 30, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of engineering machinery technologies, and in particular, to a pump allocation method, a device and an electronic device.BACKGROUND

[0003] In engineering machinery, it is common to use a large quantity of pumps, and the quantity of the pumps depends on a flow requirement of an entire system and a type of the pump. When the system operates, the pump delivers hydraulic oil to a hydraulic circuit, and then the hydraulic circuit distributes the hydraulic oil to actuators such as a cylinder or a motor, or to an actuating mechanism. Since a volumetric flow rate and a working pressure of different actuators are different, relatively large throttling losses may occur.

[0004] In order to eliminate these throttling losses, a separate hydraulic circuit can be configured for each actuator, but this requires a significant increase in the quantity of the pumps, or, a flow of the pump is distributed to each actuator through a valve system, thereby ensuring that each hydraulic circuit is always separated and avoiding the throttling losses caused by different working pressures. For example, the hydraulic system may adopt a lookup table method, in which the pumps are allocated for each actuator based on an allocation method corresponding to an action of the actuator statically stored in a lookup table.

[0005] However, in related technologies, when an operator continuously changes operations, the flow demand of each actuator changes accordingly, so that the corresponding pump allocation method changes continuously, which may result in frequent switching of the pump allocated to the actuator, thereby leading to unnecessary switching processes.SUMMARY Technical Problem

[0006] Based on above-mentioned defects and deficiencies of the related art, the present invention proposes a pump allocation method, a device and an electronic device, thereby realizing a dynamic allocation of pumps, and thus avoiding unnecessary and frequent switching of the pump allocated to the actuator.Technical Solution

[0007] According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present invention, a pump allocation method is provided, which is applied to a multi-pump system, the multi-pump system includes a pump pool storing idle pumps, the idle pumps are pumps in the multi-pump system not allocated to the actuator, and the method includes: receiving a first action signal, the first action signal is configured to instruct a target actuator to execute a target action; taking out at least one target pump from the pump pool in response to the first action signal; and allocating the at least one target pump to the target actuator.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a pump allocation device is provided, which includes: a receiving module, configured to receive the first action signal, the first action signal is configured to instruct a target actuator to execute a target action; a taking-out module, configured to take out at least one target pump from a pump pool of a multi-pump system in response to the first action signal; the pump pool stores an idle pump, the idle pump is a pump in the multi-pump system that is not assigned to an actuator; and an allocation module, configured to allocate the at least one target pump to the target actuator.

[0009] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, an electronic device is provided, which includes a memory and a processor; the memory is connected to the processor and is configured to store a program; and the processor is configured to execute the program stored in the memory to implement the pump allocation method as described in the first aspect.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a storage medium is provided. The storage medium stores a computer program, and the pump allocation method as described in the first aspect is implemented when the computer program is executed by the processor.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, engineering machinery is provided. The engineering machinery is provided with a multi-pump system, and the multi-pump system is configured to execute the pump allocation method as described in the first aspect or includes the pump allocation device as described in the second aspect.Advantageous Effects

[0012] In the above pump allocation method, device, and electronic device, in response to the received first action signal configured to instruct the target actuator to execute the target action, the at least one target pump is taken out from the pump pool and allocated to the target actuator. Therefore, dynamic allocation of the pumps is achieved without looking up a table, and thus a complexity of an algorithm of the multi-pump system is reduced. In a case of continuously receiving the first action signal, unnecessary pump switching is avoided, so that coordination of the actions is improved, thereby reducing impact to a system, and thus a service life of a component of the system is prolonged. In addition, during this process, an allocation of the pumps is dynamic, so that the system is more efficient.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] To more clearly illustrate technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or in the conventional technologies, the following will briefly introduce drawings required for describing the embodiments or the conventional technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those with ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a pump allocation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an idle pump queue according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of allocation of pumps according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of cancelling allocation of pumps according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a process of dynamically allocating pumps to a target actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a pump allocation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Technical solutions of embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a portion of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those with ordinary skill in the art without creative effort shill fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0015] As described in the background section, the hydraulic system adopts the lookup table method, in which the pumps are allocated for each actuator based on a pump allocation method corresponding to an action of the actuator statically stored in a lookup table. In this allocation method, when an operator continuously changes operations, the flow demand of each actuator continuously changes accordingly, so that the corresponding pump allocation method also continuously changes, which may lead to frequent switching of the pump allocated to the actuators, thereby resulting in unnecessary switching processes. For example, in a multi-pump system, an action a of the actuator corresponds to pump 1 in the table, but composite actions such as the action a and an action b of the actuator correspond to pump 2 and pump 3 in the table. In this way, when switching from the action a to the aforementioned composite actions, it is necessary to switch from the pump 1 which is already allocated to the actuator to a pump 2 and a pump 3, which will result in unnecessary switching processes, thereby causing specific actions to slow down, increase control difficulty, and reduce efficiency.

