US 2014/0178166 A1Published application

Linkage End Effecter Tracking Mechanism for Slopes

AssigneeCaterpillar Forest Products Inc.

InventorsJohn Peter Andruch, III, Vinod Tukaram Yadav

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Abstract

In a work machine having a frame with a lift boom and a stick boom supporting an implement pivotally connected to the opposite end of the stick boom by a pivot pin. A controller determines the position of the pivot pin, detects a motion command signal from an operator control, determines an ending position of the pivot pin based on the motion command signal, and causes the lift boom and stick boom to rotate to orientation angles that will place the pivot pin at the ending position. When operating on a slope, the frame orientation with respect to gravity is determined so that horizontal and vertical motion commands cause the pivot pin and implement to move horizontally and vertically with respect to gravity regardless of the frame orientation. The implement can be maintained at a target orientation as the pivot pin moves by evaluating an orientation angle of the implement.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A work machine comprising:

a frame;
a lift boom having a first end and an oppositely disposed second end, with the first end of the lift boom pivotally connected to the frame by a first pivot pin;
a stick boom having a first end and an oppositely disposed second end, with the first end of the stick boom pivotally connected to the second end of the lift boom by a second pivot pin;
an implement pivotally connected to the second end of the stick boom by a third pivot pin;
a lift boom actuation mechanism operatively connected to the lift boom and operable to pivot the lift boom about the first pivot pin relative to the frame;
a stick boom actuation mechanism operatively connected to the stick boom and operable to pivot the stick boom about the second pivot pin relative to the lift boom;
a first operator control configured to transmit motion command signals;
and
a controller operatively connected to the lift boom actuation mechanism, the stick boom actuation mechanism and the first operator control,
the controller being configured to determine a current position of the third pivot pin relative to the first pivot pin based on a first lift boom orientation angle and a first stick boom orientation angle,
the controller being configured to detect the motion command signals from the first operator control,
the controller being configured to determine an ending position of the third pivot pin relative to the first pivot pin in response to detecting the motion command signals, and
the controller being configured to actuate the lift boom actuation mechanism to rotate the lift boom to a second lift boom orientation angle and to actuate the stick boom actuation mechanism to rotate the stick boom to a second stick boom orientation angle to move the third pivot pin from the current position to the ending position.

10 more elements

A method for positioning an implement of a work machine having a frame, a lift boom having a first end and an oppositely disposed second end, with the first end of the lift boom pivotally connected to the frame by a first pivot pin, a stick boom having a first end and an oppositely disposed second end, with the first end of the stick boom pivotally connected to the second end of the lift boom by a second pivot pin, and the implement is pivotally connected to the second end of the stick boom by a third pivot pin, the method comprising:

determining a current position of the third pivot pin relative to the first pivot pin based on a first lift boom orientation angle and a first stick boom orientation angle;
detecting a motion command signal from an operator control;
determining an ending position of the third pivot pin relative to the first pivot pin in response to detecting the motion command signal;
and
moving the lift boom to a second lift boom orientation angle and the stick boom to a second stick boom orientation angle to move the third pivot pin from the current position to the ending position.

2 more elements

A work machine comprising:

a frame;
a boom having a first end and an oppositely disposed second end, with the first end of the boom operatively connected to the frame for movement relative to the frame that includes rotational motion;
an implement pivotally connected to the second end of the boom by a pivot pin;
an implement actuation mechanism operatively connected to the implement and operable to pivot the implement about the pivot pin relative to the boom;
and
a controller operatively connected to the implement actuation mechanism,
the controller being configured to determine a current implement orientation angle of the implement,
the controller being configured to compare the current implement orientation angle of the implement to a target orientation angle, and the controller being configured to actuate the implement actuation mechanism to rotate the implement about the pivot pin toward the target orientation angle in response to determining that the current implement orientation angle is not equal to the target orientation angle.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.