Patent Grant
8463508
A system for correcting an angle of an implement coupled to a loader is disclosed. The system includes multiple subsystems governed by a controller.
Maintaining control over a load being carried by an implement coupled to a loader is important to help maximize worksite productivity. For instance, without sufficient load control, dirt or debris being carried by a bucket coupled to a loader may spill out of the bucket, thereby necessitating rework; similarly, without sufficient load control, material stacked on a pallet being carried by a fork coupled to a loader may fall off the pallet, also necessitating rework. Maintaining control over the angle of an implement coupled to a loader contributes significantly to maintaining control of a load being carried by the implement. However, the angle of such an implement may vary along the range of travel of the implement due to the kinematics of the system carrying the implement and/or due to slight drifts in the positions of the hydraulic cylinders helping to support the implement. Accordingly, systems for correcting such angle variations are desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,830 B2 to Berger et al. discloses an electronic control system for skid steer loader controls. Specifically, the Berger et al. system provides a complex variety of modes, features, and options for controlling implement position, including an automatic implement self-leveling feature. The automatic implement self-leveling feature includes a return-to-dig mode and a horizon referencing mode. However, these modes in the Berger et al. system each rely largely upon multiple position sensors for information about implement position.
A system for correcting an angle of an implement coupled to a loader is disclosed. The system includes a controller configured to receive a signal indicative of the speed of an engine on a loader and to receive a signal indicative of an actuation of an operator interface on the loader. The operator interface actuation signal commands movement of a lift arm on the loader. The controller is further configured to calculate an angle correction signal based at least upon the engine speed signal and the operator interface actuation signal and to transmit the angle correction signal to change an angle of a coupler configured to couple an implement to the lift arm.
A loader is disclosed that includes an engine system, an operator interface, a lift arm, an implement, a coupler configured to couple the implement to the lift arm, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of the speed of an engine in the engine system and to receive a signal indicative of an actuation of the operator interface. The operator interface actuation signal commands movement of the lift arm. The controller is further configured to calculate an angle correction signal based at least upon the engine speed signal and the operator interface actuation signal, and to transmit the angle correction signal to change an angle of the coupler.
A controller-implemented method for correcting an angle of an implement coupled to a loader is disclosed. The method includes receiving a signal indicative of the speed of an engine on a loader and receiving a signal indicative of an actuation of an operator interface on the loader. The operator interface actuation signal commands movement of a lift arm on the loader. The method further includes calculating an angle correction signal based at least upon the engine speed signal and the operator interface actuation signal, and transmitting the angle correction signal to change an angle of an implement coupled to the lift arm.
A loader according to an embodiment of the invention is shown broadly at reference numeral 10 in
Turning now to
The controller 15 calculates the open loop correction signal 34 by multiplying an initial correction calculation by an engine speed factor. The initial correction calculation is associated with the commanded lift arm movement speed, whereas the engine speed factor is associated with the engine speed indicated by the engine speed signal 32. These associations may be specified in maps, lookup tables, or similar data structures programmed into the controller 15. Specifically, upon receiving the operator interface actuation signal 33 and discerning a commanded lift arm movement speed from the operator interface actuation signal 33, the controller 15 accesses a first map 35 that associates lift arm movement speeds with initial correction calculations and utilizes the first map 35 to determine the initial correction calculation associated with the lift arm movement speed indicated by the operator interface actuation signal 33. In addition, also upon receiving the operator interface actuation signal 33, the controller 15 determines the engine speed indicated by the engine speed signal 32, accesses a second map 40 that associates engine speeds with engine speed factors, and utilizes the second map 40 to determine the engine speed factor associated with the engine speed indicated by the engine speed signal 32. Then, as mentioned above, the controller 15 multiplies the initial correction calculation by the engine speed factor to arrive at the open loop correction signal 34 to be transmitted to the coupler actuation system 23.
The closed loop subsystem 30 includes the operator interface 13, the controller 15, the coupler actuation system 23, and the angle sensor 24. Specifically, in the closed loop subsystem 30, the controller 15 receives a coupler angle signal 41 from the angle sensor 24 mounted on the coupler 22 and calculates a second angle correction signal, also referred to herein as a closed loop correction signal 42, based at least upon the coupler angle signal 41. More specifically, when the operator interface actuation signal 33 received by the controller 15 includes a command to start lift arm movement or to change the direction of lift arm movement from up to down or vice versa, the controller 15 stores the coupler angle most recently indicated by the coupler angle signal 41 as a target angle. The controller 15 then monitors the coupler angle signal 41 for deviations from the target angle. Then the controller 15 calculates the difference between the stored target angle and the actual angle continually indicated by the coupler angle signal 41 and, based upon the calculated difference between the angles, transmits the closed loop correction signal 42 to the coupler actuation system 23 such that the coupler 22 is actuated to the extent necessary for the actual angle indicated by the coupler angle signal 41 to match the target angle.