[0016] Based on this, the inventors, through further research, discovered that an idle pump in the multi-pump system (that is, a pump not allocated to the actuator in the multi-pump system) may be allocated to a corresponding actuator according to an action signal, so that dynamic allocation of a pump may be realized without a requirement for looking up a table, thereby a complexity of an algorithm for pump allocation in the multi-pump system is reduced. Therefore, unnecessary and frequent switching processes are avoided in a case that operations are continuously changed or action signals are continuously received, so that action coordination is improved, thereby impact to a system is reduced, and thus a service life of system components is prolonged and an efficiency of the system is improved.

[0017] Based on the above concept, the embodiments of the present specification provide a pump allocation method, which will be exemplarily described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Taking a multi-pump system with six pumps as an example, the pump allocation method provided by the embodiments of the present invention may be applied to an application scenario shown in FIG. 1. In the multi-pump system, valves of each actuator are connected to each pump, and a pressure sensor is installed in a circuit (each actuator) to detect pressure of each actuator. An operator operates a handle / pedal, and the handle / pedal generates a handle / pedal signal (for example, a first action signal) and transmits it to a controller. Herein, 0-100% represents an opening degree of the handle / pedal. The pressure sensors installed in the circuits of the actuators, such as a boom cylinder, an arm cylinder, a bucket cylinder, a swing motor, and a travel motor, transmit the pressure of each actuator obtained through pressure detection to the controller. Subsequently, the controller receives the handle / pedal signal and the pressure of each actuator. The controller, in response to the handle / pedal signal, controls each boom valve, each arm valve, each bucket valve, and each travel and swing valve, and independently controls each main pump (or pump) to match a flow demand of each actuator, thereby allocating the pump to the actuator to provide (hydraulic oil) flow to the actuator. Finally, the controller controls an engine according to a load to make the engine distribute power to each pump through a power take-off box, thereby enabling each pump to supply the hydraulic oil to the corresponding boom cylinder, arm cylinder, bucket cylinder, swing motor, travel motor, and other actuators.

[0019] Please refer to FIG. 1. In an exemplary embodiment, a pump allocation method is provided, applied to a multi-pump system, and is executed by a processor in the multi-pump system. Herein, the multi-pump system includes a pump pool, and the pump pool stores idle pumps (that is, a pump not allocated to an actuator in the multi-pump system). As shown in FIG. 2, the pump allocation method includes steps S201-S203: S201: receiving a first action signal.

[0020] Herein, the first action signal is configured to instruct a target actuator to execute a target action.

[0021] For example, receiving the first action signal sent by a handle / pedal.

[0022] For example, taking the handle as an example, in response to the operator's operation, the handle generates the first action signal based on its stroke and sends the first action signal to a controller in the multi-pump system. Correspondingly, the controller receives the first action signal.

[0023] Herein, the handle stroke includes an opening degree of the handle and a rotating direction of the handle.

[0024] S202: taking out at least one target pump from the pump pool in response to the first action signal.

[0025] In response to the first action signal, at least one idle pump stored in the pump pool is randomly taken out as the target pump, thereby the at least one target pump is obtained.

[0026] S203: allocating the at least one target pump to the target actuator.

[0027] The at least one target pump is allocated to the target actuator, so that the at least one target pump provides hydraulic oil to the target actuator under an action of the controller to enable the target actuator to operate and execute the target action.

[0028] In the present embodiment, after the multi-pump system receives the first action signal instructing the target actuator to execute the target action, in response to the first action signal, the at least one target pump is taken out from the pump pool storing the idle pumps in the multi-pump system, and the at least one target pump is allocated to the target actuator, thereby achieving dynamic allocation of the pump without looking up a table, and thus reducing a complexity of an algorithm of the pump allocation for the multi-pump system. Therefore, in a case that the first action signal is continuously received, that is, actions to be executed by the actuator continuously changes, unnecessary pump switching is avoided, and action coordination is improved, thereby reducing impact to a system, and thus a service life of system components is prolonged and an efficiency of the system is improved.

[0029] In some embodiments, before executing the above pump allocation method shown in FIG. 2, it is also necessary to: storing the idle pumps in a plurality of pumps of the multi-pump system in the pump pool in a form of a queue to obtain an idle pump queue.

[0030] Where, the idle pump queue of the pump pool includes at least an identifier of the idle pump.

[0031] For example, taking the multi-pump system with the six pumps shown in FIG. 1 as an example, when all the six pumps are idle pumps, the six idle pumps are stored in the form of a queue in the pump pool, then the idle pump queue is obtained, which may be shown as in FIG. 3. Where, Pump 1 to Pump 6 are the six pumps in the multi-pump system, Pos: 1 to Pos:6 represent first to sixth positions in the queue, with Pump 1 to Pump 6 respectively in the first to sixth positions.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the idle pumps of the multi-pump system are stored in the form of a queue in the pump pool, so that an efficiency of allocating the idle pumps to the actuator is effectively improved, thereby improving an efficiency of executing an action. In a case that the first action signal is continuously received, the unnecessary pump switching is avoided, and the action coordination is improved, thereby reducing the impact to the system, and thus the service life of the system components is prolonged and the efficiency of the system is improved.

