Artemis Intelligent Power Limited

Sauer Danfoss Aps

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited

Sauer-Danfoss Inc.

Danfoss Power Solutions Aps

Danfoss Scotland Limited

Flowcopter Ltd.

Multimatic Inc.

Niall James Caldwell

Takahiro Nakano

Jun Hashimoto

Tsuyoshi Wakasa

William Hugh Salvin Rampen

Uwe Bernhard Pascal Stein

Stephen Hugh Salter

Takeshi Miki

Kentaro Hayashi

Michael Richard Fielding

Alasdair Ian Fletcher Robertson

Masayuki Shimizu

Toshikazu Hayashi

Stephen Michael Laird

Ken Nakayama

Atsushi Maekawa

Uwe Bernhard Pascall Stein

Kazuhisa Tsutsumi

Atsushi Yuge

Daniil Sergeevich Dumnov

Uwe Stein

Onno Kuttler

Satoshi Iwasaki

Pierre Joly

Matthew Green

Jill MacPherson

William Rampen

Jonathan Paul Almond

Daniel Abrahams

Luke Wadsley

Fergus Robert McIntyre

Jack Samuel Lavender

Toshihide Noguchi

Shinichiro Mori

Robert George Fox

Hidekazu Ichinose

Hauke Karstens

Takuya Koyanagi

Mark Brett

Peter McCurry

Fumio Hamano

John Tearlach Campbell

Yasuhiro Korematsu

Peter Mccurry

Alasdair Robertson

Stephen Laird

Venkata Pappala

Stephen Salter

Robert Fox

Win Rampen

William H S Rampen

Uwe B P Stein

Andrew Latham

Jeremy Edmondson

Callan Mackay

Jill Macpherson

Callan MacKay

Mathew Green

Michael Fielding

Michiya Uchida

Hiroyasu Ochiai

Pierre Robert Joly

Takumi Mine

Yusaku Egashira

Erik Muenz

Francesco Baldini

Jamie Taylor

Takeo Ohira

Osamu Uehara

Shigeru Hokazono

Fergus Robert Mcintyre

A hydraulic apparatus including an electronically commutated machine having a plurality of working chambers which are controlled on each cycle of working chamber volume to carry out active or inactive cycles of working chamber volume allows only a plurality of defined fractions of cycles to be active cycles to avoid generating frequencies of active cycles which cause low frequency resonances. The demand signal may be quantised into fractions m/n where n is an integer below a threshold selected to avoid repeating patterns of active cycles of more than a cut-off length.

Electronically commutated hydraulic machine and operating method to reduce generation of resonance effects

A vehicle includes: a prime mover; a hydraulic fluid manifold; a hydraulic machine; a hydraulic accumulator; one or more hydraulic actuators; a valve arrangement; and a controller. The controller is configured to receive an actuator demand signal indicative of a demand to move the one or more hydraulic actuators; and to control the hydraulic machine and the valve arrangement to cause movement of the one or more actuators in accordance with the actuator demand signal by bringing the hydraulic accumulator into fluid communication with a first actuator chamber of the one or more hydraulic actuators, and to synchronise therewith changing a pressure in a second actuator chamber of the one or more hydraulic actuators. The second actuator chamber is in fluid communication with the hydraulic machine.

Hydraulic apparatus and method for a vehicle

A hydraulic apparatus has a plurality of pump modules each of which is formed by a plurality of working chambers having a common high pressure manifold. A connecting circuit switchably connects pump modules to first and second hydraulic circuit portions to allocate capacity as first and second demands for hydraulic fluid vary. In an apparatus which may have two or more connecting circuit outputs, valves may be controlled or working chamber pumping cycles made inactive to facilitate the reallocation of a pump module from one output to another, and a control strategy addresses pump module allocation when the demands for hydraulic fluid exceed available capacity.

Hydraulic apparatus and operating method

An electronically commutated hydraulic machine is coupled to a drivetrain. Working chambers of the hydraulic machine are connected to low and high pressure manifold through electronically controlled valves. The phase of opening and closing of the valves has a default. In order to avoid cycle failure due to acceleration events, for example due to backlash in the drivetrain, the phase of opening or closing of the electronically controlled valves is temporarily advanced or retarded from the default timing.

