Machine and method of determining suitability of work material for compaction
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsThomas M. Congdon, Paul T. Corcoran
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Abstract
A method of operating a compactor includes determining a value indicative of a compaction state of a region of work material after each of a plurality of compactor passes, and triggering a compaction fault condition if an incipient compaction response satisfies aberrant compaction criteria. A machine includes an electronic controller configured to trigger a compaction fault condition responsively to sensor input signals indicative that aberrant compaction criteria are satisfied by an incipient compaction response of a work material.
Claims20
A method of operating a compactor machine comprising the steps of:
- determining a value indicative of a compaction state of a region of work material after each of a plurality of compactor passes, the determined values defining an incipient compaction response of the region of work material;
- determining if the incipient compaction response satisfies aberrant compaction criteria;
- and
- triggering a compaction fault condition, if aberrant compaction criteria are satisfied.
A machine comprising:
- a frame having at least one rotatable compacting unit coupled therewith;
- at least one sensor operable to output a signal indicative of a compaction state of a region of a work material after each of a plurality of passes across the region by said rotatable compacting unit;
- and
- an electronic controller coupled with said at least one sensor and configured to receive sensor inputs from said at least one sensor defining an incipient compaction response of the region of work material, said electronic controller further being configured to trigger a compaction fault condition if the incipient compaction response satisfies aberrant compaction criteria.
An electronic controller for a compactor machine configured to determine an incipient compaction response of a region of a work material based on a plurality of compaction state sensor inputs, and further configured to trigger a compaction fault condition if the incipient compaction response satisfies aberrant compaction criteria.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.