US 12,704,136 B2 · Technologies for variable retarder control

Abstract

Technologies for variable retarder control include a control valve for controlling operation of a hydraulic retarder. The control valve includes a valve body having a retarder valve including multiple ports and a valve bore extending through the ports. A valve spool is located in the valve bore and movable to selectively block or connect one or more of the ports. The ports include a retarder-out port and an exhaust port, which are fluidly coupled to each other via an exhaust passageway. In use, the exhaust passageway bleeds lubrication fluid from the retarder-out port to the exhaust port as the valve spool is moved from a fully-off position to a fully-on position. The exhaust passageway is shaped so as to provide a linear relationship between the positioning of the valve spool between the fully-off and fully-on positions and the power of the hydraulic retarder. The control valve may also include a lubrication regulator valve configured to supply lubrication oil to the system while the hydraulic retarder is being bled to the exhaust port via the exhaust passageway to maintain appropriate lubrication pressures in the system.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A control valve for controlling operation of a hydraulic retarder, the control valve comprising:

a valve body including a retarder valve having a plurality of ports and a valve bore extending through the plurality of ports;
and
a valve spool located in the valve bore and including a plurality of lands, wherein the valve spool is moveable within the valve bore to position the plurality of lands to selectively block or connect one or more ports of the plurality of ports,
wherein the plurality of ports includes a retarder-out port configured to be fluidly coupled to an output of the hydraulic retarder and an exhaust port configured to be fluidly coupled to an oil sump, wherein the valve body includes an interior wall separating the retarder-out port and the exhaust port and wherein the interior wall includes an exhaust passageway that fluidly couples the retarder-out port and the exhaust port.

1 more element

A hydraulic retarder control system comprising:

a hydraulic retarder having an input and an output;
an oil sump configured to collect and store a lubrication oil;
a retarder valve configured to control operation of the hydraulic retarder, the retarder valve including a plurality of ports and a valve bore extending through the plurality of ports;
and
a valve spool located in the valve bore and including a plurality of lands, wherein the valve spool is moveable within the valve bore to position the plurality of lands to selectively block or connect one or more ports of the plurality of ports,
wherein the plurality of ports includes a retarder-out port fluidly coupled to the output of the hydraulic retarder and an exhaust port fluidly coupled to the oil sump, wherein the retarder-out port is fluidly coupled to the exhaust port by an exhaust passageway defined through an interior wall of the retarder valve that separates the retarder-out port and the exhaust port of the retarder valve.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Technologies for variable retarder control

Life of this patent

Technologies for variable retarder control

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19