Valve timing in electronically commutated hydraulic machine

A prime mover and hydraulic actuators, a hydraulic machine having a rotatable shaft engaged with the prime mover and having a plurality of working chambers, a hydraulic circuit extending between a group of working chambers of the hydraulic machine and the hydraulic actuators, each working chamber of the hydraulic machine having a low-pressure and a high-pressure valve regulating the flow of hydraulic fluid between the working chamber and a corresponding low-pressure manifold and a high-pressure manifold. The hydraulic machine controlling the low-pressure valves of the group of working chambers to select the net displacement of hydraulic fluid by each working chamber on each cycle of working chamber volume, and thereby the net displacement of hydraulic fluid by the group of working chambers, responsive to a demand signal, the apparatus further having a controller calculating the demand signal responsive to a measured property of the hydraulic circuit or an actuator.

Apparatus with hydraulic machine controller

A prime mover and a plurality of hydraulic actuators, a hydraulic machine having a rotatable shaft in driven engagement with the prime mover and comprising a plurality of working chambers, a hydraulic circuit extending between a group of one or more working chambers of the hydraulic machine and one or more of the hydraulic actuators, each working chamber of the hydraulic machine comprising a low-pressure valve which regulates the flow of hydraulic fluid between the working chamber and a low-pressure manifold and a high-pressure valve which regulates the flow of hydraulic fluid between the working chamber and a high-pressure manifold. The hydraulic machine being configured to actively control at least the low-pressure valves of the group of one or more working chambers to select the net displacement of hydraulic fluid by each working chamber on each cycle of working chamber volume, and thereby the net displacement of hydraulic fluid by the group of one or more working chambers, responsive to a demand signal, wherein the apparatus further comprises a controller configured to calculate the demand signal in response to a measured property of the hydraulic circuit or one or more actuators.

A prime mover and a plurality of hydraulic actuators, a hydraulic machine having a rotatable shaft in driven engagement with the prime mover and comprising working chambers, a hydraulic circuit between working chambers of the hydraulic machine and the hydraulic actuators, each working chamber of the hydraulic machine comprising a low-pressure and high-pressure valves regulating the flow of hydraulic fluid between the working chamber and a corresponding low-pressure manifold and a high-pressure manifold. The hydraulic machine being configured to actively control the low-pressure valves of the working chambers to select the net displacement of hydraulic fluid by each working chamber on each cycle of working chamber volume, and thereby the net displacement of hydraulic fluid by the working chambers, responsive to a demand signal, wherein the apparatus further comprises a controller configured to calculate the demand signal in response to a measured property of the hydraulic circuit or actuators.

Hydrostatic apparatus and method of operating the same

A fluid power system comprises a pump with multiple independently variable outlets, each of which is capable of delivering fluid in individually controllable volume units and a plurality of hydraulic loads. A system of switching valves is configured to create fluid connections between the pump outlets and the loads. A control system commands both the pump and the switching valves, so as to create valve state combinations to satisfy load conditions as demanded by an operator. The number of pump outlets connected to one or more of the loads is changeable to satisfy the flow required of the load due to the operator demand, each pump outlet being commanded to produce a flow depending on the status of other outlets connected a load to which the outlet is connected and the operator demand for that load.

Fluid power distribution and control system

An object is displaced alternately in opposite directions, using a hydraulic power unit having a rotatable body which includes the shaft of a hydraulic machine having electronically commutated valves. A motor drives the rotatable body. The hydraulic machine drives an actuator to displace the object in use. Energy is transformed from rotational kinetic energy of the rotatable body to elastic strain energy or elastic strain and gravitational potential energy of the object during a pumping phase and rotation of the rotatable body slows, but does not change direction. The potential energy then drives the hydraulic machine to motor and the rotatable shaft speeds up again, storing rotational kinetic energy. The displacement of the hydraulic machine is controlled throughout to match a time varying demand taking into account the varying speed of rotation of the rotatable shaft. The motor provides energy to compensate for losses and the process can repeat cyclically.

