Background of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vibration roller having a prime mover, a hydrostatic pump drive by the prime mover, a hydraulic travelling drive for the travelling operation of the vibration roller, said travelling drive being connected to the pump, at least one hydraulic vibration drive for the operation of a vibration device of the vibration roller, said vibration drive being adapted to be connected to the prime mover, and at least one travelling lever for controlling the travelling drive, said lever being movable within a setting range.
The invention relates also to a power limiting device for a vibration roller of the above mentioned type.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide a hydrostatic pumps with pump zero-stroke regulators. These are spring-loaded hydraulic regulating systems, which automatically limit the power output of the hydraulic pump to avoid an overload of the prime mover driving the hydrostatic pump.
The prior art device controls, independently of the driver, only the power effective for the travelling drive irrespective of other power outputs of the prime mover to steering aids, vibration drives and the like. Furthermore the prior art device only permits variation of the power output of the hydrostatic pump within the power limiting range of the prime mover through a corresponding control of the prime mover. Thereby, however, at the same time also the vibration generator speed of the vibration drive varies, whereby the compacting effect becomes dependent to a high degree on the control of the travelling drive.
Summary of the Invention
It is the object of the present invention to provide a vibration roller of the above mentioned type, the total output of which does not exceed that of the prime mover with any operating condition of the vibration roller. Furthermore, it is in particular the object of the invention to provide a power limiting device for a vibration roller, by means of which an overload of the prime mover is avoided during the operation of the vibration roller. No automatic increase of the travelling speed is to take place independently of the will of the operator.
According to the invention the achievement of this object, as far as the vibration roller is concerned, is characterized by an automatic power limiting device engaging the travelling lever and limiting its setting range to limit the total power output to the limiting power of the prime mover.
With regard to the power limiting device this object is achieved in that an automatic power limiting device is provided, which is adapted to engage the traveling lever and limits its setting range, and which limits the total power output to the limiting power of the prime mover.
In the vibration roller according to the invention the travelling lever and the power limiting device are so arranged relative to each other, that the travelling lever completely deflected is just in contact with the power limiting device, when the prime mover is at standstill.
In the vibration roller according to the invention, the power limiting device preferably comprises a piston-cylinder-unit connected to the travelling drive and to the vibration drive and having a spring-loaded piston movable into the setting range of the travelling lever and exposed to the feed pressure effective in the travelling drive and in the vibration drive. The piston-cylinder-unit preferably has a cylinder having a stepped bore and a stepped piston slidingly movable in the stepped bore, one step of the stepped bore being connected to the travelling drive and the other step of the stepped bore being connected to the vibration drive, and the cross sections of the steps of the stepped piston being proportional to the maximum feed flow rates of the corresponding hydraulic circuits.
In the vibration roller according to the invention, the steps of the stepped bore and the steps of the stepped piston, respectively, preferably are associated with different vibration modes according to rotary speed and/or direction of rotation, or to a hydrostatic steering support or a hydrostatic steering, and in double vibration roller one step each of the stepped bore and of the stepped piston, respectively, is associated with each vibration drive.
In the vibration roller of the invention the spring loading the piston of the power limiting device is advantageously subjected to a preload, which, at limiting power of the prime mover, is equal to the force of the feed pressure of the travelling drive acting on the piston.
In the vibration roller according to the invention overload of the prime mover is prevented, regardless of the types and numbers of drive devices or hydrostatic auxiliary devices driven by the prime mover in addition to the travelling drive. This is accomplished by a displacement of the travelling lever which adjusts the power output of the hydrostatic pump for the travelling drive, without affecting the power transmitted to the other devices of the vibration roller. In the vibration roller of the invention the setting range of the travelling lever is varied in accordance with the total power output of the prime mover by means of the power limiting device. The total setting range of the travelling lever is available for the control of the travelling operation of the vibration roller only with an an operating mode of the vibration roller, with which less than the total output power of the prime mover is consumed. In all other cases the setting range of the travelling lever is reduced, such that the travelling drive cannot take off more power than that determined by the limiting power of the prime mover and of the other drive devices connected thereto. Automatic displacement of the travelling lever in the sense of increasing of the travelling speed is out of the question.
The invention is illustrated in the drawings and will now be described in detail with the aid of the reference numerals.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of the hydraulic drive of a double vibration roller of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic longitudinal section through a power limiting device in the double vibration roller of FIG. 1.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
In the block diagram of a hydraulic drive for a vibration roller illustrated in a simplified manner in FIG. 1, a prime mover 1 can be seen, which can be, for example, an internal-combustion engine. The prime mover 1 drives a hydrostatic pump 2, the power of which is variable through a travelling lever 3, on which an actuating member 5 of the hydrostatic pump 2 is pivoted at 4. The travelling lever 3 is pivoted at 6 on a carriage portion of the vibration roller. A travelling drive is connected to the hydrostatic pump 2, which travelling drive, in the illustrated embodiment has two hydraulic travelling motors 7,8 connected in parallel. A vibration drive is in driving connection with the prime mover 1 and consists of a further hydrostatic pump 9 and a vibration motor 10 and a vibration motor 11 of second order. A pressure limiting device 13 of conventional construction is located in the connecting conduit 12 to the vibration motors 10,11 and is connected to a fluid reservoir 14 and prevents an overload of the vibration motors 10,11. The vibration motor 11 is connected to the fluid reservoir 14 on the outlet side. One 2/2-directional control valve 15 each is located in the connecting conduit 12 and between the vibration motors 10,11, which 2/2 directional control valves form a switch on valves, in one position of which the vibration drive is switched on and the outlet of the vibration motor 10 is connected to the fluid reservoir 14 and to the inlet of the vibration motor 11, respectively. All of the elements of the above described circuits of the vibration roller are composed of conventional, commercially available components, and therefore do not require any detailed description.
