Method and apparatus for determining machine location
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsMichael David Staub, Claude Wesley Keefer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is provided for determining the location of a work machine at a work site, where the work machine includes a house, a boom connected to the house, a stick connected to the boom, and a work implement connected to the house. Reference signals are received from an external reference source. The position of a point on the house is determined in response to the received signals. Information about the work machine is determined based on the position of the point on the house. The status of center-of-rotation (COR) information is updated. The system determines if an event has occurred. If an event is determined to have occurred, event reactions occur.
Claims18
A method for determining the location of a work machine at a work site, the work machine including a house, a boom connected to the house, a stick connected to the boom, and a work implement connected to the stick, comprising:
- receiving reference signals from an external reference source;
- determining the position of a point on the house in response to the received signals;
- determining information about the work machine based on a position of the point on the house;
- updating a status of a center-of-rotation (COR) information;
- determining if an event has occurred;
- and
- if an event is determined, reacting to the event,
- wherein the step of reacting to the event includes:
- determining whether an updated COR is available;
- and
- if an updated COR is available, processing the event.
An apparatus for determining the location of a work machine at a work site, comprising:
- a house;
- a boom connected to the house;
- a stick connected to the boom;
- a work implement connected to the stick;
- a positioning system including a receiver connected to the house, the positioning system being configured to determine the location of the receiver in three dimensional space at a plurality of points as the house is rotated and to further determine the location and orientation of the work implement in response to the location of the plurality of points;
- a sensor configured to identify an event;
- and
- a processor, including a storage device in which a queue of events is stored, configured to determine the location of the receiver in three dimensional space at the time of an event and to process the event in relation to the location of the receiver and the location of the plurality of points.
A method for determining the location of a work machine, having a calculated center of rotation (COR) information, when the work machine trams and rotates simultaneously, the method comprising:
- determining when an event has occurred;
- storing the calculated COR information upon determining that an event has occurred;
- obtaining position information based on received reference signals from an external reference source;
- and
- determining a current location of the work machine based on the stored COR information and the obtained position information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.