Milling machine chamber binding control systems and methods
AssigneeCaterpillar Paving Products Inc.
InventorsNathaniel S. Doy, Lee M. Hogan, Austin R. Bies
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A milling machine is provided comprising a frame including a plurality of height-adjustable legs; a rotor; a rotor chamber including a movable front wall, a movable rear wall, and a pair of movable side walls; and a controller. The controller is configured to enable a rotor chamber binding control during on a lowering of the rotor towards a ground surface; automatically raising at least one of the front wall or the rear wall during the lowering of the rotor; and disable the rotor chamber binding.
Claims20
A milling machine, comprising:
- a frame including a plurality of height-adjustable legs;
- a rotor;
- a rotor chamber including a movable front wall, a movable rear wall, and a pair of movable side walls;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- enable a rotor chamber binding control during a lowering of the rotor towards a ground surface;
- automatically determine a rotor chamber binding event;
- in response to the determination of the rotor chamber binding event, automatically raise at least one of the front wall or the rear wall during the lowering of the rotor;
- discontinue the raising of at least one of the front and the rear wall when movement of at least one of the side walls is detected;
- and
- disable the rotor chamber binding control.
A method of operating a milling machine having a frame including a plurality of height-adjustable legs;
- a rotor;
- and a rotor chamber including a movable front wall, a movable rear wall, and a pair of movable side walls;
- the method comprising:
- enabling a rotor chamber binding control during a lowering of the rotor towards a ground surface, wherein the enabling of the rotor chamber binding control is conditioned on the machine not being propelled;
- automatically raising at least one of the front wall or the rear wall during the lowering of the rotor;
- and
- automatically disabling the rotor chamber binding control.
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for operating a milling machine, the milling machine having a frame including a plurality of height-adjustable legs;
- a rotor;
- and a rotor chamber including a movable front wall, a movable rear wall, and a pair of movable side walls, wherein when the instructions are executed by at least one controller including a memory storing the instructions for operating the milling machine, the instructions cause the at least one controller to:
- automatically enable a rotor chamber binding control during a lowering of the rotor, wherein the lowering of the rotor is provided by lowering the frame via the height-adjustable legs;
- automatically determine a rotor chamber binding event;
- in response to the determination of the rotor chamber binding event, automatically raise at least one of the front wall or the rear wall during the lowering of the rotor;
- discontinue the raising of the at least one of the front wall or the rear wall when movement of at least one of the side walls is detected;
- and
- automatically disable the rotor chamber binding control.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.