Working tool operation range limiting apparatus

• US 5,490,081 A
• Filed: 01/14/1994
• Issued: 02/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kuromoto, Kazunori, Kawamura, Koichi, Kobayashi, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): RUGGIERO, JOSEPH F
• Application Number:
  US08/182,131
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 364/474.2, 364/424.07, 364/461, 364/559, 364/174, 212/153, 212/154, 212/276-281, 340/685, 340/686, 37/234, 37/414-416
• US Class Current: 700/178
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/24 Safety devices , e.g. for preventing overload E02F9/226 takes precedence

Abstract

The velocity of a working tool of a hydraulic excavator can be automatically decelerated and stopped just before the working tool would encounter an obstacle. Hazard regions and decelerating regions which correspond upward, downward, forward, and other positions of the hydraulic excavator are designated and a working tool decelerating pattern V₂ where the working tool velocity decreases from 100% to 0% in a decelerating region is stored in a control unit. When a working tool velocity V₁ which corresponds to the amount of operations of working tool levers (1, 2) intersects with the working tool decelerating pattern V₂ in a decelerating region, the working tool moves at the velocity V₂ and stops just before a hazard region. A restoring pattern where the working tool is restored from a just-before-hazard position to a safety region is stored as a working tool accelerating pattern V₄ where the working tool velocity accelerates from a predetermined velocity just before a hazard region. This working tool accelerating pattern V₄ is stored in the control unit. The working unit velocity is accelerated along the working tool accelerating patter V₄. After the working tool accelerating pattern V₄ intersects with a working tool velocity V₃, which corresponds to the amount of operations of the working tool levers (1, 2), the working tool moves at the velocity V₃.

Claims

1. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus for use with an earth working machine which has a working tool and an operation position detecting means, said working tool having a plurality of arms which are extendably and contractibly linked with each other, said working tool being pivoted at the forward end of said arms, said apparatus comprising:

a first control unit for designating at least one hazard region and a corresponding decelerating region to upward, downward, forward, and sideward positions of said earth working machine individually or in combinations thereof, for decelerating a working tool velocity which corresponds to a predetermined decelerating pattern when a member of said working tool reaches said decelerating region, and for stopping said working tool just before the member of said working tool reaches said hazard region; and

a second control unit for comparing a first working tool velocity which corresponds to a predetermined decelerating pattern stored in said first control unit with a second working tool velocity which corresponds to the amount of operation of at least one manual working tool lever and for driving said working tool at the smaller one of said first working tool velocity and said second working tool velocity.

2. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus for use with a machine having a movable working arm, a working tool pivotally attached to one end of the working arm, said apparatus comprising:

first means for designating at least one hazard region in an operation range space of the working tool; and

second means for decelerating the velocity of the working tool as the working tool approaches each of the at least one hazard region and for stopping movement of the working tool toward the respective hazard region just before the working tool would otherwise enter the respective hazard region;

wherein said first means comprises means for designating a hazard region and a corresponding decelerating region for at least one of upward, downward, forward, and sideward positions of the working tool; and

wherein said second means comprises means for providing a predetermined decelerating pattern, means for determining a selected velocity of the working tool, means for comparing the thus determined selected velocity of the working tool with the predetermined decelerating pattern, and means for decelerating the working tool velocity when the working tool enters a decelerating region and the thus determined selected velocity is greater than a corresponding portion of the predetermined decelerating pattern.

3. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said means for determining a selected velocity of the working tool comprises an operation lever and an operation lever position detecting means for indicating the selected velocity of the working tool as a function of the position of the operation lever.

17. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said means for decelerating the working tool velocity comprises means for driving the working tool at the smaller one of a velocity of the working tool toward the respective hazard region and a corresponding portion of a predetermined decelerating pattern.

4. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim, wherein said second means further comprises means for providing a predetermined restoring pattern of a working tool velocity for moving the working tool away from the respective hazard region, means for comparing a selected velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region with the predetermined restoring pattern, and means for driving the working tool away from the respective hazard region in accordance with the smaller of the selected velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region and a corresponding portion of the predetermined restoring pattern.

5. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said first means further comprises means for storing values representing each thus designated hazard region and each thus designated corresponding decelerating region and for storing the predetermined decelerating pattern and the predetermined restoring pattern.

6. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said means for decelerating the working tool velocity when the working tool enters a decelerating region comprises means for driving the working tool at the smaller one of a selected velocity of the working tool toward the respective hazard region and the corresponding portion of the predetermined decelerating pattern.

7. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus for use with a machine having a movable working arm, a working tool pivotally attached to one end of the working arm, said apparatus comprising:

first means for designating at least one hazard region in an operation range space of the working tool; and

second means for decelerating the velocity of the working tool as the working tool approaches each of the at least one hazard region and for stopping movement of the working tool toward the respective hazard region just before the working tool would otherwise enter the respective hazard region;

wherein said second means comprises means for providing a predetermined decelerating pattern, means for determining the velocity of the working tool, means for comparing the thus determined velocity of the working tool with the predetermined decelerating pattern, and means for decelerating the working tool velocity when the working tool enters a decelerating region and the working tool velocity is greater than a corresponding portion of the predetermined decelerating pattern.

8. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said first means comprises means for driving the working tool at the smaller one of a selected velocity of the working tool toward the respective hazard region and the corresponding portion of the predetermined decelerating pattern.

13. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein said means for determining the velocity of the working tool comprises an operation lever and an operation lever position detecting means for indicating the velocity of the working tool as a function of the position of the operation lever.

14. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim 13, wherein said second means further comprises means for providing a predetermined restoring pattern of a working tool velocity for moving the working tool away from the respective hazard region, means for comparing a velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region with the predetermined restoring pattern, and means for driving the working tool away from the respective hazard region in accordance with the smaller of the velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region and a corresponding portion of the predetermined restoring pattern.

9. A method of limiting the operation range of a working tool on a machine having a movable working arm and the working tool pivotally attached to one end of the working arm, said method comprising the steps of:

designating at least one hazard region in an operation range space of the working tool,

operating the working tool at a velocity,

controlling the velocity of the working tool to decelerate the velocity of the working tool whenever the working tool approaches any one of said at least one hazard region, and

stopping the movement of the working tool toward the respective hazard region just before the working tool would otherwise enter the respective hazard region;

wherein the step of designating at least one hazard region comprises designating a hazard region and a corresponding decelerating region for at least one of upward, downward, forward, and sideward positions of the working tool, and storing values representing each thus designated hazard region and each thus designated corresponding decelerating region;

wherein the step of controlling comprises providing a predetermined decelerating pattern, determining a selected velocity of the working tool toward a respective hazard region, comparing the thus determined selected velocity of the working tool with the predetermined decelerating pattern, and decelerating the working tool velocity when the working tool enters a decelerating region and the selected velocity of the working tool is greater than a corresponding portion of the predetermined decelerating pattern.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the step of controlling further comprises driving the working tool at the smaller one of the thus determined selected velocity of the working tool toward the respective hazard region and the corresponding portion of the predetermined decelerating pattern.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the step of controlling further comprises operating an operation lever to indicate the desired operation of the working tool, and establishing the selected velocity of the working tool as a function of the position of the operation lever.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the step of controlling further comprises providing a predetermined restoring pattern of a working tool velocity for moving the working tool away from the respective hazard region, determining a selected velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region, and driving the working tool away from the respective hazard region in accordance with the smaller of the selected velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region and a corresponding portion of the predetermined restoring pattern.

18. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the step of controlling comprises providing a predetermined decelerating pattern, determining a selected velocity of the working tool toward a respective hazard region, comparing the thus determined selected velocity of the working tool with the predetermined decelerating pattern, and driving the working tool at the smaller one of the thus determined selected velocity of the working tool toward the respective hazard region and a corresponding portion of the predetermined decelerating pattern.

19. A method in accordance with claim 9, further comprising providing a predetermined restoring pattern of a working tool velocity for moving the working tool away from the respective hazard region, determining a selected velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region, and driving the working tool away from the respective hazard region in accordance with the smaller of the selected velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region and a corresponding portion of the predetermined restoring pattern.

15. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus for use with a machine having a movable working arm, a working tool pivotally attached to one end of the working arm, said apparatus comprising:

first means for designating at least one hazard region in an operation range space of the working tool; and

second means for decelerating the velocity of the working tool as the working tool approaches each of the at least one hazard region, and for stopping movement of the working tool toward the respective hazard region just before the working tool would otherwise enter the respective hazard region;

wherein said second means comprises means for providing a predetermined restoring pattern of a working tool velocity for moving the working tool away from the respective hazard region, means for comparing a velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region with the predetermined restoring pattern, and means for driving the working tool away from the respective hazard region in accordance with the smaller of the velocity of the working tool away from the respective hazard region and a corresponding portion of the predetermined restoring pattern.

16. A working tool operation range limiting apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein said first means further comprises means for storing values representing each thus designated hazard region and each thus designated corresponding decelerating region and for storing a predetermined decelerating pattern and the predetermined restoring pattern, and wherein said second means comprises means for driving the working tool at the smaller one of a velocity of the working tool toward the respective hazard region and a corresponding portion of the predetermined decelerating pattern.