Displacement of an object with hydraulic actuators

A multi-rotor aerial vehicle comprises at least two rotors, a controller, a power supply having an output shaft, a shaft-driven hydraulic machine coupled to the output shaft and at least two rotor-driving hydraulic machines coupled to respective rotors. At least one of the hydraulic machines is an electronically commutated hydraulic machine in which displacement of hydraulic fluid through each working chamber is regulated by electronically controllable valves, during each cycle of working chamber volume, in phased relationship to cycles of working chamber volume. The controller controls the electronically controllable valves of the electronically commutated hydraulic machines to independently control the rotation of the rotors. The shaft-driven hydraulic machine may be an electronically commutated machine with a plurality of independent outputs, which independently drive the rotor-driving hydraulic machines. The rotor-driving hydraulic machines may be electronically commutated machines the displacement of which is independently controlled to independently drive the rotors.

Hydraulic multi-rotor aerial vehicle

A method of operating a hydraulic apparatus comprising a hydraulic circuit region and hydraulic machine which is controlled to displace pulses of fluid of known volume into or out of the hydraulic circuit region, generating pulses of pressure in the hydraulic circuit region and torque in the hydraulic machine shaft. The response of parts of the hydraulic apparatus to these pulses is measured and used to determine properties of the hydraulic apparatus. The response of the pressure in the hydraulic circuit region to pulses at different pressures can be used to measure the hydraulic stiffness of parts of the hydraulic circuit region. It is possible to detect faults and to make measurements useful in subsequent operation of the hydraulic apparatus.

Measurement and use of hydraulic stiffness properties of hydraulic apparatus

A valve unit for a fluid working machine comprise a valve having a valve member (and optionally a valve seat), a valve actuator coupled to the valve member, and an electronic actuator controller which is integral to the valve unit and configured to actively control the valve actuator to thereby control the valve member.

Valve for fluid working machine, fluid working machine and method of operation

A prime mover and a plurality of hydraulic actuators, a hydraulic machine having a rotatable shaft in driven engagement with the prime mover and comprising a plurality of working chambers, a hydraulic circuit extending between working chambers of the hydraulic machine and the hydraulic actuators, each working chamber of the hydraulic machine comprising a low-pressure valve which regulates the flow of hydraulic fluid between the working chamber and a low-pressure manifold and a high-pressure valve which regulates the flow of hydraulic fluid between the working chamber and a high-pressure manifold. The hydraulic machine being configured to actively control at least the low-pressure valves of the working chambers to select the net displacement of hydraulic fluid by each working chamber on each cycle of working chamber volume, and thereby the net displacement of hydraulic fluid by the working chambers, responsive to a demand signal.

Apparatus

An injection molding system, water jet cutting machine or other industrial system has a synthetically controlled variable displacement fluid working machine which outputs hydraulic fluid to one or more fluid consumers, such as rams or hydraulic motors, through hydraulically stiff fluid retaining volumes and receives hydraulic fluid back from one or more fluid consumers through the same or other said hydraulically stiff fluid retaining volumes. Individual piston cylinder assemblies can be allocated to different outputs. There may be no valve between the machine and the consumers. A working chamber of the machine can be caused to undergo a motoring cycle to enable the machine to output more power than is received from a motor driving the machine. An accumulator can be used to provide a source of hydraulic compliance. The machine can be controlled using pressure control, flow control, feed forward control or variable power/variable power limit control.

Industrial system with synthetically commutated variable displacement fluid working machine

A fluid power system comprises a pump with multiple independently variable outlets (), each of which is capable of delivering fluid in individually controllable volume units and a plurality of hydraulic loads (). A system of switching valves is configured to create fluid connections between the pump outlets and the loads. A control system commands both the pump and the switching valves, so as to create valve state combinations to satisfy load conditions as demanded by an operator. The number of pump outlets () connected to one or more of the loads () is changeable to satisfy the flow required of the load due to the operator demand, each pump outlet being commanded to produce a flow depending on the status of other outlets connected a load to which the outlet is connected and the operator demand for that load.

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Niall James Caldwell