Hydraulic Actuating Device Damping Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydraulic actuating devices experience pressure surges and jerky movements due to the incompressibility of fluid supply flow, leading to poor ergonomics and safety issues, particularly in applications like excavators and cranes, where gentle operation is not possible and can result in operator discomfort and health risks.
Innovation Solution
An actuating device with a control unit featuring proportional valves and orifice plates, where the orifice diameters differ, and a pressure-relief valve with a compression spring, allowing for adjustable damping and gentle acceleration of hydraulic consumers, such as working cylinders, without the need for complex electrical controls or high-quality oil.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If direct pressure application is used to actuate hydraulic consumers, then fast response and high power are achieved, but pressure surges and jerky movements occur causing system overload and poor ergonomics
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed to preliminarily control the fluid supply flow before it reaches the hydraulic consumer. By regulating the flow in advance through controlled apertures and pressure-limiting valves, the system prepares the fluid pressure and flow rate to match the consumer's activation requirements, preventing sudden pressure surges while maintaining fast response capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameters of the fluid supply flow (pressure, flow rate) through the control unit with different aperture diameters and pressure-limiting valves. This gradual parameter adjustment allows the hydraulic consumer to activate smoothly without abrupt changes, eliminating jerky movements while preserving the ability to deliver high power when needed.
2Ease of operation
If proportional valves with complex electrical controls are used to achieve gentle operation, then ergonomic performance is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the control function from complex electrical proportional valves and implements it through a purely hydraulic control unit. By removing the electrical control system and using only hydraulic components (control inputs, orifices, pressure-limiting valves), the system achieves gentle operation through fluid dynamics alone, significantly reducing device complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit uses simple, inexpensive hydraulic components such as orifice plates with different aperture diameters and basic pressure-limiting valves instead of expensive proportional valves with electrical controls. These simple components achieve the desired damping effect through their geometric design, making the system more cost-effective while maintaining ergonomic performance.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If hydraulic accumulators are installed to provide damping effect, then pressure surges are reduced, but hydraulic seesaw phenomenon occurs causing violent rocking movements
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit acts as an intermediary between the hydraulic power source and the consumer. By positioning the control unit with its pressure-limiting valves and controlled apertures in the fluid path, it mediates the fluid flow to provide damping without the oscillatory behavior of accumulators. The control unit gradually regulates pressure and flow, preventing both pressure surges and the hydraulic seesaw phenomenon.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables smooth, gentle starting and stopping movements of hydraulic consumers, improving ergonomics and safety while being cost-effective and compatible with poor oil quality, reducing the risk of operator discomfort and equipment overload.
Implementation Method 1
damped actuation with gentle starting behavior is achieved
Implementation Method 2
pressure-relief valve with a compression spring
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to an actuating device for the activation of a hydraulic load (10), such as a working cylinder, by means of a fluid supply flow. As a result of the fluid supply flow for the load (10) being activated by means of an activating unit (48) in such a way as to obtain a damped actuation with a soft starting behaviour, soft accelerations fundamentally occur for a hydraulic load, which soft accelerations are perceived by an operator to be comfortable with regard to the continuous speed behaviour.