[0033] In some embodiments, when the idle pumps of the multi-pump system is stored in the form of the queue in pump pool, the taking out the at least one target pump from the pump pool in response to the first action signal includes: firstly determining a flow demand of the target actuator, then taking out the at least one target pump from the idle pump queue (of the pump pool) based on the flow demand of the target actuator.

[0034] Specifically, when determining the flow demand of the target actuator, the flow demand of the target actuator is determined based on the first action signal, flow demands of other actuators except the target actuator, power demands of other actuators, a system available flow, and a system available power.

[0035] Specifically, when taking out the at least one target pump starting from a first position in the idle pump queue based on the flow demand of the target actuator, based on the flow demand of the target actuator, starting from the first position in the idle pump queue, the at least one target pump is sequentially taken out until a combination of the at least one target pump taken out meeting the flow demand of the target actuator.

[0036] When sequentially taking out the at least one target pump, if the first idle pump in the idle pump queue, that is, an idle pump located at the first position of the idle pump queue, is taken out, and the first idle pump meets the flow demand of the target actuator, then stop taking out other idle pumps in the idle pump queue. If the first idle pump in the idle pump queue is taken out and the first idle pump does not meet the flow demand of the target actuator, then continue taking out the idle pump at a next position of the idle pump queue (that is, a second idle pump). If a combination of the first idle pump and second idle pump that have been taken out meets the flow demand of the target actuator, then stop taking out other idle pumps in the idle pump queue except for the first and second idle pump. This process continues iteratively until a combination of all idle pumps that have been taken out (that is, the at least one target pump taken out) meets the flow demand of the target actuator.

[0037] Alternatively, specifically, when taking out the at least one target pump starting from the first position in the idle pump queue based on the flow demand of the target actuator, first based on the flow demand of the target actuator, determining the at least one target pump starting from the first position in the idle pump queue, where a combination of the at least one target pump meets the flow demand of the target actuator. Then, the at least one target pump is taken out sequentially or simultaneously from the idle pump queue.

[0038] For example, based on the flow demand of the target actuator, if it is determined that the first idle pump in the idle pump queue does not meet the flow demand of the target actuator, but a combination of the first and second idle pumps in the idle pump queue meets the flow demand of the target actuator, then the first and second idle pumps in the idle pump queue are determined as the target pumps. Subsequently, the two target pumps are taken out from the idle pump queue sequentially, or the two target pumps are taken out from the idle pump queue simultaneously.

[0039] Of course, a method for taking out the at least one target pump from the idle pump queue is not limited to the methods mentioned above, it may be taken out through other methods, such as they are taken out in a random order.

[0040] In addition, the system available flow is a total flow that all the pumps in the system are able to provide.

[0041] The other actuators may be, for example, a radiator, an air conditioner, and the like.

[0042] The system available power is a total power that an engine is able to provide to each pump through a power take-off box under the control of the controller in the system.

[0043] In the present embodiment, after the flow demand of the target actuator is determined, based on the flow demand of the target actuator, the at least one target pump is taken out from the first position in the idle pump queue, ensuring that the at least one target pump to be subsequently allocated to the target actuator meets the flow demand of the target actuator, thereby allowing the target actuator to normally execute the target action.

[0044] In some embodiments, when determining the flow demand of the target actuator, first determining an initial flow demand of the target actuator based on the first action signal, then determining the flow demand of the target actuator based on the system available flow, the flow demand of the other actuators, the system available power, and the power demand of the other actuators.

[0045] Among them, the first action signal is determined based on, for example, a handle stroke. Generally, there is a corresponding relationship between the handle stroke and the initial flow demand of the actuator. Therefore, based on the first action signal, the initial flow demand of the corresponding target actuator is directly determined. That is, based on the handle stroke, the initial flow demand of the target actuator is directly determined.

[0046] Generally, the corresponding relationship between the handle stroke and the initial flow demand of the actuator is predetermined. For example, taking an oil cylinder as an example, the handle stroke corresponds to a speed demand of the oil cylinder. Based on a known speed demand of the oil cylinder corresponding to the handle stroke, and combined with an oil cylinder area or a motor displacement, the initial flow demand of the oil cylinder corresponding to the handle stroke is determined, thereby establishing the corresponding relationship between the handle stroke and the initial flow demand of the oil cylinder.

