Method and apparatus for decelerating a material reduction tool
First Claim
1. A material reduction machine comprising:
- an engine;
a material reduction tool;
a clutch configured and arranged to engage and disengage the material reduction tool with the engine; and
a control unit configured to control when the clutch disengages the material reduction tool based, at least in part, on a control signal received from a sensor that detects the presence of an operator;
wherein the control unit is configured to decelerate the material reduction tool by maintaining the clutch engaged with the engine during an engine speed reduction period, wherein the engine speed reduction period is sufficiently short as to enable the engine to recover without requiring manually restarting.
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Accused Products
Abstract
One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a material reduction machine including a clutch configured and arranged to engage and disengage a material reduction tool with an engine based in response to a control unit. The control unit is configured to decelerate the material reduction tool by maintaining the clutch engaged with the engine during an engine speed reduction period. Another embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a method of decelerating a material reduction tool of a material reduction machine. The method includes the steps of maintaining engagement between the material reduction tool and an engine after the engine enters an engine speed reduction mode, and disengaging the material reduction device from the engine before the engine rpm drops below a predetermined level.
17 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A material reduction machine comprising:
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an engine; a material reduction tool; a clutch configured and arranged to engage and disengage the material reduction tool with the engine; and a control unit configured to control when the clutch disengages the material reduction tool based, at least in part, on a control signal received from a sensor that detects the presence of an operator; wherein the control unit is configured to decelerate the material reduction tool by maintaining the clutch engaged with the engine during an engine speed reduction period, wherein the engine speed reduction period is sufficiently short as to enable the engine to recover without requiring manually restarting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of decelerating a material reduction tool of a material reduction machine comprising:
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maintaining engagement between the material reduction tool and an engine of the material reduction machine after the engine enters an engine speed reduction mode based on the sensed absence of an operator; and disengaging the material reduction device from the engine after a period of time to prevent the engine rpm from dropping below a predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A controller system for a material reduction machine having at least two operator control handles, comprising:
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(a) a capacitive sensor mounted in each of the handles, the capacitive sensor arranged and configured to change capacitance when the respective handle is touched by an operator; (b) an operator presence circuit connected to the capacitive sensors, the circuit configured such that changes in capacitance of the capacitive sensors can be measured as a change in voltage; and (c) a controller connected to the operator presence circuit, the controller receiving the changes in voltage from the operator presence circuit, and wherein the controller initiates a predetermined delay period when the voltage change indicates that the handles are no longer being touched by the operator;
wherein the controller initiates an engine speed reduction mode when the handles have not been touched during the delay period. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of automatically decelerating a material reduction tool of a material reduction machine comprising:
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providing an engine running at a first speed engaged with a material reduction tool; sensing an event that triggers deceleration of the material reduction tool; shutting down the engine until the engine reaches a second speed; disengaging the material reduction tool from the engine when the engine reaches the second speed; and applying a brake to the material reduction tool after the material reduction tool is disengaged with the engine; wherein the second speed is slower than the first speed but sufficiently fast to allow the engine to recover without requiring manually restarting the engine. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification