Traction Motor Torque Balancing for Mining Machine Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile construction and mining machines experience torque differences between traction motors due to speed variations during cornering and uneven ground conditions, leading to frame and suspension stresses, oscillations, and fatigue.
Innovation Solution
A control strategy that varies power supply to traction motors to maintain uniform torque, compensating for speed deviations by adjusting power output between motors, ensuring constant total power and preventing overload, while keeping torques consistent across motors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If equal power is supplied to both traction motors during cornering or on uneven ground, then the operator's drive command is maintained, but torque differences occur between motors due to speed variations
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously monitors the speeds of both traction motors and uses this feedback to detect speed deviations. Based on the detected speed difference, the controller dynamically adjusts the power distribution to each motor, increasing power to the slower motor and decreasing power to the faster motor, thereby maintaining uniform torque output despite speed variations during cornering or on uneven ground.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static equal-power distribution strategy to a dynamic power distribution strategy. The power supply to each traction motor is continuously adjusted in real-time based on the detected speed deviations, allowing the system to adapt to changing operating conditions such as cornering or uneven terrain while maintaining torque uniformity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If power to individual traction motors is adjusted to compensate for speed deviations, then torque uniformity is maintained, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system uses feedback from speed sensors on each traction motor to detect speed deviations. This feedback mechanism enables automatic adjustment of power distribution without requiring complex manual intervention or overly sophisticated control algorithms, balancing torque uniformity with manageable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system automatically detects speed deviations and adjusts power distribution without external intervention. The system serves itself by using its own speed measurements to make real-time power adjustments, eliminating the need for additional complex control mechanisms or external monitoring systems.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the slower traction motor receives increased power to match torque, then torque uniformity is achieved, but the faster motor may be overloaded
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously monitors the speeds of both motors and uses this feedback to detect speed deviations. When cornering or on uneven ground causes speed differences, the system adjusts power distribution by increasing power to the slower motor and decreasing power to the faster motor, maintaining torque uniformity while preventing overload through real-time monitoring and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the power parameter dynamically based on operating conditions. By adjusting the power supplied to each motor according to its speed deviation from the average, the system maintains torque uniformity while preventing the faster motor from being overloaded during transient conditions such as cornering or encountering uneven terrain.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling the drive system for mobile equipment, when the operator's drive commander is kept constant, electric traction motors are controlled by a torque controller to provide uniform torque, deviations in speeds of the electric traction motors are determined and electric motor power of at least one is varied relatively to the electric motor power of the other in response to a determined deviation in speed to keep the torques uniform. The power control balancing compensates for the torque differences previously encountered when the speeds of the traction motors differ at equal power supplied to the traction motors.