Control system and method for a snow removal vehicle
AssigneeOshkosh Truck Corporation
InventorsDuane R. Pillar, Bradley C. Squires
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A snow removal vehicle is provided comprising an impeller, an engine system, and an engine control system. The engine control system receives feedback information pertaining to operation of the impeller, and controls the engine system based on the feedback information. A method of controlling a snow removal vehicle is provided comprising acquiring feedback information pertaining to operation of an impeller of the snow removal vehicle, analyzing the feedback information with an electronic signal processor, and controlling forward movement of the snow removal vehicle based on the feedback information.
Claims20
A snow removal vehicle comprising:
- an impeller;
- an engine system;
- and
- an engine control system, said engine control system receiving feedback information pertaining to operation of said impeller, said engine control system controlling said engine system based on said feedback information, said engine control system comprising a microprocessor-based control unit, and wherein said feedback information is obtained from said microprocessor-based control unit.
A snow removal vehicle comprising:
- an impeller;
- an engine system, said engine system including
- a traction engine, said traction engine being coupled to drive wheels of said snow removal vehicle, and said traction engine being adapted to drive said drive wheels to drive movement of said snow removal vehicle, and
- an impeller engine, said impeller engine being coupled to said impeller, and said impeller engine being adapted to drive said impeller to drive snow removal;
- and
- an engine control system, said engine control system receiving feedback information pertaining to operation of said impeller, and said engine control system controlling said engine system based on said feedback information, said engine control system including
- a network communication link,
- a microprocessor-based traction engine control unit, said traction engine control unit being coupled to said traction engine and being adapted to control said traction engine,
- a microprocessor-based impeller engine control unit, said impeller engine control unit being coupled to said impeller engine and being adapted to control said impeller engine, and
- a microprocessor-based system control unit, said system control unit being coupled to said traction engine control unit and said impeller engine control unit by way of said network communication link, said system control unit being adapted to receive said feedback information pertaining to said operation of said impeller, and to generate a control signal for said traction engine control unit based on said feedback information.
A method of controlling a snow removal vehicle comprising:
- acquiring feedback information pertaining to operation of an impeller of said snow removal vehicle;
- analyzing said feedback information with an electronic signal processor;
- and
- controlling forward movement of said snow removal vehicle based on said feedback information.
A method of controlling a snow removal vehicle comprising:
- acquiring feedback information pertaining to operation of an impeller of said snow removal vehicle;
- transmitting said feedback information to a microprocessor-based system control unit;
- processing said feedback information at said system control unit, including determining that said feedback information indicates that said impeller is operating near a stall condition;
- and
- reducing a rate of forward movement of said snow removal vehicle in response to said feedback information indicating that said impeller is operating near said stall condition, including
- generating, at said system control unit, a control signal microprocessor-based traction engine control unit, said traction engine control unit being coupled to and controlling an engine that drives forward movement of said snow removal vehicle,
- transmitting said control signal from said system control unit to said traction engine control unit by way of a network communication link, and
- utilizing said control signal at said traction engine control unit to reduce said rate of said forward movement of said snow removal vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.