Apparatus for controlling a member
AssigneeCaterpillar Tractor Co.
InventorJohn P. Hoffman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus (11) for moving a member in accordance with a predetermined speed curve (1) having a plurality of sequential intervals (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8), including controlled devices (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) for controlling the speed of the member and an automatic controller (10) to control the controlled devices to run the member as specified by the speed curve. Prior systems required a highly skilled operator to manipulate various controls to actuate the controlled devices (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44), but this has been eliminated through the use of the automatic controller (10). The apparatus (11) can principally be used to control the speed of an engine through a sequence of intervals to test, for example, for smoke emissions during certain of the intervals.
Claims90
Apparatus (11) for actuating an engine in accordance with a predetermined speed curve (1) having a plurality of sequential intervals (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8), the curve (1) specifying the engine speed at any instant of time, comprising:
- (a) means (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) for controlling the speed of the engine;
- and
- (b) means (10) for automatically actuating said controlling means (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) to run the engine as specified by the speed curve (1), including
- (i) first means (58, 62, 72, 80, 82) for storing data of the duration of several (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8) of said intervals;
- (ii) second means (60, 70) for storing data of the termination speed for at least one (2-3, 4-5) of said intervals;
- (iii) third means (54) for storing data of a speed at which the engine is to run for the duration of at least one (0-0', 6-7) of said intervals;
- and
- (iv) means (100, 161, 189, 401-401C, 441, 491, 515, 536, 607, 619, 697, 741, 897, 943, 991, 1025) for generating control signals during said plurality of intervals in dependence on the stored data of said first storing means (58, 62, 72, 80, 82), said second storing means (60, 70) and said third storing means (54), wherein said controlling means (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) is responsive to said control signals.
Apparatus (11) for actuating an engine in accordance with a predetermined speed curve (1) having a plurality of sequential intervals (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8), the curve (1) specifying the engine speed at any instant of time, comprising:
- (a) means (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) for controlling the speed of the engine, including
- (i) throttle means (18, 30, 34) for changing engine speed, said throttle means (18, 30, 34) including first means (18) for slowly accelerating the engine, and second means (34) for quickly accelerating the engine;
- and
- (ii) means (40, 44) for loading the engine to control engine speed;
- and
- (b) means (10) for automaticaly actuating said controlling means (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) to run the engine as specified by the speed curve (1), including means (100, 161, 189, 401-401C, 441, 491, 515, 536, 607, 619, 697, 741, 897, 943, 991, 1025) for generating a plurality of control signals to control said throttle means (18, 30, 34) and said loading means (40, 44) over said sequential intervals (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8), said generating means including
- (i) means (189, 897) for generating one of said control signals during one (2-3) of said intervals (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8) to actuate said first means (18);
- and
- (ii) means (189, 943) for generating another of said control signals during at least one other (0-0', 3-4, 5-6) of said intervals (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8) to actuate said second means (34).
Apparatus (11) for actuating an engine in accordance with a predetermined speed curve (1) having a plurality of sequential intervals (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8), the curve (1) specifying the engine speed at any instant of time, comprising:
- (a) means (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) for controlling the speed of the engine, including means (40, 44) for loading the engine, said loading means (40, 44) including an energizeable field coil (40) and means (44) for controlling energization of said field coil (40), said energization controlling means (44) including
- (i) controllable rectifier means (762, 764, 766, 784, 786, 788) for delivering power across said field coil (40), including three silicon controlled rectifiers (762, 764, 766) in circuit with said field coil (40) and three diodes (784, 786, 788) in circuit, respectively, with said three silicon controlled rectifiers (762, 764, 766);
- and
- (ii) means (792, 800) for gating on said rectifier means (762, 764, 766, 784, 786, 788).
Apparatus (11) for actuating an engine in accordance with a predetermined speed curve (1) having a plurality of sequential intervals (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8), the curve (1) specifying the engine speed at any instant of time, comprising:
- (a) means (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) for controlling the speed of the engine, including means (40, 44) for loading the engine, said loading means (40,44) including
- (i) an energizeable field coil (40);
- and
- (ii) means (44) for controlling energization of said field coil (40) including means (776, 780, 808, 820) for controllably inserting resistance in circuit with said field coil (40) to control the decay rate of said coil (40);
- and
- (b) means (10) for automatically actuating said controlling means (12, 14, 16, 18, 30, 34, 40, 44) to run the engine as specified by the speed curve (1).
Apparatus (10) for actuating controlled devices (18, 30, 34, 40, 44) to operate a member in a sequence specified by a predetermined curve (1), the curve (1) including a plurality of lines (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8), each line having a slope and end points and corresponding to an interval (0-0', 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8) in the sequence, comprising:
- (a) first means (52, 100, 161, 189, 991) for generating first signals corresponding to the intervals;
- (b) second means (52, 401-401C, 441, 491, 515) for generating second signals corresponding to the slopes of certain of said lines in response to certain of said first signals;
- and
- (c) means (536, 607, 619, 697, 741, 897, 943, 1025) for generating control signals to control the devices to operate the member in the sequence in response to said first signals and said second signals.
In a system (11) for operating an engine in a sequence specified by a speed vs. time curve (1) having, successively, a warm-up interval 0-0', a low idle interval (1-2), a first acceleration interval (2-3), a second acceleration interval (3-4) a closed-throttle-pull-down interval (4-5), a third acceleration interval (5-6), a stabilization interval (6-7), and a lug interval (7-8), the system (11) including throttle means (18, 30, 34) for changing engine speed and means (40, 44) for loading said engine to control engine speed, the improvement comprising means (10) for automatically controlling said throttle means (18, 30, 34) and said loading means (16, 40, 44) to run the engine once through said warm-up interval (0-0') followed by a plurality of successive cycles, each of said cycles commencing with said idle interval (1-2) and ending with said lug interval (7-8).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.