Excavation machine with auto reverse
AssigneeVermeer Manufacturing Company
InventorsTy Hartwick, Casey Dean Berg, Oleg Khalamendik, Karl D. Maasdam, Joseph W. Nelson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides an excavation machine that is configured to minimize or otherwise account for the unintended stoppage (i.e., jamming/stalling) of a digger tool. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure a machine is provided with one or more drive systems that automatically stop and reverse to avoid excavation tool jamming. The machine and methods of the present disclosure provide an efficient method and machine for excavation operations.
Claims27
A method for excavating using an excavation machine, the excavation machine including a chassis supported on propulsion structures that are part of a ground drive system for propelling the chassis over a ground surface, the excavation machine also including an excavation attachment carried by the chassis, the excavation attachment including a digging tool driven by an attachment drive system, the digging tool including a plurality of cutting teeth, the excavation machine also including an actuator for raising and lowering the excavation attachment relative to the chassis, the method comprising:
- performing an excavation operation by propelling the chassis in a forward direction over the ground with the ground drive system while driving the cutting teeth of the digging tool in a cutting motion with the attachment drive system;
- detecting an auto reverse trigger condition with an electronic control system of the excavation machine;
- triggering an auto reverse sequence with the electronic control system when the auto reverse trigger condition is detected, wherein the auto reverse sequence includes an action selected from the group consisting of:
- a) automatically reversing the ground drive system to move the chassis and the excavation attachment carried by the chassis in a reverse direction;
- and b) automatically reversing the attachment drive system to reverse the cutting motion of the cutting teeth of the digging tool.
A method for excavating using an excavation machine, the excavation machine including a chassis supported on propulsion structures that are part of a ground drive system for propelling the chassis over a ground surface, the excavation machine also including an excavation tool carried by the chassis, the excavation machine including an excavation tool drive system for rotating the excavation tool, the excavation tool being selected from the group consisting of a chain, a wheel, and a drum, the method comprising:
- performing an excavation operation by engaging the excavation tool with material to be excavated while propelling the chassis in a forward direction over the ground with the ground drive system and while also driving the excavation tool in a first rotational direction with the excavation tool drive system;
- detecting an auto reverse trigger condition with an electronic control system of the excavation machine;
- triggering an auto reverse sequence with the electronic control system when the auto reverse trigger condition is detected, wherein the auto reverse sequence includes automatically reversing the excavation tool drive system to reverse a direction of rotation of the excavation tool from the first rotational direction to a second rotational direction that is opposite from the first rotational direction.
A method for excavating using an excavation machine, the excavation machine including a chassis supported on propulsion structures that are part of a ground drive system for propelling the chassis over a ground surface, the excavation machine also including an excavation tool carried by the chassis, the excavation machine including an excavation tool drive system for driving the excavation tool in a cutting motion, the method comprising:
- performing an excavation operation by engaging the excavation tool with material to be excavated while propelling the chassis in a forward direction over the ground with the ground drive system and while also driving the excavation tool in the cutting motion with the excavation tool drive system;
- detecting an auto reverse trigger condition with an electronic control system of the excavation machine;
- triggering an auto reverse sequence with the electronic control system when the auto reverse trigger condition is detected, wherein the auto reverse sequence includes automatically reversing the ground drive system to move the chassis and the excavation tool carried by the chassis in a reverse direction.
A method of excavation comprising:
- engaging an excavation tool with material to be excavated;
- moving the excavation tool relative to the material to be excavated by activating a ground drive;
- and
- triggering an auto reverse sequence based on the detection of an auto reverse trigger condition, wherein the auto reverse sequence includes automatically reversing the ground drive system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.