US 2014/0004998 A1Published application

Hydraulic launch assist trickle charge transformer

AssigneeEaton Corporation

InventorsMichael William Olson, Brian Lewis Van Batavia

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Abstract

A hybrid hydraulic drivetrain is configured to propel a vehicle and regenerate propulsion energy. The drivetrain includes a prime mover, an accumulator, an axle, a first rotating group, a second rotating group, and a hydraulic transformer. The first rotating group is configured to receive shaft energy from the prime mover, receive shaft energy from the drive axle, send shaft energy to the drive axle, receive hydraulic energy from the hydraulic accumulator, and send hydraulic energy to the accumulator. The second rotating group is configured to receive shaft energy from the prime mover. The hydraulic transformer is configured to charge the accumulator with hydraulic energy received from the second rotating group. The hydraulic transformer may be remotely mounted from the second rotating group. The second rotating group may supply hydraulic energy to an auxiliary circuit of the vehicle. The auxiliary circuit may operate with the prime mover shut down.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A hydraulic drivetrain adapted to convert kinetic energy of a vehicle into stored potential energy and thereby decelerate the vehicle and further adapted to release the stored potential energy and thereby accelerate the vehicle, the hydraulic drivetrain comprising:

a prime mover adapted to supply shaft power to the vehicle via an output shaft of the prime mover;
a hydraulic accumulator adapted to receive and supply hydraulic fluid power;
at least one drive wheel adapted to accelerate and decelerate the vehicle, the drive wheel coupled to a wheel drive;
a hydraulic pump-motor including an input-output shaft;
a first hydraulic pump including an input shaft coupled to the output shaft of the prime mover, the first hydraulic pump adapted to supply hydraulic fluid power to an auxiliary hydraulic circuit of the vehicle;
a second hydraulic pump including an input shaft;
a first mode wherein the input-output shaft of the hydraulic pump-motor is rotationally coupled to the wheel drive, wherein hydraulic fluid power is transferred from the hydraulic accumulator to the hydraulic pump-motor, and whereby shaft power is transferred from the input-output shaft of the hydraulic pump-motor to the wheel drive;
a second mode wherein the input-output shaft of the hydraulic pump-motor is rotationally coupled to the wheel drive, wherein shaft power is transferred to the input-output shaft of the hydraulic pump-motor from the wheel drive, and whereby hydraulic fluid power is transferred to the hydraulic accumulator from the hydraulic pump-motor;
a third mode wherein the second hydraulic pump transfers hydraulic fluid power to the hydraulic accumulator.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/930,924Filed 28 Jun 2013
Priority: 29 Jun 2012
Published: 2 Jan 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification26 codes

F15B 1/024
Installations or systems with accumulators: used as a supplementary power source, e.g. to store energy in idle periods to balance pump load
B60K 6/12
Prime-movers comprising combustion engines and mechanical or fluid energy storing means: by means of a chargeable fluidic accumulator
B60W 10/04
Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function: including control of propulsion units
B60W 10/06
Including control of propulsion units: including control of combustion engines