[0047] Certainly, after receiving the first action signal, the initial flow demand of the target actuator may also be determined through calculation. For example, taking the oil cylinder as an example, as the handle stroke corresponds to the speed demand of the oil cylinder described above, when detecting the first action signal generated based on the handle stroke a, in response to the first action signal, the speed demand of the oil cylinder corresponding to the handle stroke a is determined, and combined with the oil cylinder area or motor displacement, the initial flow demand of the corresponding oil cylinder is determined.

[0048] When determining the flow demand of the target actuator based on the system available flow, the flow demand of the other actuators, the system available power, and the power demand of the other actuators, first determining whether the initial flow demand of the target actuator is met based on the system available flow, the flow demand of the other actuators, the system available power, and the power demand of the other actuators, then determining the flow demand of the target actuator based on whether the initial flow demand of the target actuator is met.

[0049] Specifically, if the initial flow demand of the target actuator is met, then determining the initial flow demand of the target actuator as the flow demand of the target actuator. Correspondingly, if the initial flow demand of the target actuator does not be met, then performing at least one adjustment on the initial flow demand of the target actuator, and determining an adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator that is satisfied as the flow demand of the target actuator.

[0050] Specifically, if a sum of the initial flow demand of the target actuator and the flow demands of the other actuators exceeds the system available flow, then the system available flow does not meet the flow demand of the actuator, that is, the initial flow demand of the target actuator is not met. Alternatively, if the sum of the initial flow demand of the target actuator and the flow demands of the other actuators does not exceed the system available flow, but a sum of the initial power demand corresponding to the initial flow demand of the target actuator and a power demands of the other actuators exceeds a demand of the system available power, then the system available power does not meet the power demand of the actuator, that is, the target initial flow demand is not met.

[0051] Correspondingly, if the sum of the initial flow demand of the target actuator and the flow demands of the other actuators does not exceed the system available flow, and the sum of the initial power demand of the target actuator corresponding to the initial flow demand of the target actuator and the power demands of the other actuators does not exceed the demand of the system available power, then it is determined that the initial flow demand of the target actuator is met.

[0052] In addition, adjusting the initial flow demand of the target actuator means reducing the initial flow demand of the target actuator. In this way, when the system available flow and the system available power are fixed, the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator is satisfied.

[0053] More specifically, after determining that the initial flow demand of the target actuator is not satisfied based on the sum of the initial flow demand of the target actuator and the flow demands of the other actuators exceeds the system available flow:

[0054] First, based on the initial flow demand of the target actuator, the flow demands of the other actuators, and the system available flow, adjusting the initial flow demand of the target actuator until the sum of the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator and the flow demands of the other actuators does not exceed the system available flow.

[0055] Then, based on the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator and a pressure of the target actuator, determining the power demand corresponding to the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator, and based on the pressures and the flow demands of the other actuators, determining the power demand of the other actuators. If the sum of the power demand corresponding to the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator and the power demands of the other actuators exceeds the system available power, then based on the system available power, the power demand corresponding to the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator, and the power demands of the other actuators, adjusting the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator again until the sum of the power demand corresponding to the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator and the power demands of the other actuators does not exceed the system available power. At this point, the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator is satisfied, and the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator is determined as a required flow demand of the target actuator.

[0056] Alternatively, more specifically, after determining that the initial flow demand of the target actuator is not satisfied based on the sum of the initial flow demand of the target actuator and the flow demands of the other actuators not exceeding the system available flow, but the sum of the initial power demand corresponding to the initial flow demand of the target actuator and the power demands of the other actuators exceeding a system available power demand:

[0057] First, based on the initial flow demand of the target actuator and the pressure of the target actuator, determining the initial power demand corresponding to the initial flow demand of the target actuator, and based on the pressures and the power demands of the other actuators, determining the power demands of the other actuators. Then, based on the initial power demand corresponding to the initial flow demand of the target actuator, the power demands of the other actuators, and the system available power, adjusting the initial flow demand of the target actuator until the sum of the initial power demand of the target actuator and the power demands of the other actuators does not exceed the system available power. At this point, the adjusted flow demand of the target actuator is satisfied, and the adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator is determined as the required flow demand of the target actuator.

[0058] Where, a specific method for adjusting the initial flow demand of the target actuator please refer to an existing technology, and it will not be repeated herein.

[0059] In the present embodiment, based on the first action signal, and combined with the system available flow, the system available power, the flow demands of the other actuators, and the power demands of the other actuators, the initial flow demand of the target actuator is adjusted multiple times to obtain a demand flow suitable for the target actuator of the current multi-pump system, so that based on the flow demand of the target actuator, the at least one target pump in the pump pool satisfying the flow demand of the target actuator is allocated to the target actuator, thereby achieving reasonable allocation of the idle pumps.

[0060] In some embodiments, based on the flow demand of the target actuator, after taking out the at least one target pump starting from the first position of the idle pump queue, the idle pumps located after the at least one target pump in idle pump queue are sequentially moved forward.

