Electric dump truck

Abstract

A vehicle body frame (2) is formed of a left frame (2A) and a right frame (2B) that extend in the front-rear direction, a left column (2C) that extends upward from the left frame (2A), a right column (2D) that extends upward from the right frame (2B), and a beam (2E) that is provided so as to extend in the left-right direction over the upper part of the left column (2C) and the upper part of the right column (2D). In a battery device (11), a plurality of battery modules (12) are arranged between the left column (2C) and the right column (2D). One end side in the longitudinal direction of each of the battery modules (12) serves as an electric wiring connection part (12A) for connecting electric wiring (15), and the other end side in the longitudinal direction serves as a temperature control liquid piping connection part (12B) for connecting temperature adjustment liquid piping (16).

Description

Electric dump truck

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric dump truck that is suitably used for transporting, for example, crushed stone excavated in a mine.

[0002] Extra-large dump trucks known as mining dump trucks are used to transport crushed rock and other materials extracted from mines. These extra-large dump trucks are composed of a body frame that extends in the longitudinal direction and forms a support structure, left and right front wheels and left and right rear wheels mounted on the body frame, and a loading platform mounted on the body frame for carrying crushed rock and other materials. Extra-large dump trucks are configured as electric dump trucks that run by driving an electric motor with electricity generated by driving a generator with an engine.

[0003] Furthermore, some electric dump trucks are equipped with a battery device that stores surplus power, and these electric dump trucks can run by driving an electric motor with the power stored in the battery device (Patent Document 1).

[0004] JP 2018-188144 A

[0005] The performance of an electric dump truck is greatly affected by the capacity of the battery device. In particular, electric dump trucks that do not have an engine for generating electricity can extend their operating time by efficiently mounting a large battery device on the vehicle frame.

[0006] Patent Document 1 does not mention replacing an engine with a battery, i.e., installing a battery without installing an engine. Furthermore, some battery devices are equipped with a structure for introducing and discharging a liquid (coolant, heating liquid) to adjust the temperature to an appropriate level (a temperature that provides good charging efficiency). Therefore, if the location of the battery device and the location of the wiring and piping are not carefully considered, the wiring and piping will get in the way and it will be impossible to install a battery device with sufficient capacity. This also results in a problem of shortened operating time.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the conventional technology described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric dump truck that can extend its operating time by mounting a battery device with sufficient capacity on the vehicle body frame.

[0008] The present invention relates to an electric dump truck in which a battery device consisting of an array of multiple battery modules is mounted on a body frame, the body frame comprising left and right frames extending in the fore-and-aft direction, left and right pillars extending upward from the left and right frames, and beams extending in the left-right direction across the tops of the left and right pillars, the battery device having the multiple battery modules arranged between the left and right pillars, one longitudinal end of each of the multiple battery modules serving as an electrical wiring connection portion for connecting electrical wiring, and the other longitudinal end serving as a temperature control liquid piping connection portion for connecting temperature control liquid piping.

[0009] According to the present invention, an electric dump truck can mount a battery device with sufficient capacity on the vehicle body frame, thereby extending the operating time.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a left side view showing an electric dump truck according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a left side view showing a body frame, a cab, and a battery device; Fig. 3 is a right side view showing a body frame, a cab, and a battery device; Fig. 4 is a front view showing a body frame, a cab, and a battery device; Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a body frame, a cab, and a battery device; Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a battery device, a relay box, etc.; Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a relay box, etc. with a box cover removed.

[0011] An electric dump truck according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The electric dump truck is equipped with a battery device that stores electric power for driving an electric motor for traveling. This battery device is charged with electric power drawn from an overhead line using a current collector (trolley system), for example.

[0012] 1, the electric dump truck 1 is an extra-large dump truck used to transport, for example, crushed rock excavated from a mine. The electric dump truck 1 includes a vehicle body frame 2, front wheels 3, rear wheels 4, a bed 6, a hoist cylinder 7, a cab 10, a battery device 11, electrical wiring 15, and a temperature-control liquid pipe 16, which will be described later.

[0013] The body frame 2 forms the main skeleton of the electric dump truck 1. The body frame 2 is a strong support structure extending in the front-rear direction. As shown in Figures 2 to 5 , the body frame 2 is configured to include a left frame 2A and a right frame 2B extending in the front-rear direction at a predetermined left-right interval, a left column 2C extending upward from the left frame 2A, a right column 2D extending upward from the right frame 2B, and a beam 2E extending in the left-right direction from an upper portion of the left column 2C to an upper portion of the right column 2D. The left frame 2A, the right frame 2B, the left column 2C, the right column 2D, and the beam 2E are formed as a box-shaped (rectangular cylindrical) sheet metal structure.

