Patent ID: 7980636
Filing Date: 2011-07-19
Classification: B60P

Abstract:
1. A gate control system for use on a load carrying vehicle having a material distribution gate, comprising: a control module comprising controls positioned within reach of a driver of the vehicle and actuatable by the driver to select from a plurality of predetermined gate positions; a cylinder having a piston and actuation rod connected to the gate and operable to move the gate between open and closed positions and to hold the gate in a selected one of said plurality of predetermined gate positions; a valve assembly controllably linked to said control module and connected to said cylinder, said valve assembly including a spool that has a first position whereby a working fluid is supplied to the cylinder such that the working fluid urges the gate toward the open position, a second position whereby the working fluid is supplied to said cylinder such that the working fluid urges the gate toward the closed position, and a third position whereby the working fluid is supplied to said cylinder such that the working fluid simultaneously urges the gate toward the open and closed positions thereby holding the gate in the selected one of said plurality of predetermined gate positions, wherein said valve assembly includes check valves operative to contain the working fluid supplied to each side of said piston within said cylinder when said spool is in the third position; a pair of pressure regulators each operative to supply independently regulated working fluid to a respective side of said piston when said spool is in the third position; and a position sensor capable of generating a signal indicative of a position of the gate, whereby said control module controls the positioning of the spool using feedback from the position sensor such that the spool moves to the third position when the gate is in the selected one of said plurality of predetermined gate positions.