[0061] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, taking an idle pump queue shown in FIG. 3 as an example, a handle 1 and a handle 2 are in a neutral position, that is, opening degrees of the handle 1 and handle 2 are both 0, and there is no necessary to allocate an idle pump in the idle pump queue to actuators, such as an actuator 1, an actuator 2, and an actuator 3. The handle 1 is pulled to a full position in a certain direction, that is, the opening degree in the certain direction is 100%, the handle 2 is in the neutral position, that is, the opening degree thereof is 0, to generate a first action signal a, and in response to the first action signal a, a pump 1 in a first position of the idle pump queue is taken out and allocated to the actuator 1. At this point, a pump 2 to a pump 6 in the idle pump queue are sequentially moved forward, and the pump 2 is in the first position of the idle pump queue. Subsequently, the handle 2 is pulled to a full position in a certain direction, that is, the opening degree in the certain direction is 100%, to generate a first action signal b, and in response to the first action signal b, the pump 2 and pump 3 are sequentially taken out from the idle pump queue of the pump pool and allocated to the actuator 2. At this point, the pump 4 to pump 6 in the idle pump queue are sequentially moved forward, and the pump 4 is in the first position of the idle pump queue.

[0062] In the present embodiment, after taking out the idle pump in the idle pump queue of the pump pool (that is, the at least one target pump), and allocating it to a corresponding actuator, the position of the idle pump in the idle pump queue is adjusted in time, so that the idle pumps in the idle pump queue are sequentially moved forward, thereby avoiding to place a released idle pump at the front of the queue, which makes a subsequently released idle pump be used multiple times relative to other idle pumps and affects a service life thereof.

[0063] In some embodiments, when the at least one target pump is allocated to the target actuator, based on information of the at least one target pump, a first control signal and a second control signal are generated, and the first control signal is sent to an associated valve of the target actuator, and the second control signal is sent to the at least one target pump.

[0064] The information of the target pump includes, for example, an identification of the target pump, a maximum flow rate of the target pump, a rated flow rate of the target pump, and the like.

[0065] The first control signal is configured to control an opening degree of the associated valve of the target actuator, and the second control signal is configured to control an opening degree of an outlet valve of the at least one target pump to provide flow for the target actuator and match the flow demand of the target actuator.

[0066] In addition, the information of the at least one target pump includes at least an identification of a pump.

[0067] Specifically, the number of the first control signals is multiple, so that the first control signals correspond one-to-one with the associated valves of the target actuator in the multi-pump system, and thus controlling the opening degree of each associated valve in a targeted manner. Similarly, a number of the second control signals is at least one, which corresponds one-to-one with the at least one target pump, and controls an opening of an outlet valve of each target pump in a targeted manner.

[0068] In the present embodiment, the first and second control signals are generated to control the opening degree of the associated valve of the target actuator and the opening degree of the outlet valve of the target pump in a targeted manner, to make the target pump to provide the hydraulic oil for the target actuator and match with the flow demand of the target actuator, thereby ensuring the normal execution of the target action of the target actuator.

[0069] In some embodiments, after allocating the at least one target pump to the target actuator, receiving a second action signal, and in response to the second action signal, decoupling a portion or all of the at least one target pump from part target actuator, and re-storing the portion or all of the at least one target pump into the pump pool, that is, reclaiming the portion or all of the at least one target pump previously allocated to the target actuator, canceling an allocation of the part or all of the pumps in the target pump.

[0070] The second action signal is configured to indicate that target actions executed by the target actuator to be partially or completely cancelled.

[0071] For example, taking a handle stroke corresponding to the first action signal having an opening of degree 100% as an example for explaining. If the handle stroke corresponding to the second action signal has an opening degree of 50%, then the second action signal is configured to indicate that the target actions executed by the target actuator to be partially cancelled. At this time, in response to the second action signal, if two pumps were previously allocated to the target actuator in response to the first action signal, then one of the two pumps may be decoupled from the target actuator, and the decoupled pump is re-stored into the pump pool. If the handle stroke corresponding to the second action signal has an opening degree of 0, then the second action signal is configured to indicate that the target actions executed by the target actuator to be completely cancelled. At this time, in response to the second action signal, if two pumps were previously allocated to the target actuator in response to the first action signal, the two pumps are decoupled from the target actuator and stored into the pump pool.

[0072] When the portion or all of the at least one target pump includes at least two pumps, the at least two pumps may be decoupled sequentially or simultaneously from the target actuator. An order of a sequential decoupling may be random or the same as an order taken out from the idle pump queue.

[0073] In the present embodiment, in response to the second action instruction indicating that the target actions executed by the target actuator to be partially or completely cancelled, the portion or all of the pumps in the at least one target pump allocated to the target actuator are decoupled from the target actuator and re-stored into the pump pool, which may achieve on-demand release and use of the pumps, thereby facilitating reallocation of released / decoupled pumps to corresponding actuators, and thus improving an utilization rate of the pumps.