[0014] 4, the left frame 2A, right frame 2B, left column 2C, right column 2D, and beam 2E are assembled into a rectangular framework structure when viewed from the front. That is, the battery device 11, in which rectangular parallelepiped battery modules 12 are arranged in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions, can be efficiently arranged without gaps within the rectangular framework structure of the left frame 2A, right frame 2B, left column 2C, right column 2D, and beam 2E.

[0015] The left and right front wheels 3 constitute steering wheels rotatably mounted on the front side of the body frame 2. On the other hand, the left and right rear wheels 4 (only the left side of each wheel is shown) constitute driving wheels rotatably mounted on the rear side of the body frame 2.

[0016] The travel drive unit 5 rotates and drives the left and right rear wheels 4. The travel drive unit 5 is connected to the left and right rear wheels 4. The travel drive unit 5 reduces the rotational force of the electric motor for travel using a reduction gear (neither of which is shown) to rotate the left and right rear wheels 4.

[0017] The loading platform 6 is mounted on the body frame 2 so as to be tiltable (raise and lower). The loading platform 6 is a large container with a bottom, with a total length exceeding 10 meters, for carrying, for example, a large amount of mined crushed stone or the like. A rear portion of the bottom of the loading platform 6 in the fore-and-aft direction is connected to the rear of the body frame 2 so as to be tiltable. The loading platform 6 is rotated up and down by extending or retracting the hoist cylinder 7.

[0018] The building 8 is provided on the front side of the body frame 2. The building 8 is formed as a box-shaped container. Inside the building 8, the battery modules 12 of the battery device 11 and the like are housed.

[0019] The deck 9 is provided above the building 8. The deck 9 is formed in the shape of a flat plate extending horizontally. The deck 9 is supported from below by the left column 2C and the right column 2D of the body frame 2 and the building 8.

[0020] The cab 10 is provided on the deck 9. The cab 10 defines a cab for an operator to sit in. Inside the cab 10, a driver's seat, a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, control levers, switches, etc. (none of which are shown) are provided.

[0021] Next, the mounting structure (arrangement) of the battery device 11, which is a characteristic feature of this embodiment, will be described in detail.

[0022] The battery device 11 can store power drawn from, for example, a trolley-type overhead line using a current collector. The power stored (charged) in the battery device 11 is then used to drive the electric motor of the traveling drive device 5. Therefore, the operating time of the electric dump truck 1 can be extended by increasing the size (capacity) of the battery device 11.

[0023] The battery device 11 is composed of a plurality of battery modules 12. The plurality of battery modules 12 are arranged between the left pillar 2C and the right pillar 2D of the body frame 2. Each battery module 12 includes a plurality of battery cells in a rectangular parallelepiped case. One longitudinal end of the battery module 12 (in this embodiment, the right end opposite the cab 10 in the left-right direction) serves as an electrical wiring connection 12A for inputting and outputting electricity. Electrical wiring 15 is connected to the right electrical wiring connection 12A.

[0024] Meanwhile, the other longitudinal end of the battery module 12 (in this embodiment, the left end facing the cab 10) is a temperature control liquid pipe connection 12B for supplying and discharging temperature control liquid. A temperature control liquid pipe 16 is connected to the left temperature control liquid pipe connection 12B.

[0025] The plurality of battery modules 12 are arranged so as to extend in the left-right direction. Specifically, the plurality of battery modules 12 are arranged in a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction and a plurality of rows in the up-down direction, with the left-right direction being the long side direction. In this embodiment, the uppermost battery module 12 is arranged only from the middle to the front side in the front-rear direction. Note that the configuration of the battery modules 12 is not limited to the above-described case.

[0026] The capacity (amount of electricity that can be charged) of the battery device 11 is determined by the size and number of battery modules 12. The rectangular parallelepiped battery modules 12 maintain a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole even when lined up in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions. Therefore, a large number of rectangular parallelepiped assembled battery modules 12 can be arranged without gaps within the left frame 2A, right frame 2B, left column 2C, right column 2D, and beam 2E, which form a rectangular framework structure when viewed from the front.

