US 5,224,033 AGranted

Work automation apparatus for hydraulic drive machines

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho

InventorsKentaro Nakamura, Takao Kamide, Kiyoshi Note, Koichi Yamashita, Shinji Maeda

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Abstract

A hydraulic actuator is operated using a manual operation device, operations from the manual operation device are stored in the path of an operation signal to a valve controller and these are read out as required and operations similar to those from the manual operation device are outputted to the hydraulic actuator so that repeated operations of the hydraulic actuator are performed automatically. Further, a vibration signal to the hydraulic actuator is added to the operation by the manual operation device and outputted so that operation that is not accurately performed by manual operation is made possible. In the case where repeated operations are performed continuously, a correction operation by the manual operation device is taken into account so that a correction operation which is varied every given amount is made simple. Thus, the present invention can be used where the digging process of a construction machine is made deeper every given amount.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A work automation apparatus for hydraulic drive machines, comprising:

a manual operation means for producing an operation signal;
a source of hydraulic fluid;
a hydraulic actuator;
a supply and discharge passage means connected between said source and said hydraulic actuator;
a control valve disposed in said supply and discharge passage means and which makes an opening/closing restrictor for the supply of hydraulic fluid from said source to said hydraulic actuator and for the discharge of hydraulic fluid from said actuator;
an electromagnet drive means for actuating said control valve;
a valve controller for outputting a drive signal to said drive means responsive to an input signal to the valve controller;
an automatic work controller having a memory section for inputting an operation signal from said manual operation means and for storing this inputted operation signal, and having a computation output section which allows an automatic work signal to be outputted on the basis of a signal stored in the memory section;
and
a switching means for selecting said operation signal from said manual operation means or said automatic work signal from said automatic work controller, and for outputting the thus selected signal to said valve controller as the input signal thereto;
wherein said automatic work controller has a vibration signal generation section for generating a vibration signal corresponding to a forward/reverse drive signal for a hydraulic actuator, and said computation output section includes means for combining a vibration signal from the vibration signal generation section and a signal stored in said memory section and outputting the thus combined signal to said switching means.

8 more elements

A hydraulic power shovel having a plurality of hydraulic work machines and a work automation apparatus, said hydraulic work machines including at least one of a boom, an arm, and a bucket, said work automation apparatus comprising:

a manual operation means for producing an operation signal for operation of at least one of said hydraulic work machines;
a source of hydraulic fluid;
a hydraulic actuator for actuating said at least one of said hydraulic work machines;
a supply and discharge passage means connected between said source and said hydraulic actuator;
a control valve disposed in said supply and discharge passage means and which makes an opening/closing restrictor for the supply of hydraulic fluid from said source to said hydraulic actuator and for the discharge of hydraulic fluid from said actuator;
an electromagnetic drive means for actuating said control valve;
a valve controller for outputting a drive signal to said drive means responsive to an input signal to the valve controller;
an automatic work controller for providing an automatic work signal;
and
a switching means for selecting one of said operation signal from said manual operation means and said automatic work signal from said automatic work controller, and for outputting the thus selected signal to said valve controller as the input signal thereto;
wherein said automatic work controller comprises a memory section for inputting an operation signal for said at least one of said hydraulic work machines from said manual operation means and for storing this inputted operation signal, a vibration signal generation section for generating a vibration signal corresponding to a forward/reverse drive signal for said hydraulic actuator, and a computation output section which allows an automatic work signal to be outputted on the basis of at least one of said vibration signal and a signal stored in the memory section.

8 more elements

A work automation apparatus for a hydraulic drive machine, comprising:

a manual operation means for producing an operation signal for said hydraulic drive machine;
a source of hydraulic fluid;
a hydraulic actuator;
a supply and discharge passage means connected between said source and said hydraulic actuator;
a control valve disposed in said supply and discharge passage means and which makes an opening/closing restrictor for the supply of hydraulic fluid from said source to said hydraulic actuator and for the discharge of hydraulic fluid from said actuator;
an electromagnetic drive means for actuating said control valve;
a valve controller for outputting a drive signal to said drive means responsive to an input signal to the valve controller;
an automatic work controller for providing an automatic work signal;
and
a switching means for selecting one of said operation signal from said manual operation means and said automatic work signal from said automatic work controller, and for outputting the thus selected signal to said valve controller as the input signal thereto;
wherein said automatic work controller comprises a memory section for inputting an operation signal for said hydraulic work machine from said manual operation means and for storing this inputted operation signal, a vibration signal generation section for generating a vibration signal corresponding to a forward/reverse drive signal for said hydraulic actuator, and a computation output section which allows an automatic work signal to be outputted on the basis of at least one of said vibration signal and a signal stored in the memory section.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.