Forklift and control method of forklift

{
  "publication_number": "US9580075B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Forklift and control method of forklift",
  "abstract": "A control device includes a target vehicle speed converter converting a first accelerator opening detected by an accelerator opening sensor into a target vehicle speed, an accelerator opening target value setting unit calculating a second accelerator opening by feedback control so that a deviation between the target vehicle speed and an actual vehicle speed becomes zero, an addition unit adding the first and second accelerator openings to obtain a third accelerator opening, a first maximum absorption torque calculator calculating a first maximum absorption torque of a traveling hydraulic pump based on the third accelerator opening, a second maximum absorption torque calculator calculating a second maximum absorption torque of the traveling hydraulic pump based on a rotational speed of the engine, and an HST pump electromagnetic proportional control output current converter converting a smaller one of the first and second maximum absorption torques into a target absorption torque.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A forklift including a variable displacement traveling hydraulic pump driven by an engine, a hydraulic motor that forms a closed circuit with the traveling hydraulic pump therebetween and is driven by hydraulic oil discharged from the traveling hydraulic pump, and driving wheels driven by the hydraulic motor, the forklift comprising: an engine speed sensor configured to detect a rotational speed or an engine speed of the engine; a vehicle speed sensor configured to detect a vehicle speed of the forklift; an accelerator operation unit configured to perform operation for increasing or decreasing an amount of fuel supplied to the engine; an accelerator opening sensor configured to detect an accelerator opening that is an operation amount of the accelerator operation unit; and a control device configured to calculate a target absorption torque or a target swash plate tilting angle of the traveling hydraulic pump based on the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening sensor to control the traveling hydraulic pump, wherein the control device includes a target vehicle speed conversion unit configured to convert a first accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening sensor into a target vehicle speed, an accelerator opening target value setting unit configured to calculate a second accelerator opening by feedback control so that a deviation between the target vehicle speed and an actual vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor becomes zero, an addition unit configured to add the first accelerator opening and the second accelerator opening to obtain a third accelerator opening, a first maximum absorption torque calculation unit configured to calculate a first maximum absorption torque of the traveling hydraulic pump or a first target tilting angle of a swash plate included in the traveling hydraulic pump based on the third accelerator opening, a second maximum absorption torque calculation unit configured to calculate a second maximum absorption torque of the traveling hydraulic pump or a second target tilting angle of the swash plate based on the rotational speed of the engine obtained from information detected by the engine speed sensor, a target value setting unit configured to output a smaller one of the first maximum absorption torque and the second maximum absorption torque, and an output control unit configured to control the traveling hydraulic pump based on the output from the target value setting unit.",
    "2. The forklift according to claim 1, wherein the accelerator opening target value setting unit calculates the second accelerator opening in a range in which the target vehicle speed is a first value or more and a second value or less.",
    "3. The forklift according to claim 2, wherein the accelerator opening target value setting unit performs PT control, and as the target vehicle speed increases, the accelerator opening target value setting unit reduces a proportional gain and an integral gain in the PI control.",
    "4. The forklift according to claim 3, wherein the accelerator opening target value setting unit sets the integral gain to zero, after the target vehicle speed increases and the proportional gain becomes zero.",
    "5. A method of controlling a forklift including a variable displacement traveling hydraulic pump driven by an engine, a hydraulic motor that forms a closed circuit with the traveling hydraulic pump therebetween and is driven by hydraulic oil discharged from the traveling hydraulic pump, driving wheels driven by the hydraulic motor, and an accelerator operation unit configured to perform operation for increasing or decreasing an amount of fuel supplied to the engine, the method comprising: converting a first accelerator opening of the accelerator operation unit into a target vehicle speed; calculating a second accelerator opening by using feedback control so that a deviation between the target vehicle speed and an actual vehicle speed of the forklift becomes zero; obtaining a third accelerator opening by adding the first accelerator opening and the second accelerator opening; calculating a first maximum absorption torque of the traveling hydraulic pump or a first target tilting angle of a swash plate included in the traveling hydraulic pump based on the third accelerator opening; calculating a second maximum absorption torque of the traveling hydraulic pump or a second target tilting angle of the swash plate based on a rotational speed of the engine; and controlling the traveling hydraulic pump based on a smaller one of the first maximum absorption torque and the second maximum absorption torque.",
    "6. The method of controlling a forklift according to claim 5, wherein the feedback control is performed in a range in which the target vehicle speed is a first value or more and a second value or less.",
    "7. The method of controlling a forklift according to claim 6, wherein PI control is executed in the feedback control, and as the target vehicle speed increases, a proportional gain and an integral gain in the PI control are reduced.",
    "8. The method of controlling a forklift according to claim 7, wherein after the target vehicle speed increases and the proportional gain becomes zero, the integral gain is set to zero."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a forklift having a variable displacement hydraulic pump driven by an engine, and a hydraulic motor which forms a closed circuit with the hydraulic pump therebetween and is driven by hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump.\n\nThere are forklifts having a hydraulic driving device referred to as a hydro static transmission (HST) provided between an engine as a driving source and driving wheels. The hydraulic driving device includes a variable displacement traveling hydraulic pump driven by the engine, and a variable displacement hydraulic motor driven by hydraulic oil discharged from the traveling hydraulic pump in a main hydraulic circuit as a closed circuit, and allows a vehicle to travel by transmitting driving of the hydraulic motor to the driving wheels.\n\nPatent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-57664\n\nAs work peculiar to a forklift, work of unloading a cargo loaded on a working machine onto a ground, a rack or the like is frequently performed. An operator is required to perform positioning operation at an unloading point at a low speed (for example, approximately 0.1 km/h) in order to perform unloading in a space determined in each case. However, a forklift equipped with an HST is hard to produce a low speed required for work from a stopped state by operation of an accelerator pedal.\n\nAn object of the invention is to easily achieve low-speed traveling by operation of the accelerator pedal in the forklift equipped with the HST.",
  "cpc": [
    "B60W 30/18",
    "B60W 10/04",
    "B60W 10/06",
    "B60W 2520/10",
    "B60W 2540/10",
    "B60W 2710/06",
    "B60W 2720/10",
    "B66F 9/07572",
    "B66F 9/22",
    "F16H 61/431",
    "F16H 61/47"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B60W 10/04",
    "B60W 10/06",
    "B60W 30/18",
    "B66F 9/075",
    "F16H 61/431",
    "F16H 61/47"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Komatsu Ltd"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Shinji Kaneko",
    "Taishi Oiwa"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2013-12-27",
  "publication_date": "2017-02-28",
  "grant_date": "2017-02-28",
  "priority_date": "2013-12-27",
  "application_number": "US-201314358367-A",
  "family_id": "53277131",
  "cited_by_count": 1,
  "citations": [
    "JPS6440757A",
    "JPH04203674A",
    "CN1065324A",
    "US5337629A",
    "JP2005280392A",
    "CN1993541A",
    "US20070204605A1",
    "US7543447B2",
    "JP2012057664A",
    "WO2013032395A1",
    "US20150006010A1"
  ]
}