A power limiting device 20 is arranged in the setting range of the travelling lever 3, as it is indicated by the dotted line designated by 3'. The power limiting device 20 will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2. The power limiting device 20 is connected to the hydrostatic circuit of the vibration drive through a conduit 21 and to the hydraulic circuit of the travelling drive through a conduit 22.
The power limiting device 20 comprises a piston-cylinder-unit, the cylinder 23 of which has a stepped bore 24. The largest step of the stepped bore 24 is connected through a transverse bore 25 to the conduit 22 to the hydrostatic circuit of the travelling drive and the smallest step of the stepped bore 24 is connected through a further transverse bore 26 to the conduit 21 to the hydraulic circuit of the vibration drive. A stepped piston 27 is located in the stepped cylinder 24 and has a large diameter mid-portion 28 slidingly movable in the largest step of the stepped bore 24 and an end portion 29 slidingly movable in the smallest step of the stepped bore 24. The cross sections of the mid-portion 28 and the end portion 29 of the stepped piston 27 are so dimensioned, that they are proportional to the maximum feed flowrates of the fluid in the corresponding hydrostatic circuit, that is in the hydrostatic circuits of the travelling drive and the vibration drive.
At the end of the cylinder 23 opposite the end portion 29, the stepped piston 27 is sealingly guided out of the cylinder 23 and extends with a spherically formed portion into the setting range of the travelling lever 3. A spring 30 is arranged between the large diameter mid-portion 28 of the stepped piston 27 and a shoulder at the end of the cylinder 23, through which the stepped piston 27 extends outward. This spring 30 is opposed to the feed pressure of the fluid in the travelling drive or rather in the largest step of the stepped bore 24 and provided with such a preload, that it balances the force of the pressure, which is exerted by the travelling drive upon the mid-portion 28 of the stepped piston 27 in the largest step of the stepped bore 24, when the prime mover 1 is operated at limiting load and power is transmitted to the travelling drive only. A stop ring 31 introduced into a circumferential groove limits the inwardly directed displacement of the stepped piston 27.
The stepped piston 27 and the travelling lever 3 are so arranged relative to each other, than the travelling lever 3 can be pivoted from the zero position indicated by the dotted line 3' through the total setting range to the position shown in FIG. 2, at the most. In this position the travelling lever 3 is just in contact with the end of the stepped piston 27 extending out of the cylinder 23. To this position the travelling lever 3 is pivotable at standstill of the prime mover 1. It also occupies this position when the total power of the prime mover 1 is directed exclusively to the travelling drive and the vibration roller is to move with the highest speed possible. If the vibration drive is switched on in addition, then the fluid pressure effective in the vibration drive is applied to the end portion 29 of the stepped piston 27. Thereby the force of the spring 30 is overcome and the stepped piston 27 emerges out of the stepped cylinder 23 by a length corresponding to the force balance, such that the setting range of the travelling lever 3 is correspondingly reduced and the maximum power transmitted to the travelling drive from the hydrostatic pump 2 is limited to a correspondingly small value. In this way the travelling lever 3 can be prevented from deflection into a position, in which the total power taken from the prime mover 1 by the hydrostatic pump 2 and the vibration drives exceeds the limiting power thereof.
In vibration rollers having travelling levers for forward and reverse drive, power limiting devices 20 constructed in the same way can be provided on each side of the travelling lever. Such a second power limiting device is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1. In the power limiting device of double vibration rollers further steps can be provided in the stepped bore of the cylinder and at the stepped piston for connection to the further vibration drives.
In vibration rollers having a hydrostatic steering support or a hydrostatic steering, further steps can be provided in a corresponding manner in the stepped bore of the cylinder and on the stepped piston, which are associated with the hydrostatic steering support or steering. Correspondingly a further vibration drive differing from the vibration drive first mentioned with regard to the rotary speed and/or the direction of rotation can be taken into account in the power limiting device 20.
For example, an additional auxiliary device 100, which could be either a hydraulic steering support means 100 or a second hydraulic vibration drive means 100, may be powered by a third hydraulic pump 102 which is driven by prime mover 1. A hydraulic fluid supply line 104 supplies fluid from pump 102 to auxiliary device 100. Return line 106 returns fluid to the fluid reservoir 14. A conduit 108 communicated supply line 104 to a third transverse bore 110 which communicated with a third step 112 of piston 27.