JP2002327461A - Construction equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide construction equipment which is improved in durability of a battery thereof. SOLUTION: The construction equipment is formed of a cabin 8, an air conditioning device 12 for air-conditioning the interior of the cabin 8, and the battery 10 as a power source. The battery 10 is arranged in a machine room 9 adjacent to the cabin 8 in a manner being cooled by cold from the air conditioning device 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a construction machine having an improved battery cooling structure as a power supply.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in general shovels called hydraulic shovels, there have been proposed a hybrid shovel using electric power as an energy source and an electric shovel using only electric power as an energy source. This hybrid and electric shovel is equipped with a large battery,
Used as a power supply.

[0003]

The above-mentioned hybrid and electric shovels require a large current for each operation, so that the temperature of the battery becomes high, which causes problems such as a decrease in performance and a shortened life. Therefore, it is necessary to cool the battery, and as the cooling means, it is conceivable to arrange the battery in front of the radiator for cooling the engine or to provide a fan dedicated to the battery.

However, according to the former means, especially in the case of a small excavator, especially a small swing type excavator in which the upper swing body is downsized to reduce the swing radius, the degree of freedom in equipment layout around the engine is small and the radiator is small. It is difficult to secure a space for arranging the battery beforehand, and there is a problem that the cooling air of the radiator is impaired because the warm air after cooling the battery is used for cooling the engine.

[0005] On the other hand, the latter means has a problem that the cost is increased because a fan dedicated to the battery is provided, and it is difficult to secure a space for disposing the fan.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a construction machine capable of disposing a battery separately from a space in front of a radiator and efficiently cooling the battery with minimum equipment. It is intended for that purpose.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cabin, an air conditioner for performing an air conditioning operation in the cabin, and a battery as a power supply, wherein the battery is a machine adjacent to the cabin. It is characterized by being provided in a room in a state where it is cooled by receiving cold heat from the air conditioner.

[0008] According to this configuration, since the battery is cooled by the cool heat from the air conditioner in the cabin, the battery can be separated from the area around the engine (in front of the radiator) and disposed in the machine room. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the radiator is not impaired, and the battery can be efficiently cooled with a minimum facility because the cooling heat of the air conditioner in the cabin is used.

The invention according to a second aspect is characterized in that a battery air duct for sending cooling air from the air conditioner toward the battery is provided.

According to this configuration, since the cooling air from the air conditioner is blown to the battery to cool the battery, a high cooling effect can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, an opening is provided in a partition wall separating the machine room and the cabin for sending cool air in the cabin toward a battery.

According to this configuration, since the battery air duct is not required, the battery can be cooled at low cost.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the battery is provided in a state where cold heat is transmitted through a partition wall separating the cabin and the machine room.

According to this configuration, no additional equipment for cooling the battery is required, so that the battery can be cooled at low cost.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following embodiments, a crawler-type hydraulic excavator is used as an example. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a view showing the entire configuration of a crawler type hydraulic excavator. At the front of the upper revolving unit 2, an excavation attachment 6 including a boom 3, an arm 4, and a bucket 5 is mounted so as to be able to move up and down.

The upper swing body 2 has a swing frame 7.
The revolving frame 7 is provided with a cabin 8, a machine room 9, and the like. The cabin 8 has a substantially hermetic structure that is shielded from outside air to protect the driver from external noise and dust, and is provided with an air conditioner and the like to be described later in order to ensure the livability.

The machine room 9 is provided with an engine (not shown) as a drive source, a generator (not shown) driven by the engine, a battery 10 and the like. As the battery 10, a secondary battery such as a lead storage battery or a nickel-metal hydride storage battery which can repeatedly charge and discharge power is usually used.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the internal arrangement of the cabin 8 and the machine room 9 of the shovel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

A driver's seat 11 is provided in the cabin 8, and an air conditioner 12 is disposed below the driver's seat 11.

The air conditioner 12 has a foot ventilation duct 13 for sending cold or warm air toward the feet of the driver's seat 11.
And a back air duct 14 for sending cold or warm air from behind the driver's seat 11.