[0027] As shown in Figure 6 and other figures, the battery cover 13 covers the upper side of the battery device 11. The battery cover 13 is provided between the middle of the battery device 11 in the front-rear direction and the rear beam 2E. The battery cover 13 is formed, for example, as a rectangular plate divided into three parts in the left-right direction. The battery cover 13 is detachable.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 7 , the relay box 14 is provided on the right side of the battery module 12, which is the side of the electrical wiring connection portion 12A. The relay box 14 is formed, for example, as a group of connectors arranged in the front-to-rear direction. The relay box 14 collects multiple electrical wires 15 extending from multiple battery modules 12. Also, as shown in Fig. 6 , the relay box 14 is provided with a box cover 14A that covers the upper side. The box cover 14A is located on the right side of the battery cover 13 and is detachable.

[0029] The plurality of electrical wirings 15 are configured to include first electrical wirings 15A and second electrical wirings 15B. One longitudinal end of each of the plurality of first electrical wirings 15A is connected to the electrical wiring connection portions 12A of the plurality of battery modules 12, and the other longitudinal end is connected to the relay box 14. In this way, the plurality of first electrical wirings 15A are gathered together in the relay box 14.

[0030] Furthermore, one longitudinal end of each of the plurality of second electrical wirings 15B is connected to the plurality of first electrical wirings 15A that are gathered together in the relay box 14. Meanwhile, the other longitudinal ends of each of the plurality of second electrical wirings 15B are routed between the battery device 11 and the beam 2E of the body frame 2. Specifically, since the uppermost battery module 12 of the battery device 11 is disposed only forward from the midpoint in the fore-and-aft direction, a gap is formed between the battery module 12 one level below it and the beam 2E. The plurality of second electrical wirings 15B can be easily routed by passing through the gap between the battery module 12 and the beam 2E.

[0031] The plurality of temperature control liquid pipes 16 are connected to the plurality of battery modules 12. Specifically, the plurality of temperature control liquid pipes 16 are connected to temperature control liquid pipe connections 12B located on the left side of the plurality of battery modules 12. The plurality of temperature control liquid pipes 16 are used to supply and discharge cooling liquid for cooling the battery modules 12 and heating liquid for warming the battery modules 12.

[0032] The electric dump truck 1 according to this embodiment has the above-described configuration, and its operation will now be described.

[0033] First, at a quarry such as a mine, excavated quarry material is loaded onto the loading platform 6. After a predetermined amount of quarry material is loaded, the electric dump truck 1 travels toward the unloading site. During this travel, the electric dump truck 1 can use the power stored in the battery device 11.

[0034] Then, when the electric dump truck 1 arrives at the unloading site, the operator in the cab 10 operates various levers and the like to extend the hoist cylinder 7 and lift the front side of the loading platform 6 upward, thereby enabling the electric dump truck 1 to unload crushed stone and the like from the loading platform 6 to the unloading site.

[0035] Here, the traveling performance of the electric dump truck 1 is greatly affected by the capacity of the battery device 11. That is, by mounting the electric dump truck 1 with a large-capacity battery device 11, the operating time (traveling time) can be extended.

[0036] Furthermore, in the battery device 11, multiple electrical wires 15 are connected to the electrical wire connection parts 12A of the multiple battery modules 12, and multiple temperature control liquid pipes 16 are connected to the temperature control liquid pipe connection parts 12B. As a result, in the prior art, multiple electrical wires and temperature control liquid pipes get in the way when installing the battery device, making it impossible to install a large-capacity battery device.

[0037] According to this embodiment, the vehicle body frame 2 comprises a left frame 2A and a right frame 2B extending in the longitudinal direction, a left column 2C extending upward from the left frame 2A, a right column 2D extending upward from the right frame 2B, and a beam 2E extending in the left-right direction from an upper portion of the left column 2C to an upper portion of the right column 2D. The battery device 11 includes a plurality of battery modules 12 disposed between the left column 2C and the right column 2D. One longitudinal end of each of the plurality of battery modules 12 serves as an electrical wiring connection 12A for connecting electrical wiring 15, and the other longitudinal end serves as a temperature control liquid piping connection 12B for connecting temperature control liquid piping 16.

