Trolley Power Allocation in Electric Work Vehicles

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Solution Overview

Problem

The conventional trolley power-receiving type fully electric dump truck requires significant increases in the size and weight of power reception devices due to increased power supply from trolley overhead wires, leading to reduced efficiency in work vehicles like electric dump trucks.

Innovation Solution

A work vehicle equipped with a power reception device, battery, electric motor, battery control device, motor control device, and power control device, which allocates charging and traveling power within the rated capacity of the power reception device to suppress size and weight increases, improving efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the power supplied from the trolley overhead wire to the power reception device is increased to improve traveling performance in the power receiving zone, then the traveling performance is improved, but the size and weight of the power reception device increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetraveling performanceVSAvoidweight of power reception device
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the power reception device's rated capacity adjustable rather than fixed. The controller dynamically changes the rated capacity of the power reception device based on the state of charge of the battery, allowing the system to adapt power reception limits to current operational needs and battery conditions, thereby improving traveling performance without permanently increasing device size or weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of rated capacity of the power reception device from a fixed value to a variable parameter that can be adjusted by the controller. By modifying the rated capacity parameter in response to battery state of charge, the system can optimize power reception to improve traveling performance while avoiding the need for a permanently larger and heavier power reception device

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If the power supplied from the trolley overhead wire to the power reception device is increased to improve traveling performance in the power receiving zone, then the traveling performance is improved, but the size of the power reception device increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetraveling performanceVSAvoidsize of power reception device
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the power reception device's rated capacity dynamic rather than static. The controller adjusts the rated capacity based on battery state of charge, enabling the system to increase power reception capability when needed for improved traveling performance while maintaining a compact physical size of the power reception device

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the rated capacity parameter of the power reception device from fixed to variable. By adjusting this parameter in response to battery conditions, the system achieves improved traveling performance without requiring a physically larger power reception device, thus avoiding increased size

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Power

If the rated capacities of electrical devices in the power reception device are increased to supply both traveling power and charging power from the trolley overhead wire, then the power supply capability is improved, but the weight of the work vehicle increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower supply capabilityVSAvoidweight of work vehicle
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the rated capacity of the power reception device adjustable. The controller dynamically sets the rated capacity based on battery state of charge, allowing the system to supply both traveling power and charging power when needed without permanently increasing the power reception device's rated capacity and associated weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the rated capacity parameter from fixed to variable. By adjusting the rated capacity parameter in response to battery conditions, the system can provide enhanced power supply capability for both traveling and charging without requiring permanently higher rated capacities that would necessitate heavier electrical devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Power

If the rated capacities of electrical devices in the power reception device are increased to supply both traveling power and charging power from the trolley overhead wire, then the power supply capability is improved, but the efficiency of work is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower supply capabilityVSAvoidefficiency of work
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the power reception device's rated capacity dynamic, allowing the controller to adjust it based on battery state of charge. This enables the system to optimize power supply capability for both traveling and charging while avoiding the permanent size and weight increases that would reduce work efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the rated capacity parameter from fixed to variable, allowing the system to provide enhanced power supply capability when needed while maintaining a compact power reception device that does not reduce work efficiency through increased size and weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 effectively limits the size and weight of power reception devices, enhancing the efficiency of work vehicles by optimizing power allocation from trolley overhead wires.

Implementation Method 1

a battery 120 configured to be charged by the power supplied from the power reception device 110

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrochemical energy storage: Battery (electricity)

Implementation Method 2

an electric motor for traveling 130 configured to be driven by power supplied from the power reception device 110 or the battery 120

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic conversion: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP4691832A1Work vehicle
Publication Date: 2026.02.11 HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO LTD
  • EP4691832A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4691832A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4691832A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a work vehicle with which it is possible to suppress an increase in the size and weight of a power reception device that supplies power supplied from a trolley overhead wire to a battery and an electric motor, and to improve the efficiency of work including transportation work. A work vehicle (100) comprises a battery control device (140) that controls charging power supplied from a power reception device (110) to a battery (120), a motor control device (150) that controls traveling power supplied from the power reception device (110) to an electric motor (130), and a power control device (160) that calculates allocations of the charging power and the traveling power with respect to received power of the power reception device (110) within a range in which the total of the charging power and the traveling power does not exceed a rated capacity of the power reception device (110) and controls the battery control device (140) and the motor control device (150) such that the allocated powers are supplied from the power reception device (110) to the battery (120) and the electric motor (130).