Electrically powered hydraulic actuating system

The present disclosure relates generally to a hydraulic actuating system, and more particularly, to an electrically powered hydraulic actuating system.

Machines such as, for example, dozers, loaders, excavators, motor graders, and other types of machinery use one or more hydraulic actuators to accomplish a variety of tasks. These hydraulic actuators are fluidly connected to pumps that provide a flow of pressurized fluid to the actuators in order to do work. Current pumping systems commonly employ mechanical means to urge fluid to the actuators. These mechanical means tend to make the pumping systems large, expensive, and inefficient. In addition, the many moving parts associated with mechanical pumping systems often lead to high maintenance costs and the potential for early pumping system failure. Furthermore, since mechanical pumping systems require a direct mechanical connection to a power source, remote location of mechanical pumping systems can be difficult.

One method of countering the negative aspects of mechanical pumping systems is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,057 (the \'057 patent) issued to Beck on Oct. 22, 2002. The \'057 patent describes a pump having a pumping chamber and a magnetic piston located therein. In addition, the \'057 patent discloses a power source connected to an electromagnetic drive system associated with the magnetic piston. The electromagnetic drive system is used to move the magnetic piston throughout the pumping chamber. The movement of the magnetic piston in the pumping chamber pressurizes fluid and urges it in a desired direction. This process is completed without the pumping system being mechanically connected to a power source.

Although the electromagnetic pump described in the \'057 patent may overcome some of the drawbacks of mechanically powered pumping systems, the pump in the \'057 patent may be inefficient for varying flow rate and/or pressure demand situations. That is, the pump in the \'057 patent may not have the ability to fluidly connect to multiple actuators with varying flow rate and/or pressure demands. Furthermore, the electromagnetic pump described in the \'057 patent may also have limited applicability in high flow situations due to the pump\'s size. In order to accommodate large flow rates, the pump in \'057 patent may need to be scaled up, resulting in high manufacturing costs and difficulty in remote placement.

The disclosed system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a pump. The pump includes a plurality of electro-magnetically actuated pumping chambers, a common inlet situated to supply the plurality of electro-magnetically actuated pumping chambers with low-pressure fluid, and a common outlet situated to receive fluid pressurized by the plurality of electro-magnetically actuated pumping chambers.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method of operating a machine. The method may include producing power at a first location, and directing the power to pressurize fluid at a second location, remote from first location. The method may also includes directing pressurized fluid at the second location to move a work tool at the second location.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary machine 100. Machine 100 may be a fixed or mobile machine that performs some type of operation associated with an industry such as mining, construction, farming, transportation, or any other industry known in the art. For example, machine 100 may be an earth moving machine such as an excavator, a dozer, a loader, a backhoe, a motor grader, or any other earth moving machine. Machine 100 may include a linkage system 101, a work tool 102 attachable to linkage system 101, and an operator interface 106 used to control motion of linkage system 101.