CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A TILTROTATOR, A METHOD FOR CALIBRATING A CONTROL SYSTEM OF A TILTROTATOR AND A METHOD FOR LEVELING A TOOL ATTACHED TO A TILTROTATOR

• US 20110264336A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SVAB Hydraulik AB
• Original Assignee: SVAB Hydraulik AB
• Inventors: Bengtsson, Kenth
• Application Number:
  US13/125,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264336A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/3677 allowing movement, e.g. rotation or translation, of the tool around or along another axis as the movement implied by the boom or arms, e.g. for tilting buckets
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2025 Particular purposes of control systems not otherwise provided for E02F3/16, E02F3/26, sub-groups of E02F3/43, E02F3/651, sub-groups of E02F3/84, E02F3/907, E02F5/145 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2228 including an electronic controller

Abstract

A control system for controlling a tiltrotator (5) comprises control means (J), a controller (6), a feeder pilot (8), a feeder (9) and a plurality of external proportional valves (16) for controlling the movements of the tiltrotator. The control system further comprises an inclinometer (15) providing to the controller the orientation of a tool (4) attached to the tiltrotator.

Claims

1. Control system for controlling a tiltrotator (5) comprising control means (7), a controller (6), a feeder pilot (8), a feeder (9) and a plurality of external proportional valves (16) for controlling the movements of the tiltrotator, characterized in that the control system further comprises an inclinometer (15) providing the controller with information of the orientation of the tiltrotator.

2. Control system according to claim 1, wherein the control system further comprises a valve assembly unit (10) to be applied on the tiltrotator, which valve assembly unit contains the external proportional valves and the inclinometer.

3. Control system according to claim 1, wherein the control system comprises indicator means (30) for providing to the operator the information of the orientation of a tool (4) attached to the tiltrotator.

4. Control system according to claim 1, wherein control system comprises automatic tilting means by which a calibration cycle is autonomously performed and calibration parameter is automatically measured.

14. The control system of claim 1, which controls the operation of an excavator.

5. Method for calibrating a control system of a tiltrotator (5), the control system comprising control means (7), a controller (6), a feeder pilot (8), a feeder (9) and a plurality of external valves (16) for controlling the movements of the tiltrotator, characterized by attaching to the tiltrotator an inclinometer (15) to indicate the orientation of a tool (4), moving the tiltrotator in a calibration cycle comprising a start position and a stop position, receiving from the inclinometer the angular speed of the movement of the tiltrotator, defining a calibration parameter by measuring the electric current (13) of the feeder pilot correspondent to the angular speed, and calibrating the control system by a set of predefined parameters corresponding to the calibration parameter.

6. Method for calibrating a control system according to claim 5, wherein the start position comprises the vertical position of the tiltrotator, the stop position comprises an adjacent position of the tiltrotator and the calibration parameter is defined as the feeder start level.

7. Method for calibrating a control system according to claim 5, wherein the start position comprises the first end position of the tiltrotator, the stop position comprises the second end position of the tiltrotator, and the calibration parameter is defined as the feeder end level.

8. Method for calibrating a control system according to claim 5, wherein the tiltrotator is autonomously maneuvered by the control system itself.

9. Method for calibrating a control system according to claims 5, wherein the calibration cycle is performed a plurality of times.

11. Computer program product storable on a computer readable medium containing instructions for a computer processor to evaluate the method of claim 5.

12. Computer readable medium containing thereon a computer program product according to claim 11.

15. The method of claim 5, which controls the operation of an excavator.

10. Method for leveling a tool (4) attached to a tiltrotator(5) carried by a manipulator apparatus maneuverable by a control system comprising control means (7), a controller (6), a feeder pilot (8), a feeder (9) and a plurality of external valves (16) for controlling the movements of the tiltrotator, characterized by attaching an inclinometer (15) to the tiltrotator to indicate the orientation of a tool (4), receiving from the inclinometer a signal corresponding to the orientation of the tool, calculating the necessary movements of the tiltrotator to maneuver the tool to assume the vertical orientation, maneuvering autonomously the tiltrotator to assume the vertical orientation irrespective of the operator'"'"'s maneuvering of the manipulator apparatus carrying the tiltrotator.

13. (canceled)