Source: http://www.google.ca/patents/US5398766
Timestamp: 2017-08-17 15:41:51
Document Index: 618079875

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 10', 'Application No. 57', 'Application No. 57', 'Application No. 58', 'Application No. 58', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61']

Patent US5398766 - Device for controlling height of blade of tracked vehicle - Google Patents
A device for controlling the height of a blade of a tracked vehicle includes a blade height position detector, a blade height controller for raising and lowering the blade, and a device for setting an initial height of the blade. When the transmission of the vehicle is shifted from the reverse to the...http://www.google.ca/patents/US5398766?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5398766 - Device for controlling height of blade of tracked vehicle
Publication number US5398766 A
Application number US 08/144,022
Publication number 08144022, 144022, US 5398766 A, US 5398766A, US-A-5398766, US5398766 A, US5398766A
Inventors Tetsuya Nakayama, Toshihiko Kohda, Tatsuro Nakazato
Patent Citations (9), Non-Patent Citations (10), Referenced by (34), Classifications (9), Legal Events (4)
Device for controlling height of blade of tracked vehicle
US 5398766 A
A device for controlling the height of a blade of a tracked vehicle includes a blade height position detector, a blade height controller for raising and lowering the blade, and a device for setting an initial height of the blade. When the transmission of the vehicle is shifted from the reverse to the forward position, the height of the blade is lowered to the target value. A switch selects between the target value set by the initial height setting device and a manually selected height depending whether or not the switching device selects the automatic operation or manual operation of the blade height controller.
1. A device for controlling height of a blade of a tracked vehicle, comprising:
a lever for generating a first blade raising command signal used for raising or lowering the blade;
initial blade height setting means for setting and storing an initial blade height;
blade height detecting means for detecting a current blade height;
manual operation detecting means for detecting the operation of the lever and for outputting an operation detection signal during a period when the lever is being operated;
transmission position detecting means for detecting that speed stage of a transmission is shifted from a rearward movement stage to a forward movement stage;
target blade height selecting means for selecting and outputting a blade height set by the initial blade height setting means as a target blade height when the transmission position detecting means detects that speed stage of the transmission is shifted from a rearward movement stage to a forward movement stage, and for selecting and outputting a blade height detected by the blade height detecting means as a target blade height when the manual operation detecting means outputs the operation detection signal;
memory means for temporarily storing an output of the target blade height selecting means;
blade raising command signal generating means for generating a second blade raising command signal used for making the blade height to the target blade height stored in the memory means;
switching means for outputting the first blade raising command signal when the detection signal is outputted from the manual operation detecting means, and for outputting the second blade raising command signal when the detection signal is not outputted from the manual operation detecting means; and
drive controlling means for controlling a blade raising actuator in accordance with the blade raising command signal outputting from the switching means.
2. A device for controlling height of a blade of a tracked vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for indicating the data temporarily stored in the memory means.
The present invention relates generally to a tracked vehicle such as a bulldozer, a tractor, a dozer shovel or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a blade height controlling device for a tracked vehicle capable of automatically maintaining the blade height constant.
When a ground levelling operation is performed by a conventional tracked vehicle such as a bulldozer or the like, the vehicle is usually required to repeat forward/rearward movement several times. That is, while a blade is raised up to a desired height, it moves in the forward direction to push away soil, gravel or the like with the blade, thereafter, it once moves in the rearward direction, and subsequently, it moves in the forward direction again.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for controlling height of a blade of a tracked vehicle, comprising an electrical lever for generating a blade raising command signal to raise or lower the blade, blade height setting means for setting and storing the height of the blade, blade height detecting means for detecting the height of the blade, operation detecting means for detecting the operation of the electrical lever, speed stage shift detecting means for detecting that the speed stage is shifted from rearward movement stage to forward movement stage, selecting means for selecting a value set by the blade height setting means when a detection signal is output from the speed stage shift detecting means in the course of automatic blade height control, and selecting a value detected by the blade height detecting means when a detection signal is output from the operation detecting means after the value set by the blade height setting means is selected, memory means for temporarily storing an output from the selecting means, switching means for switching a value stored in the memory means and a blade raising command signal generated by the electrical lever in response to the detection signal output from the operation detecting means, and drive controlling means for controlling a blade raising actuator in response to an output from the switching means, wherein the automatic blade height control after outputting of the detection signal from the operation detecting means is performed by using a final value among the values detected by the blade height detecting means and stored in the memory means as a target value.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram which schematically illustrates the structure of a device for controlling a height of a blade mounted on a tracked vehicle in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 1 illustrates by way of block diagram the structure of a device for controlling height of a blade of a tracked vehicle in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The device includes a blade raising lever 1 in the form of a so-called electrical lever and a potentiometer for detecting displacement of the lever 1. A detection signal P output from the potentiometer is input into a controller 15 as a command signal for raising or lowering the blade, and it is then input into a shift switch 16 via the controller 15. A manual operation detector 2 detects that the blade raising lever 1 is practically operated, and a detection signal A output from the manual operation detector 2 is input into a target height signal selecting part 10 in the controller 15. In practice, the manual operation detector 2 detects manual operation of the lever 1 by detecting that the lever 1 is displaced from its neutral position in response to an output from the potentiometer for the lever 1.
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, while manual operation is performed, a detection value representing the present height of a blade is received as a target value for the blade height so as to allow the blade to be held at a constant height, and after completion of the manual operation, the blade height is controlled while a final blade height in the course of the manual operation is utilized as a target value for the height of the blade. Thus, workability and drivability of a tracked vehicle in respect of automatic control for the blade height can be improved substantially.
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U.S. Classification 172/4.5, 701/50, 172/2
Cooperative Classification E02F3/844, E02F3/845
European Classification E02F3/84B2, E02F3/84B