Pivotal movement control device for boom-equipped working machine

• US 5,088,020 A
• Filed: 08/14/1989
• Issued: 02/11/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Nishida, Tetsuya, Katayama, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gordon, Paul
• Application Number:
  US07/393,669
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 364/160, 364/167.01, 364/424.07, 414/687, 414/697, 414/698, 414/699, 414/711, 137/636.2, 137/625.46
• US Class Current: 700/40
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/384 the boom being pivotable relative to the frame about a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/964 of several tools mounted on one machine E02F3/962 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2033 Limiting the movement of frames or implements, e.g. to avoid collision between implements and the cabin sub-groups of E02F3/431 of E02F3/435 take precedence; for turntables E02F9/123

Abstract

Disclosed is a pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine provided with a pivotal movement control responsive to the inclined angle of a control lever and a position detector for detecting the moved position of a boom in a lateral direction. The device includes a changeover switch for changing between an automatic mode and a manual mode, an automatic target position stop control for storing a signal from the position detector as a target stop position when the changeover switch is changed from the manual mode to the automatic mode and pivotally moving the boom to the target stop position and stopping it there while reading a positional signal from the position, when the boom is at a position other than the target stop position and the control lever is operated to the side of the target stop position. The device also includes a manual control for controlling the boom according to a signal from the pivotal movement control when the control lever is operated in another manner and when the changeover switch is in the manual mode.

Claims

1. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine comprising (1) a control lever which is movable between inclined positions on either side of a neutral region, (2) pivotal movement instructing means for controlling a pivotal movement of a boom in response to an inclined position of said control lever and (3) position detecting means for detecting the pivotal position of the boom in a lateral direction, wherein the improvement comprises:

switch means for changing between an automatic mode and a manual mode;

automatic target stop position control means for (a) storing a target stop signal from said position detecting means when said switch means is changed from the manual mode to the automatic mode, said target stop signal being representative of a target stop position of the boom, (b) controlling a pivotal movement of the boom so as to move the boom to the target stop position and stop the boom at the target stop when (b₁) the boom is positioned away from the target stop position and (b₂) said control lever is moved away from the neutral region in a direction opposite to the direction in which the boom is positioned away from the target stop position and (c) reading a positional signal from said position detecting means during movement of the boom to the target stop position;

manual control means for controlling a pivotal movement of the boom in response to a signal from said pivotal movement instructing means while said switch means is in the manual mode or while said control lever is operated other than as specified in (b₁) and (b₂) above; and

means for changing from the automatic mode to the manual mode when the boom is positioned away from the target stop position and said control lever is moved away from the neutral region in a direction which corresponds to the direction in which the boom is positioned away from the target stop position.

2. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 1, wherein said automatic target position stop control means releases the automatic mode when said boom is in the automatic stop position at the time said control lever is returned to the neutral region in the automatic mode.

3. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 1, wherein the automatic target position stop control means continues the automatic mode when said boom is in a position other than the automatic stop position at the time said control lever is returned to the neutral region in the automatic mode.

4. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 1, wherein said manual control means compares a target speed applied from said pivotal movement instructing means with a pivotally moving angular speed applied from said position detecting means and pivotally moves said boom according to the target speed.

5. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 1, further including automatic return control means for automatically returning said boom to the target stop position when said boom exceeds the target stop position under the control of the automatic mode.

6. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 1, wherein said pivotal movement instructing means and said position detecting means comprise potentiometers.

17. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 1, 7 or 12, further including a potentiometer for developing a control signal, upper limit value setting means and lower limit value setting means for setting an upper limit value and a lower limit value of the control signal, and upper limit value discriminating means and lower limit value discriminating means for comparing said control signal from said potentiometer with the upper and lower limit values and outputting an abnormal signal when said control signal is beyond the compass of the upper and lower limit values of the control signal.

18. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 17, wherein an alarm means driven by the abnormal signal is provided.

7. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine comprising (1) a control lever which is movable between inclined positions on either side of a neutral region, (2) pivotal movement instructing means for controlling a pivotal movement of a boom in response to an inclined position of said control lever and (3) position detecting means for detecting the pivotal position of the boom in a lateral direction, wherein the improvement comprises:

speed reducing region discriminating means for determining, based on a signal from said position detecting means, whether said boom is positioned in speed reducing regions in the vicinity of lateral terminus points of boom movement as the boom is moved to the lateral terminus points; and

speed instruction means for generating a speed reducing instruction when a pivotally moving speed of the boom is greater than an instructed speed reducing speed.

8. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 7, wherein said pivotal movement instructing means and said position detecting means comprise potentiometers.

9. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 7, further including speed means for determining the pivotally moving speed of said boom based on a signal from said position detecting means and applying the pivotally moving speed determined by said speed discriminating means to said speed instruction means.

10. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 7, wherein said speed instruction means includes an instructed reducing speed setting means for setting an instructed reducing speed.

11. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 7, wherein said speed instruction means compares the present pivotally moving speed of said boom with an instructed reducing speed and generates a speed keeping instruction when the pivotally moving speed is equal to or less than the instructed reducing speed and generates a speed reducing instruction to reduce the speed to a given speed when the pivotally moving speed is greater than the instructed reducing speed.

12. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine comprising (1) a pivotal base for supporting a boom, said pivotal base being movable in a lateral direction, (2) a position detecting means, including a detecting lever, for detecting a moved position of said pivotal base, and (3) control means for (a) storing a target stop position signal from said position detecting means, (b) stopping pivotal movement of said pivotal base at a target stop position and (c) reading a signal from said position detecting means to detect the position of said pivotal base during pivotal movement, wherein the improvement comprises:

said position detecting means disposed on one of said pivotal base and a fixed member;

a control lever disposed on the other of said pivotal base and the fixed member for operating said detecting lever of said position detecting means; and

a spring urging said detecting lever and said control lever into engagement at all times.

13. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 12, wherein said position detecting means is disposed on the side of said pivotal base.

14. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 12, wherein an engaging pin is disposed on one of said detecting lever and said control lever and an engaging recess is provided in the other of said detecting lever and said control lever, said engaging pin being disposed within said engaging recess to enable both said levers to be relatively turned and said spring urging said engaging pin into engagement with a side of said engaging recess at all times.

15. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 12 or 14, wherein said position detecting means comprises a potentiometer including a pivotal shaft and said pivotal shaft is provided with said detecting lever.

16. A pivotal movement control device for a boom-equipped working machine according to claim 15, wherein said spring is incorporated in said potentiometer.