[0074] In some embodiments, the re-storing the portion or all of the at least one target pump into the pump pool includes: re-storing the portion or all of the at least one target pump to a position after last one in the idle pump queue.

[0075] Specifically, the portion or all of the at least one target pump is simultaneously or sequentially re-stored to the position after the last one in the idle pump queue. Certainly, whether they are re-stored simultaneously or sequentially, these re-stored idle pumps are sequentially arranged to the position after the last one in the idle pump queue.

[0076] Specifically, the portion or all of the at least one target pump may be simultaneously or sequentially re-stored to the position after the last one in the idle pump queue according to an order in which the at least one target pump is taken out from the idle pump queue, or an arrangement order of the at least one target pump in the idle pump queue, or a random order, or a decoupling order of the portion or all of the at least one target pump form the target actuator.

[0077] Illustratively, the target pumps assigned to the target actuator includes the pump 1 and the pump 2. According to an order in which the pump 1 and the pump 2 are taken out from the idle pump queue or the pump pool, for example, the pump 1 first and then the pump 2, in response to the second action command configured to indicate that all actions to be performed by the target actuator to be cancelled, the pump 1 and the pump 2 are simultaneously decoupled from the target actuator, or the pump 1 is first decoupled from the target actuator and then the pump 2 is decoupled from the target actuator, and according to the order of the pump 1 first and then the pump 2, the pump 1 and the pump 2 are sequentially re-stored to the position after the last one in the idle pump queue. After the pump 1 and the pump 2 are re-stored, they are located in last two positions in the idle pump queue, with the pump 1 in a first position of the last two positions and the pump 2 in a second position of the last two positions.

[0078] Illustratively, as shown in FIG. 5, after allocating the pumps in response to the first action command as shown in FIG. 4, the handle 2 is pulled back to an opening degree of 50% to generate a second action signal c, which is configured to cancel the actions performed by the actuator 2 partially. According to an order in which the pump 2 and the pump 3 are taken out, the pump 2 is first decoupled from the actuator 2 and is re-stored into the idle pump queue, and is located at a last position in a current idle pump queue, that is, a position of Pos:4. Subsequently, the handle 1 is pulled back to an opening degree of 0 to generate a second action signal d, which is configured to cancel all actions performed by the actuator 1. The pump 1 is decoupled from the actuator 1 and re-stored into the idle pump queue, and is located at a last position in the current idle pump queue, that is, a position of Pos:5. Finally, the handle 2 is pulled back to an opening degree of 0. At this time, both the handle 1 and the handle 2 are in a neutral position, not deflected in any direction, to generate a second action command e, which is configured to cancel the remaining portion of the actions performed by the actuator 2. The pump 3 is decoupled from the actuator 2 and re-stored into the idle pump queue, and is located at a last position in the current idle pump queue, that is, a position of Pos:6.

[0079] In the present embodiment, after receiving the second action signal, in response to an instruction of the second action signal, the portion or all of the target pump allocated to the target actuator is decoupled from the target actuator, and the decoupled target pump is re-placed to the position after the last one in the idle pump queue, so that allowing the released target pump to be re-stored in a queue form, thereby enabling the target pump to be reused, and thus improving the utilization rate of the pumps.

[0080] Illustratively, a process of dynamically allocating pumps to a target actuator is shown in FIG. 6. Based on a received handle signal, that is, the first action signal, and combined with a maximum possible speed corresponding to the first action signal, a required speed of the target actuator is determined. For example, a cylinder required speed, and combined with parameters of the target actuator, such as a cylinder area or a motor displacement, an initial flow demand of the target actuator is determined. Subsequently, combined with flow demands of other actuators, the initial flow demand of the target actuator is adjusted to obtain an adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator, that is, an adjusted flow demand as shown in the figure. Then, based on a pressure of the actuator, a power demand of the actuator is determined, including a power demand of the target actuator and power demands of other actuators, and combined with a system available power, a flow demand of the target actuator is determined. Finally, the dynamic allocation of the pumps is performed. Based on the flow demand of the target actuator, at least one target pump is taken out from a pump pool, and each valve and each pump are adjusted to allocate the taken out at least one target pump to the target actuator.

[0081] Correspondingly, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a pump allocation device, which includes a receiving module 701, a taking-out module 702, and an allocation module 703.

[0082] The receiving module 701 is configured to receive a first action signal which is configured to instruct a target actuator to perform a target action.

[0083] The taking-out module 702 is configured take out at least one target pump from a pump pool of a multi-pump system in response to the first action signal. The pump pool stores an idle pump, and the idle pump is a pump in the multi-pump system that is not allocated to an actuator.

[0084] The allocation module 703 is configured to allocate the at least one target pump to the target actuator.