The limit subsystem 31 includes the operator interface 13, the controller 15, the coupler actuation system 23, a limit sensor 43, and upper and lower sensor triggers 44, 45 (
In addition, the controller 15 is configured to calculate a position of the lift arm 21 based at least upon the limit signal 50. The controller 15 calculates the position of the lift arm 21 by referring to the operator interface actuation signal 33 to determine which direction the operator interface actuation signal 33 most recently commanded the lift arm 21 to move. When the controller 15 receives the limit signal 50, if the operator interface actuation signal 33 indicates that the lift arm 21 was most recently commanded to move up, the controller 15 concludes that the limit sensor 43 has sensed the presence of the upper sensor trigger 44 and, by extension, that the lift arm 21 has reached the upper limit of lift arm travel. Similarly, if the operator interface actuation signal indicates that the lift arm 21 was most recently commanded to move down, the controller 15 concludes that the limit sensor 43 has sensed the presence of the lower sensor trigger 45 and, by extension, that the lift arm 21 has reached the lower limit of lift arm travel.
Under most conditions, the open loop subsystem 27, the closed loop subsystem 30, and the limit subsystem 31 are all continuously enabled while the implement angle correction system 26 is operating. The limit subsystem 31 affects the operation of both the open and closed loop subsystems 27, 30 as described above, i.e., by discontinuing the open and closed loop correction signals 34, 42 when the limit sensor 43 detects the presence of either the upper or lower sensor trigger 44, 45. The open loop subsystem 27 is generally configured to cause sudden, undampened corrections of the angle of the coupler 22. In contrast, the closed loop subsystem 30 is generally configured to cause gradual, dampened corrections of the angle of the coupler 22. The dampening of the response of the closed loop subsystem 30 is accomplished by the controller 15. Specifically, the controller 15 is configured to apply a low-pass filter to the coupler angle signal 41 in order to prevent the closed loop subsystem 30 from reacting to sudden and/or frequent phenomena such as machine vibration. Furthermore, the controller 15 is a proportional-integral controller configured to increase the amount of coupler angle correction over time as a given difference between the actual and target coupler angles persists. Accordingly, the open and closed loop subsystems 27, 30 generally complement one another, with the open loop subsystem 27 reacting suddenly to actuations of the operator interface 13 and the closed loop subsystem 30 reacting slowly to differences between the actual and target coupler angles indicated by the angle sensor 24.
However, in some situations the closed loop subsystem 30 is automatically temporarily disabled by the controller 15 while the open loop subsystem 27 continues to operate. For example, if the loader 10 accelerates rapidly either forward or backward, the angle sensor 24 may falsely detect a significant change in coupler angle. Thus, if the controller 15 concludes from signals received from wheel speed sensors (not shown) that such acceleration is occurring, the controller 15 temporarily disables the closed loop subsystem 30 in order to prevent the potentially erroneous coupler angle signal 41 from causing unnecessary changes to the coupler angle. By way of further example, if an operator actuates the operator interface 13 such that the coupler 22 suddenly tilts the implement 25 backward towards the loader 10 as a lift arm movement is commanded, the angle sensor 24 may generate an incorrect target angle. Thus, if the controller 15 concludes that such actuation of the operator interface 13 has occurred, the controller 15 temporarily disables the closed loop subsystem 30 in order to prevent an incorrect target angle from being generated.
The implement angle correction system 26 may be activated and deactivated by an operator as desired by manipulating a control switch (not shown) in the cab 11. In addition, an operator may override the system 26 by using the operator interface 13 or another operator control to manually command a change in the coupler angle during lift arm movement. Finally, as explained above, the system 26 operates only while lift arm movement is being commanded by actuation of the operator interface 13, as the open loop subsystem functions based on commanded lift arm speed and the closed loop subsystem functions based on a target angle stored when lift arm movement is commanded.
A system for correcting an angle of an implement coupled to a loader is disclosed. Many aspects of the disclosed embodiment may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention, which is delineated only by the following claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4266909 | Langenfeld et al. | May 1981 | A |
| 4375344 | Baum et al. | Mar 1983 | A |
| 4923362 | Fryk | May 1990 | A |
| 5083894 | Ikari et al. | Jan 1992 | A |
| 5188502 | Tonsor et al. | Feb 1993 | A |
| 5234312 | Hirose | Aug 1993 | A |
| 5356259 | Hanamoto et al. | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5598648 | Moriya et al. | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5704429 | Lee et al. | Jan 1998 | A |
| 5768810 | Ahn | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5782018 | Tozawa et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5826666 | Tozawa et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 6047228 | Stone et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6109858 | Deneve et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6115660 | Berger et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
| 6140787 | Lokhorst et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6205687 | Rocke | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6233511 | Berger et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6234254 | Dietz et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6246939 | Nozawa | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6618659 | Berger et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
| 6691437 | Yost et al. | Feb 2004 | B1 |
| 7140830 | Berger et al. | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7530185 | Trifunovic | May 2009 | B2 |
| 7881845 | Nichols | Feb 2011 | B2 |
| 8091256 | Piekutowski et al. | Jan 2012 | B2 |
| 20090082930 | Peters | Mar 2009 | A1 |
| 20090159302 | Koch et al. | Jun 2009 | A1 |
| 20110091308 | Nichols | Apr 2011 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 0900887 | Mar 1999 | EP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110153091 A1 | Jun 2011 | US |