In this shovel, the machine room 9
Is provided with a battery air duct 15 for sending cooling air to the battery 10 arranged in the battery. The battery air duct 15 is provided so as to branch backward from the rear air duct 14, and the tip thereof is connected to the cabin 8 and the machine room 9.
The battery 10 penetrates a partition wall 16 that separates the battery 10 from the front surface of the battery 10.

With this configuration, the battery air duct 1
The cooling air sent out via 5 is blown to the battery 10, and the battery 10 is cooled by the cooling air.

Switching between cooling and heating is performed by the driver's seat 11.
The operation is performed by operating a changeover switch disposed in the vicinity, and when heating is selected, for example, a valve provided in the battery air duct 15 is configured to shut off the duct 15.

In this embodiment, the battery air duct 15 is branched from the rear air duct 14. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
From the rear air duct 14.

In this embodiment, by adding a temperature sensor to the battery 10, even when the air conditioner 12 is turned off, it is possible to detect that the battery 10 has reached a preset temperature. Alternatively, the air conditioner 12 may be operated.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing the internal arrangement of a cabin and a machine room of a shovel according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the first embodiment, the battery air duct 15 is provided to send the cooling air from the air conditioner 12 to the battery 10, whereas in the second embodiment, the battery air duct 15 is not provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the battery 10 in the machine room 9 is disposed in contact with a partition wall 16 provided between the cabin 8 and the machine room 9, and the partition wall 16 and the battery 10 are in contact with each other. Opening part 17
Is provided.

In this way, the cool air in the cabin 8 is sent to the battery 10 through the opening 17,
The battery 10 will be cooled.

The opening 17 is formed to be slightly smaller than the size of the battery 10, and is arranged so as to close the opening 17 with the battery 10. Thus, noise from the machine room is isolated, noise in the cabin 8 is prevented from increasing, and comfort in the cabin 8 is not impaired.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing the internal arrangement of a cabin and a machine room of a shovel according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, the battery air duct 1
The battery 10 is arranged in contact with the partition wall 16 between the cabin 8 and the machine room 9 without providing the opening 5 and the opening 17. In this case, the battery 10 is cooled by transmitting the cold heat in the cabin 8 to the battery 10 via the partition wall 16 (the partition wall 16 is used as a heat conductor).

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, since no additional equipment for cooling the battery is required, the battery can be cooled at low cost.

In the second and third embodiments,
Although the battery 10 is arranged in contact with the partition wall 16 as described above, the present invention is not limited to this.
It is also possible to install the device slightly away from the partition wall 16 within the range affected by the cold heat.

In the first to third embodiments,
Although the excavator suitable for the present invention has been described as an example, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be similarly applied to other construction machines such as a wheel crane.

[0035]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the battery can be disposed separately from the front of the radiator, the cooling efficiency of the radiator is not impaired, and special cooling such as a fan for cooling the battery is performed. Since the air conditioner for cooling the inside of the cabin is used without using any device, the battery can be efficiently cooled with minimum equipment.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the cooling air is sent from the air conditioner in the cabin to the battery through the battery air duct, a high cooling effect can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the battery air duct is not required, the battery can be cooled at low cost.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since additional equipment for cooling the battery is not required, the battery can be cooled at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a crawler type hydraulic excavator.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal arrangement of a cabin and a machine room of the shovel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal arrangement of a cabin and a machine room of a shovel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal arrangement of a cabin and a machine room of a shovel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Upper revolving unit 8 Cabin 9 Machine room 10 Battery 11 Driver's seat 12 Air conditioner 13 Foot air duct 14 Rear air duct 15 Battery air duct 16 Partition wall 17 Opening

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cabin, an air conditioner for performing an air conditioning operation in the cabin, and a battery as a power supply, wherein the battery is cooled in a machine room adjacent to the cabin by receiving cold heat from the air conditioner. A construction machine, wherein the construction machine is provided in a state where the construction is performed. 2. The construction machine according to claim 1, further comprising a battery air duct for sending cooling air from the air conditioner toward the battery. 3. The construction machine according to claim 1, wherein an opening for sending cold air in the cabin toward the battery is provided in a partition wall separating the machine room and the cabin. 4. The construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the battery is provided in a state where cold heat is transmitted through a partition wall separating the cabin and the machine room.