E02F9/123

Auto track alignment and undercarriage swing

A working machine includes an undercarriage, a main frame, a swing bearing supporting the undercarriage from the main frame, a swing motor configured to pivot the main frame on the swing bearing about a pivot axis, a boom extending from the main frame along a working direction, and a pivot angle sensor configured to provide a pivot angle signal corresponding to a pivot position of the main frame relative to the undercarriage about the pivot axis. A controller is configured to receive the pivot angle signal and to drive the swing motor automatically.

DRIVE CONTROL METHOD OF HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR OF CONSTRUCTION MACHINE

A drive control method of a hydraulic actuator of a construction machine includes: determining whether a rotation operation lever and a working device operation lever are operated; calculating the required pressure of a hydraulic cylinder fix a working device according to the operation amount of the rotation operation lever; calculating the required flow rates of a swing motor and the hydraulic cylinder for the working device, the required flow rates corresponding to the operation amounts of the working device operation lever and the rotation operation lever; calculating the opening areas of the first and second proportional solenoid valves of an inlet side and an outlet side by using the calculated required pressure and required flow rates of the hydraulic cylinder for the working device and the swing motor; and calculating current values to be inputted into the first and second proportional solenoid valves of the inlet side and the outlet side according to preset data values or a table in comparison with the calculated opening areas of the first and second proportional solenoid valves of the inlet side and the outlet side.

Tracked vehicle with rotating upper structure and processes therefor
11708685 · 2023-07-25 · ·

A process for execution by a processor of an electronic control unit (ECU), comprising: (a) detecting an operator command to align an upper structure of a tracked vehicle relative to a lower structure of the tracked vehicle; (b) in response to detection of the operator command, applying controlled rotation of the upper structure relative to the lower structure about an axis to align the upper structure relative to the lower structure at a predetermined relative angle; (c) in response to the upper structure having been aligned relative to the lower structure at the predetermined relative angle, signaling that alignment has been achieved; and (d) causing rotation of the upper structure to stop when alignment has been achieved and being non-responsive to further detection of the operator command during and for a predetermined period of time after said signaling. Also, a tracked vehicle comprising an ECU that executes the above process.

CONSTRUCTION MACHINE
20230228061 · 2023-07-20 ·

The present invention is related to a construction machine, the construction machine including: a main pump; a swing motor operated by receiving a hydraulic oil from the main pump; a swing valve configured to control flow of the hydraulic oil by the main pump to supply the hydraulic oil to the swing motor and to control the flow of the hydraulic oil having been discharged from the swing motor; a hydraulic oil control valve unit provided between the swing motor and the swing valve and configured to control the flow of the hydraulic oil according to a pressure of the hydraulic oil at opposite ends; a first accumulator configured to store the hydraulic oil having passed through the hydraulic oil control valve unit when the swing motor is decelerated; a regeneration control valve provided between the hydraulic oil control valve unit and the first accumulator; and a controller configured to control the hydraulic oil control valve unit and the regeneration control valve by determining acceleration or deceleration of the swing motor.

WORKING MACHINE
20230021137 · 2023-01-19 · ·

A working machine includes: a plurality of hydraulic actuators including a high-load hydraulic actuator and a low-load hydraulic actuator whose hydraulic pressure for actuation thereof is lower than that of the high-load hydraulic actuator; a plurality of direction switching valves each of which switches a direction of a hydraulic fluid for a corresponding one of the hydraulic actuators, the plurality of direction switching valves including a low-load direction switching valve that switches a direction of hydraulic fluid for the low-load hydraulic actuator; and a dummy-load forming unit that forms a dummy load in the low-load direction switching valve to suppress a variation in an actuation speed of the low-load hydraulic actuator between a time when the high-load hydraulic actuator and the low-load hydraulic actuator are operated in combination and a time when the low-load hydraulic actuator is operated singly.

One-Handed Joystick For Excavators
20230221752 · 2023-07-13 ·

A one-handed joystick for excavators allows an operator to make all necessary motions with a single hand and arm for manipulating an excavator tool. The one-handed joystick includes a rotatable cylinder bar, a rotatable ring and an industrial joystick base. The rotatable cylinder bar is grasped with a hand. The industrial base is moved front to back, or right to left. The following are preferable hand/arm motions. A downward hand curl is associated with a bucket digging motion; an upward hand curl is associated with a bucket dump; a forearm forward push is associated with a boom/stick extension; a forearm reward pull is associated with a boom/stick retraction; a left-hand movement is associated with swinging the excavator left; a right-hand movement is associated with swinging the excavator right; a clockwise hand twist is associated with a stick/boom extension; and a counter clockwise hand twist is associated with a stick/boom retraction.

ROTARY CONSTRUCTION MACHINE

A confluence control part of a slewing-type construction machine controls a confluence switch valve such that the confluence switch valve is switched to a suspension state when a slewing and boom raising manipulation action is performed. A pump capacity control part of the slewing-type construction machine executes a capacity control when the slewing and boom raising manipulation action is performed, the capacity control including regulating a first pump capacity and a second pump capacity respectively in such a manner that the first pump capacity increases and the second pump capacity decreases as an operating pressure difference resulting from the subtraction of a slewing operating pressure from a boom operating pressure increases, and the first pump capacity decreases and the second pump capacity increases as the operating pressure difference decreases.

Tracking rotation with a swing sensor

Systems and methods for tracking a heading of an excavator are provided. An initial heading of the excavator platform is obtained and a current azimuthal orientation of the excavator platform is associated with the initial heading. Coordinates of a measurement center of the GNSS device are obtained. Coordinates of a center of rotation of the excavator platform are determined using the initial heading of the excavator platform, the coordinates of the measurement center, and a known spatial relationship between the measurement center of the GNSS device and the center of rotation of the excavator platform. Rotation of the excavator platform is tracked from the initial heading to a first heading using rotation measurements from a swing sensor.

Demolition Machine
20220412110 · 2022-12-29 ·

A demolition machine includes a deck having a front edge, a rear edge, a left side, and a right side, with the deck defining a central axis along a direction extending from the rear edge to the front edge and equally spaced from the left side and the right side of the deck, a drive assembly secured to the deck, with the drive assembly rotatable relative to the deck, an engine received by the deck and positioned at one of the left side and right side of the deck, an energy reservoir and hydraulic reservoir each received by the deck and positioned on an opposite side of the deck from the engine, and a boom assembly secured to a boom support structure of the deck. The boom assembly is moveable relative to the deck, with the boom support structure positioned on the central axis.

WORK IMPLEMENT TILT CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKED VEHICLE

A work implement tilt control system for a tracked vehicle having a frame and a work implement mounted to the frame, the system comprising: a lifting unit configured to controllably raise or lower at least part of the work implement; an input device actionable by a first and second types of external actions associated with raising or lowering of the work implement; and a vehicle computer configured to send a signal to the lifting unit to carry out a lowering cycle of the work implement in case the vehicle computer determines that a set of conditions has been met. In some cases, the set of conditions includes: (i) a movement characteristic of the tracked vehicle exceeds a threshold; and (ii) the input device has been actioned by the first type of external action since carrying out the most recent lowering cycle of the work implement.