[0038] The area between the left pillar 2C and the right pillar 2D, i.e., the area surrounded by the left frame 2A, right frame 2B, left pillar 2C, right pillar 2D, and beam 2E, is assembled into a rectangular framework structure when viewed from the front. Therefore, the battery device 11, in which rectangular parallelepiped battery modules 12 are arranged in the front-rear and up-down directions, can be efficiently arranged without gaps within the rectangular framework structure. This allows a large-capacity battery device 11 (a large number of battery modules 12) to be mounted on the body frame 2, thereby extending the operating time of the electric dump truck 1.

[0039] Furthermore, the battery device 11 has multiple battery modules 12 arranged so that the electrical wiring connection 12A is located on the right side and the temperature control liquid piping connection 12B is located on the left side. This allows the multiple electrical wiring 15 and temperature control liquid piping 16 to be routed neatly without getting in the way. As a result, a large installation space for the battery device 11 can be secured. In this respect, the capacity of the battery device 11 can be increased, thereby extending the operating time of the electric dump truck 1.

[0040] Furthermore, a relay box 14 is provided on the side (right side) of the electrical wiring connection portion 12A of the battery module 12. Multiple electrical wires 15 extending from the electrical wiring connection portion 12A of the battery module 12 are connected and bundled to the relay box 14, and then routed between the battery device 11 and the beam 2E. This allows the multiple electrical wires 15 bundled in the relay box 14 to easily pass between the battery device 11 and the beam 2E, improving workability during routing.

[0041] The battery device 11 has battery modules 12 extending in the left-right direction arranged in multiple rows in the front-rear direction and multiple stages in the up-down direction. The top battery module 12 is located only from the center to the front in the front-rear direction, and the electrical wiring 15 is routed between the second battery module 12 located one stage lower and at the rear and the beam 2E. This leaves space between the second battery module 12 and the beam 2E, allowing the electrical wiring 15 to be easily routed using this space.

[0042] Meanwhile, the electric dump truck 1 further includes a battery cover 13 that covers the upper side of the battery device 11. With the battery cover 13 attached, the inside of the battery device 11 can be protected. With the battery cover 13 removed, the electrical wiring 15 and the temperature control liquid piping 16 can be easily handled.

[0043] Furthermore, the electric dump truck 1 further includes a box cover 14A that covers the upper side of the relay box 14. With the box cover 14A attached, the relay box 14 and the connection portions of the electrical wiring 15 can be protected. With the box cover 14A removed, the electrical wiring 15 can be easily attached to and detached from the relay box 14.

[0044] In the embodiment, the battery device 11 includes a plurality of battery modules 12 arranged in a row in the front-rear direction and a row in the up-down direction while extending in the left-right direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the battery modules may be arranged in a row in the front-rear direction and a row in the up-down direction while extending in the front-rear direction.

[0045] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electric dump truck 2 Vehicle body frame 2A Left frame 2B Right frame 2C Left pillar 2D Right pillar 2E Beam 11 Battery device 12 Battery module 12A Electrical wiring connection part 12B Temperature control liquid piping connection part 13 Battery cover 14 Relay box 14A Box cover 15 Electrical wiring 15A First electrical wiring 15B Second electrical wiring 16 Temperature control liquid piping

Claims

1. An electric dump truck having a battery device comprising an array of a plurality of battery modules mounted on a vehicle frame, the vehicle frame comprising left and right frames extending in a front-to-rear direction, left and right pillars extending upward from the left and right frames, and a beam extending in the left-right direction across the upper parts of the left and right pillars, the battery device having the plurality of battery modules disposed between the left and right pillars, and each of the plurality of battery modules has one longitudinal end serving as an electrical wiring connection portion for connecting electrical wiring and the other longitudinal end serving as a temperature control liquid piping connection portion for connecting a temperature control liquid piping.

2. An electric dump truck as described in claim 1, characterized in that a relay box is provided on the electrical wiring connection side of the battery module, and multiple electrical wiring extending from the electrical wiring connection part of the battery module is connected and bundled to the relay box, and then routed between the battery device and the beam.

3. An electric dump truck as described in claim 2, wherein the battery device is arranged such that the battery modules, extending in the left-right direction, are arranged in multiple rows in the front-to-rear direction and multiple tiers in the up-down direction, the battery module in the top tier is arranged only from the middle part in the front-to-rear direction to the front, and the electrical wiring is routed between the battery module in the second tier, which is located one tier lower and at the rear, and the beam.

4. The electric dump truck according to claim 1, further comprising a battery cover for covering an upper side of the battery device.

5. The electric dump truck according to claim 2, further comprising a box cover for covering an upper side of the relay box.

Images