Method and apparatus for controlling direction of excavating machine
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Iseki Kaihatsu Koki
InventorToshio Akesaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is disclosed a method and an apparatus for easily controlling the advancing direction of an excavating machine without causing the excavating machine to largely trace in a zigzag way. The direction control is done by the steps of mounting a reflector on a head portion of a shield body so as to receive a light beam directed along an imaginary reference line, mounting a target on a tail portion of the shield body so as to receive the reflected light beam from the reflector, controlling means for correcting the direction so that the reflected light beam may be irradiated at an objective position within the target, and thereby controlling the advancing direction of the excavating machine so that a subjective portion at the front end of the head portion may follow along the reference line.
Claims18
A method for controlling the direction of an excavating machine, comprising the steps of:
- providing an excavating machine which includes a shield body provided with a head portion and a tail portion flexibly connected to the rear of the head portion and means for correcting the direction of said head portion relative to said tail portion;
- directing a light beam toward said excavating machine along an imaginary reference line from the rear of said excavating machine;
- receiving said light beam on a reflector mounted on said head portion;
- receiving a reflected light beam from said reflector on a target mounted on said tail portion;
- and
- controlling said correcting means such that said reflected light beam is irradiated at an objective position within said target.
An apparatus for controlling the direction of an excavating machine comprising a shield body provided with a head portion and a tail portion flexibly connected to the rear of the head portion and means for correcting the direction of said head portion relative to said tail portion;
- a reflector mounted on said head portion to receive a light beam directed to said shield body along an imaginary reference line from the rear of said shield body;
- and
- a target mounted on said tail portion to receive a reflected light beam from said reflector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.