[0085] The pump allocation device provided in the embodiment belongs to a same invention concept as the pump allocation method provided in the above embodiments of the present invention. It may implement the methods provided in any of the above embodiments of the present invention, and has corresponding functional modules to implement the methods and beneficial effects. Technical details not described in detail in the embodiment please refer to the specific processing content of the pump allocation method provided in the above embodiments of the present invention, and will not be repeated herein.

[0086] Functions implemented by the receiving module 701, the taking-out module 702, and the allocation module 703 are separately implemented by same or different processors in a form of software, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0087] Another embodiment of the present invention also provides an electronic device, and as shown in FIG. 8, the electronic device includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to perform the steps in the pump allocation method described in the various embodiments of the present specification.

[0088] An internal structure of the electronic device may be as shown in FIG. 8, which includes the processor, the memory, a network interface, and an input device connected through a system bus. The processor of the electronic device is configured to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the electronic device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for running of the operating system and computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The network interface of the electronic device is configured to communicate with external terminals through a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it performs the steps in the pump allocation method described in the various embodiments of the specification.

[0089] The processor may include a main processor, and may also include a baseband chip, a modem, and the like.

[0090] The memory stores the computer program configured to implement a technical solution of the present invention, and may also store the operating system and other critical programs. Specifically, the computer program may include a program code, and the program code includes computer operation instructions. More specifically, the memory may include a read-only memory (ROM), other types of static storage devices that store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), other types of dynamic storage devices that store information and instructions, a disk storage, a flash, and the like.

[0091] The processor may be a general-purpose processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, or the like, or it may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present invention. It may also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0092] The input device may include devices that receive data and information input by a user, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a camera, a scanner, a light pen, a voice input device, a touch screen, a pedometer, or a gravity sensor.

[0093] The output device may include devices that allow information to be output to the user, such as a display screen, a printer, a speaker, and the like.

[0094] The communication interface may include any type of transceiver device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), and the like.

[0095] The processor executes the computer program stored in the memory and invokes other devices, which is used for implementing each step of any pump allocation method provided in the above embodiments of the present invention.

[0096] The electronic device may also include a display component and a voice component. The display component may be a liquid crystal display or an electronic ink display. The input device of the electronic device may be a touch layer covering the display component, or it may be a button, a trackball, or a touchpad set on a shell of an electronic device, or it may be an external keyboard, a touchpad, or a mouse.

[0097] Those skilled in the art may understand that the structure shown in FIG. 8 is only a block diagram of a portion of structures related to the solution of the specification, and does not constitute a limitation on the electronic device to which the solution of the specification is applied. The specific electronic device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have different component arrangements.

[0098] The embodiments of the present invention also provide engineering machinery, in which a multi-pump system is installed. The multi-pump system is configured to execute the steps in the above pump allocation method, or the multi-pump system includes the above pump allocation device.

[0099] In addition to the above methods and devices, the embodiments of the present invention provide a computer program product, which includes computer program instructions. The computer program instructions, when executed by a processor, make the processor execute the steps in the pump allocation method according to various embodiments of the present invention as described in the "Exemplary Method" section of this specification.

[0100] The computer program product may include the program code written in any combination of one or more programming languages for executing operations of the embodiments of the present invention. The programming languages include object-oriented programming languages such as Java, C++, and the like, as well as conventional procedural programming languages, or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely or partly on a user's computing device, be executed as a standalone software package, be executed partly on the user's computing device and partly on a remote computing device, or be executed entirely on a remote computing device or server.

[0101] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention also propose a storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and the computer program is executed by a processor to perform the steps in the pump allocation method described in the "Exemplary Method" section of the present specification according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0102] For the aforementioned method embodiments, for a sake of simplicity, they are all described as a combination of a series of actions, but those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited by the described order of the actions, since according to the present invention, certain steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by the present invention.

[0103] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar portions between the various embodiments please refer to each other. For embodiments of the device, since they are basically similar to the embodiments of the method, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant portions please refer to the description of the embodiments of the method.

[0104] The steps in the methods of the various embodiments of the present invention may be adjusted, combined, and deleted according to actual requirements, and the technical features recorded in the various embodiments may be replaced or combined.

[0105] The modules and sub-modules of the devices and terminals of the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined, divided, and deleted according to actual requirements.

[0106] In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed terminals, devices, and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the terminal embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of modules or sub-modules is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in an actual implementation. For example, multiple sub-modules or modules may be combined or integrated into another module, or some features may be ignored or not executed. In addition, that the displayed or discussed mutual coupling, direct coupling or communication connection may be through some interfaces, devices, or modules, and they may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0107] The modules or sub-modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components as the modules or sub-modules may or may not be physical modules or sub-modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules or sub-modules. Some or all of the modules or sub-modules may be selected according to actual requirement to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0108] In addition, the functional modules or sub-modules in the various embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into one processing module, or each module or sub-module separately exists physically, or two or more modules or sub-modules are integrated into one module. The above integrated modules or sub-modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules or sub-modules.

