Hydraulic Control Valve Manifold Layout for Compact Excavators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydraulic excavators face challenges in downsizing their control valve devices and improving operational efficiency due to the dense arrangement of control valves, which complicates space management and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The construction machine incorporates a control valve device with a manifold composed of a block with two opposed surfaces, featuring an oil passage and mounting control valves on both surfaces. Control valves are aligned and disposed in a predetermined direction on the mounting surfaces, allowing for efficient hydraulic oil passage and reduced system size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If numerous control valves are densely arranged on a control valve device to supply hydraulic oil to multiple hydraulic actuators, then the hydraulic system can control multiple actuators, but the control valve device becomes larger and harder to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The control valve device is segmented into multiple independent valve units, each controlling a specific hydraulic actuator. These valve units are arranged in a segmented pattern around the peripheral direction of the hydraulic pump, allowing each valve to be accessed and maintained independently without interfering with others, thus resolving the contradiction between controlling multiple actuators and ease of maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The control valves are arranged in the peripheral direction (circumferential arrangement) around the hydraulic pump rather than in a linear or compact configuration. This dimensional reorganization allows the control valve device to maintain a compact overall size while providing adequate space around each valve for pipe connections and maintenance operations, effectively resolving the space and accessibility contradiction.
2Volume of moving object
If control valves are densely arranged to reduce system size, then the control valve device becomes more compact, but space for pipe connections and maintenance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control valve device is divided into multiple independently accessible valve units arranged around the hydraulic pump. This segmentation allows the overall device to be compact while each individual valve maintains adequate clearance for pipe connections and maintenance activities, resolving the contradiction between compact size and ease of repair.
Solution Approach 2:
By arranging control valves in the peripheral direction around the hydraulic pump, the design transforms a two-dimensional compact arrangement into a three-dimensional circumferential layout. This dimensional change achieves a compact footprint while providing radial space around each valve for pipe connections and maintenance, effectively resolving the size versus repairability contradiction.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple control valves are arranged to control different hydraulic actuators, then the system achieves full functionality, but the manifold and overall system size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control valve device is merged with the hydraulic pump assembly, with control valves arranged in the peripheral direction around the pump. This integration allows multiple control valves to share a common structural platform and hydraulic connections, achieving full functionality for controlling multiple actuators while minimizing the overall system volume through consolidated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The control valves are arranged in the peripheral direction around the hydraulic pump, utilizing the circumferential space rather than extending the manifold linearly. This dimensional arrangement allows multiple valves to be positioned in a compact radial pattern, achieving full hydraulic control capability while keeping the overall device volume small.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of control valves (39A to 39D, 40A to 40D, 41A to 41D, 42A to 42D, 43) is aligned and disposed in the right-and-left direction and in the vertical direction on a first mounting surface (38C) and a second mounting surface (38D). Further, a plurality of control valves (47, 48) is aligned and disposed in the right-and-left direction and in the vertical direction on a first mounting surface (46B) and a second mounting surface (46C).