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Earth mover blade stabilizing apparatus

  • US 4,923,015 A
  • Filed: 10/03/1988
  • Issued: 05/08/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1988
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An earth mover blade stabilizing apparatus for controlling the height of a blade carried from an earth mover by means of pivoted arm means rotatable about a transverse mounting axis and driven by a hydraulic cylinder, said apparatus comprising:

  • an inclinometer including a housing mounted on said arm means in a predetermined transverse plane and including sensor means disposed within said housing, said inclinometer further including a pendulum mounted from said housing for rotation about a pendulum axis disposed in said transverse plane, said pendulum naturally assuming a true vertical position not necessarily coplanar with the predetermined transverse plane, and including on the free end of said pendulum a magnetic element for generating a magnetic field, said sensor means for sensing said magnetic field, and operative in response to the location of said magnetic element on first and second sides of said predetermined transverse plane to produce respective first and second deviation signals of proportionate magnitude indicative of the position of said magnetic element relative to said sensor means;

    electrical circuit means including an electrical source coupled with said sensor means and responsive to the magnitude of said first and second deviation signals to produce respective first and second drive signals of proportionate magnitude;

    hydraulic control means coupled with said hydraulic cylinder and including electrical drive means operative in response to the magnitude of said first drive signal to direct a proportionate hydraulic fluid flow to one end of said hydraulic cylinder to rotate said control arm means in one direction towards a predetermined angle and operative in response to the magnitude of said second drive signal to direct a proportionate hydraulic fluid flow to the opposite end of said cylinder to rotate said control arm means in the opposite direction toward said predetermined angle whereby when said earth mover encounters an uneven rise or depression causing its blade to be raised or lowered thus raising or lowering said control arm means relative to said predetermined angle, said magnetic element in assuming a position in the true vertical plane will be correspondingly shifted with respect to said predetermined transverse plane causing said sensor means to generate said respective first or second deviation signals thus causing said electrical control circuit to generate said respective first or second drive signal to thus cause said hydraulic control means to direct fluid flow to said respective first or second end of said cylinder to cause said control arm to be driven back toward said predetermined angle.

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