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US 11,448,362 B2Granted
Axle cooling system and method
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsSean P. West, Reginald Bindl, Apurb Adarsh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An axle cooling system for a vehicle that has a first axle hydraulic circuit that passes through a first axle assembly, a second axle hydraulic circuit that passes through a second axle assembly, a first pump that circulates axle oil through the first axle hydraulic circuit, a second pump that circulates axle oil through the second axle hydraulic circuit, a first temperature sensor that monitors a first axle temperature of the first axle assembly, and a second temperature sensor that monitors a second axle temperature of the second axle assembly. The first pump and the second pump are independently controlled from one another to circulate axle oil through the corresponding first or second axle hydraulic circuit.
Claims19
An axle cooling system for a vehicle having a main vehicle hydraulic system having a main vehicle hydraulic fluid, comprising:
- a first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit that passes through a first axle assembly, wherein the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit operates independently of the main hydraulic system and does not depend on fluid flow of the main hydraulic fluid to circulate first axle oil through the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit;
- a second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit that passes through a second axle assembly, wherein the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit operates independently of the main hydraulic system and does not depend on fluid flow of the main hydraulic fluid to circulate second axle oil through the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit;
- wherein the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit includes a first motor pump that circulates the first axle oil through the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein the first motor pump includes a first pump powered by a first electric motor;
- wherein the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit includes a second motor pump that circulates the second axle oil through the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein the second motor pump includes a second pump powered by a second electric motor;
- a first temperature sensor that monitors a first axle temperature of the first axle assembly;
- a second temperature sensor that monitors a second axle temperature of the second axle assembly;
- wherein, the first motor pump and the second motor pump are independently controlled from one another with a controller to circulate the first axle oil through the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit or to circulate the second axle oil through the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein neither the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit nor the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit responds to main vehicle hydraulic fluid flowing through the main vehicle hydraulic system;
- wherein the controller independently activates each of the first electric motor pump and the second electric motor pump to independently control the flow rate of the first axle oil moved by the first motor pump and the flow rate of the second axle oil moved by the second motor pump;
- and
- wherein activation of the first motor pump does not activate the second motor pump.
7 more elements
A system for cooling brakes of a vehicle having a main hydraulic system having a main hydraulic fluid, comprising:
- a first axle assembly having a first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit operates independently of the main hydraulic system and does not depend on fluid flow of the main hydraulic fluid to circulate a first axle oil through the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit;
- a first brake assembly positioned at least partially within the first axle assembly;
- a first motor pump that selectively circulates the first axle oil through the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein the first motor pump includes a first pump powered by a first electric motor;
- wherein the first electric motor is coupled to the first pump to selectively engage the first pump;
- a first temperature sensor that identifies an axle temperature of the first axle assembly;
- a second axle assembly having a second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit includes a second motor pump and operates independently of the main hydraulic system and does not depend on fluid flow of the main hydraulic fluid to circulate a first axle oil through the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit;
- a controller in communication with the first temperature sensor, the first electric motor, and the second closed loop hydraulic circuit;
- wherein, the controller selectively engages the first electric motor to activate the first pump when the first temperature sensor identifies that the axle temperature is above a high temperature threshold;
- wherein the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit is a closed system that does not receive and does not share hydraulic fluid with the main vehicle hydraulic system;
- and
- wherein activation of the first motor pump does not activate the second motor pump.
8 more elements
A method for controlling an axle cooling system for a vehicle, comprising:
- providing a first axle assembly, a first motor pump that selectively provides fluid flow through a first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein the first motor pump includes a first electric motor coupled to a first pump, a second axle assembly, a second motor pump that selectively provides fluid flow through a second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein the second motor pump includes a second electric motor coupled to a second pump, and a controller in communication with a first temperature sensor that identifies a first axle temperature and a second temperature sensor that identifies a second axle temperature, wherein the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit and the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit operate independently of a main hydraulic system and do not depend on fluid flow of a main hydraulic fluid of the main hydraulic system to circulate a first axle oil through the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit or to circulate a second axle oil through the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit, wherein each of the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit and the second axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit is a closed system to prevent cross axle contamination;
- monitoring, with the controller, the first temperature sensor to identify the first axle temperature;
- monitoring, with the controller, the second temperature sensor to identify the second axle temperature;
- comparing the first and second axle temperature to a temperature threshold;
- and
- initiating a cooling response, with the controller, in either of the first axle assembly or the second axle assembly when the corresponding first or second axle temperature is above a temperature threshold;
- wherein, when the first axle temperature is above the temperature threshold and the second axle temperature is below the temperature threshold, the cooling response is initiated in the first axle closed-loop hydraulic circuit by activating the first motor pump and the cooling response is not initiated in the second axle close-loop hydraulic circuit and activation of the first motor pump does not activate the second motor pump.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.