[0109] Professionals may further realize that the examples of units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification may be implemented by an electronic hardware, a computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of the hardware and software, the composition and steps of each example have been generally described in the above description according to the functions. Whether these functions are executed by a hardware or a software depends on the specific application and design constraint conditions of the technical solution. Professionals may use different methods for each specific application to implement the described functions, but such implementation should not be considered as beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0110] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification may be directly implemented by a software unit executed by a hardware or a processor, or a combination of both. The software unit maybe placed in a random access memory (RAM), a memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically programmable ROM, an electrically erasable programmable ROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), or any other form of storage mediums known in the technical field.

[0111] Finally, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are used merely for distinguishing one entity or operation from another entity or operation, without necessarily requiring or implying any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise", or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a series of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or inherent elements of such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the statement "including one..." do not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or device that includes the said elements.

[0112] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the application will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but will conform to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A pump allocation method, applied to a multi-pump system, wherein the multi-pump system comprises a pump pool storing idle pumps, the idle pumps are pumps in the multi-pump system not allocated to an actuator, and the method comprises: receiving a first action signal, the first action signal is configured to instruct a target actuator to execute a target action; taking out at least one target pump from the pump pool in response to the first action signal; and allocating the at least one target pump to the target actuator.

2. The pump allocation method according to claim 1, wherein before the taking out the at least one target pump from the pump pool in response to the first action signal, the method further comprises: storing the idle pumps in a plurality of pumps of the multi-pump system in the pump pool in a form of a queue to obtain an idle pump queue.

3. The pump allocation method according to claim 2, wherein the taking out the at least one target pump from the pump pool in response to the first action signal comprises: determining a flow demand of the target actuator based on the first action signal, flow demands of other actuators except the target actuator, power demands of other actuators, a system available flow, and a system available power; and taking out the at least one target pump starting from a first position in the idle pump queue based on the flow demand of the target actuator.

4. The pump allocation method according to claim 3, wherein the determining the flow demand of the target actuator based on the first action signal, the flow demands of the other actuators except the target actuator, the power demands of the other actuators, the system available flow, and the system available power comprises: determining an initial flow demand of the target actuator based on the first action signal; determining whether the initial flow demand of the target actuator is satisfied based on the system available flow, the flow demands of the other actuators, the power demands of the other actuators, and the system available power; when it is determined that the initial flow demand of the target actuator is satisfied, determining the initial flow demand of the target actuator as the flow demand of the target actuator; or when it is determined that the initial flow demand of the target actuator is not satisfied, performing at least one adjustment on the initial flow demand of the target actuator, and determining an adjusted initial flow demand of the target actuator that is capable of being satisfied as the flow demand of the target actuator.

5. The pump allocation method according to claim 3, wherein after the taking out the at least one target pump starting from the first position in the idle pump queue based on the flow demand of the target actuator, the method further comprises: sequentially moving forward the idle pumps in the idle pump queue located after the at least one target pump.

6. The pump allocation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the allocating the at least one target pump to the target actuator comprises: generating a first control signal and a second control signal based on an information of the at least one target pump; the first control signal is configured to control an opening degree of an associated valve of the target actuator; the second control signal is configured to control an opening degree of an outlet valve of the at least one target pump to provide flow for the target actuator; sending the first control signal to the associated valve of the target actuator; and sending the second control signal to the at least one target pump.

7. The pump allocation method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein after the allocating the at least one target pump to the target actuator, the method further comprises: receiving a second action signal, the second action signal is configured to indicate that target actions executed by the target actuator to be partially or completely cancelled; and in response to the second action signal, decoupling a portion or all of the at least one target pump from the target actuator, and re-storing the portion or all of the at least one target pump into the pump pool.

8. The pump allocation method according to claim 7, wherein the re-storing the portion or all of the at least one target pump into the pump pool comprises: re-storing the portion or all of the at least one target pump to a position after last one in the idle pump queue.

9. A pump allocation device, wherein the device comprises: a receiving module, configured to receive a first action signal, the first action signal is configured to instruct a target actuator to execute a target action; a taking-out module, configured to take out at least one target pump from a pump pool of a multi-pump system in response to the first action signal; the pump pool stores an idle pump, the idle pump is a pump in the multi-pump system not assigned to an actuator; and an allocation module, configured to allocate the at least one target pump to the target actuator.

10. An electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a memory and a processor; the memory is connected to the processor and is configured to store a program; and the processor is configured to execute the program stored in the memory to implement the pump allocation method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A storage medium, wherein a computer program is stored in the storage medium, and the pump allocation method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented when the computer program is executed by the processor.

12. An engineering machinery, wherein the engineering machinery is provided with a multi-pump system, the multi-pump system is configured to execute the pump allocation method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or comprises the pump allocation device according to claim 9.

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