Autonomous soil compactor front radar
AssigneeCaterpillar Paving Products Inc.
InventorsTodd A. Impola, John L. Marsolek, Timothy M. O'Donnell, Jacob J. McAlpine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A soil compactor machine can include a machine frame; at least one cylindrical roller drum rotatably coupled to the machine frame and rotatable about a drum axis oriented generally transverse to a direction of travel of the compactor machine; and a radar sensor mounted to a front portion of the machine frame and positioned forward of the roller drum, wherein the radar sensor is mounted to the machine frame by a sensor bracket configured to directly mount to the machine frame for both a blade and a non-blade soil compactor machine configuration.
Claims20
A soil compactor machine comprising:
- a machine frame;
- at least one cylindrical roller drum rotatably coupled to the machine frame and rotatable about a drum axis oriented generally transverse to a direction of travel of the compactor machine;
- and
- a radar sensor mounted to a front portion of the machine frame and positioned forward of the roller drum, wherein the radar sensor is mounted to the machine frame by a sensor bracket configured to directly mount to the machine frame for both a blade and a non-blade soil compactor machine configuration, wherein the sensor bracket includes a sensor holding portion including mounting apertures on first and second sides of the sensor holding portion configured to mount to a front bumper using bolts and the sensor bracket includes a removable angled bracket attachable to a lower surface of the sensor holding portion.
A radar sensor assembly for autonomous soil compactor machine, the radar sensor assembly comprising:
- a radar sensor;
- and
- a sensor bracket mountable to a front portion of a machine frame of the soil compactor machine and positioned forward of a roller drum of the soil compactor machine, wherein the sensor bracket is configured to directly mount to the machine frame for both a blade and non-blade soil compactor machine configuration, wherein the sensor bracket includes a sensor holding portion including mounting apertures on first and second sides of the sensor holding portion configured to mount to a front bumper of the soil compactor machine using bolts.
A method of mounting a radar sensor assembly to an autonomous soil compactor machine, the method comprising:
- providing a sensor bracket for holding a radar sensor, wherein the sensor bracket is configured to be mounted to a machine frame of the soil compactor machine for both a blade and a non-blade soil compactor machine configuration, the sensor bracket including a sensor holding portion and a removable angled bracket, wherein the sensor bracket includes a sensor holding portion including mounting apertures on first and second sides of the sensor holding portion configured to mount to a front bumper of the soil compactor machine using bolts and the sensor bracket includes a removable angled bracket attachable to a lower surface of the sensor holding portion, the angled bracket including mounting apertures to mount to a blade cylinder mount of the soil compactor machine;
- and
- if the machine includes a blade, attaching the removable angled bracket to the lower surface of the sensor holding portion and mounting the angled bracket to the blade cylinder mount of the soil compactor machine;
- and
- if the machine does not have a blade, attaching the sensor holding portion directly to the front bumper of the soil compactor machine using bolts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.