Apparatus and method for a machine stability system for an articulated work machine
First Claim
1. A machine stability system, comprising:
- a machine adapted to carry a load;
a front sensor system adapted to produce a front signal indicative of the location of the center of gravity of the combination of the load and a predetermined portion of the machine relative to a predetermined point;
a rear sensor system adapted to produce a rear signal indicative of the location of the center of gravity of a second predetermined portion of the machine relative to the predetermined point; and
a controller adapted to receive the front signal and the rear signal, compare the front signal and the rear signal to predetermined values from at least one of a table, a formula, an algorithm, and a combination thereof, and responsively produce an output signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In the present invention, the distance from a predetermined point to the center of gravity of the load and a first portion of a work machine and the distance from that predetermined point to the center of gravity of the second portion of the work machine are compared, either singly or in a combination, to a predetermined value. Optionally, the articulation angle of the machine and weight and position of the load are combined with a vehicle weight value into a stability value and the stability value is compared to an alarm value. Should an instability condition be detected, an output signal is sent to an output device to alert the operator and/or affect the movement of the machine to prevent instability of the work machine.
47 Citations
10 Claims
-
1. A machine stability system, comprising:
-
a machine adapted to carry a load;
a front sensor system adapted to produce a front signal indicative of the location of the center of gravity of the combination of the load and a predetermined portion of the machine relative to a predetermined point;
a rear sensor system adapted to produce a rear signal indicative of the location of the center of gravity of a second predetermined portion of the machine relative to the predetermined point; and
a controller adapted to receive the front signal and the rear signal, compare the front signal and the rear signal to predetermined values from at least one of a table, a formula, an algorithm, and a combination thereof, and responsively produce an output signal. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. A method of measuring machine stability, comprising the steps of:
-
sensing a front weight and front position, determining the center of gravity, relative to a predetermined point, of a load combined with a predetermined portion of a machine, and responsively producing a front signal;
sensing a rear weight and rear position, determining the center of gravity, relative to the predetermined point, of a second predetermined portion of the machine, and responsively producing a rear signal;
receiving the front signal and the rear signal;
comparing the front signal and the rear signal to predetermined values from at least one of a table, a formula, an algorithm, and a combination thereof; and
responsively producing an output signal. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5)
calculating a combined signal, indicative of the position of the center of gravity of the load and the machine relative to a predetermined point, based on the front signal and the rear signal; and
comparing the combined signal to a predetermined value from at least one of a table, a formula, an algorithm, and a combination thereof.
-
-
5. The method of claim 3, including the steps of:
-
reading an articulation angle signal;
reading a weight signal;
reading a position signal;
determining a stability value from the articulation angle, weight, and position signals;
comparing the stability value to a predetermined alarm value; and
responsively sending an output signal to an output device.
-
-
6. A machine stability system, comprising:
-
a first frame;
a second frame;
an articulation joint connecting the first frame and the second frame and having an articulation angle indicating the positional relationship between the first frame and the second frame;
an articulation sensor adapted to sense the articulation angle and responsively produce an articulation angle signal;
a weight sensor adapted to sense the weight of a load carried by one of the first frame and the second frame and responsively produce a weight signal;
a position sensor adapted to sense the position of a load carried by the one of the first frame and the second frame and responsively produce a position signal;
a controller adapted to receive the articulation angle signal, the weight signal, and the position signal and responsively provide an output signal; and
an output device for receiving the output signal. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
-
Specification