Excavator control using ranging radios
First Claim
1. A system for use with an excavator of the type having a chassis, bucket support elements including a boom extending from said chassis and a dipper stick pivotally mounted on the end of the boom, and an excavator bucket pivotally mounted on the end of the dipper stick, said system determining the position of the excavator bucket during operation of the excavator at a worksite, comprising:
- a plurality of fixed ranging radios positioned at known locations at said worksite,a pair of ranging radios mounted on the chassis of the excavator,a third ranging radio mounted on one of said bucket support elements, anda measurement circuit, responsive to said pair of ranging radios and to said third ranging radio, for determining the position and orientation of said excavator and said bucket support elements with respect to said plurality of fixed ranging radios.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for use with an excavator of the type having a chassis, bucket support elements including a boom extending from the chassis and a dipper stick pivotally mounted on the end of the boom, and an excavator bucket pivotally mounted on the end of the dipper stick, determines the position of the excavator bucket during operation of the excavator at a worksite. The system includes a plurality of fixed ranging radios that are positioned at known locations at the worksite. A pair of ranging radios is mounted on the chassis of the excavator. A third ranging radio is mounted on one of the bucket support elements. A measurement circuit is responsive to the pair of ranging radios and to the third ranging radio, and determines the position and orientation of the excavator chassis, the bucket support elements, and the bucket with respect to the plurality of fixed ranging radios.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A system for use with an excavator of the type having a chassis, bucket support elements including a boom extending from said chassis and a dipper stick pivotally mounted on the end of the boom, and an excavator bucket pivotally mounted on the end of the dipper stick, said system determining the position of the excavator bucket during operation of the excavator at a worksite, comprising:
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a plurality of fixed ranging radios positioned at known locations at said worksite, a pair of ranging radios mounted on the chassis of the excavator, a third ranging radio mounted on one of said bucket support elements, and a measurement circuit, responsive to said pair of ranging radios and to said third ranging radio, for determining the position and orientation of said excavator and said bucket support elements with respect to said plurality of fixed ranging radios. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A bucket sensing system for use with an excavating machine of the type having a chassis, a boom pivotally secured to said chassis at a first pivot joint, a dipper stick pivotally secured to said boom at a second pivot joint, and a bucket pivotally secured to said dipper stick at a third pivot joint, comprising:
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a plurality of fixed ranging radios positioned at known locations at a worksite, a pair of ranging radios mounted on the chassis of the excavating machine, a third ranging radio, mounted on said dipper stick adjacent said second pivot joint and providing an indication of the relative location of the third ranging radio with respect to said plurality of fixed ranging radios, an angle sensor for sensing the angle between said boom and said dipper stick, and a position determining circuit, responsive to said angle sensor, to said pair of ranging radios, and to said third ranging radio, for determining the position of said third pivot joint based on the outputs of said angle sensor and said ranging radios. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A bucket sensing system for use with an excavating machine of the type having a chassis, a boom pivotally secured to said chassis at a first pivot joint, a dipper stick pivotally secured to said boom at a second pivot joint, and a bucket pivotally secured to said dipper stick at a third pivot joint, said bucket having cutting teeth, comprising:
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a plurality of fixed ranging radios positioned at known locations at a worksite, a pair of ranging radios mounted on the chassis of the excavating machine, a third ranging radio, mounted on said boom adjacent said second pivot joint and providing an indication of the relative location of the third ranging radio with respect to said plurality of fixed ranging radios, an angle sensor for sensing the angle between said boom and said dipper stick, and a position determining circuit, responsive to said angle sensor, to said pair of ranging radios, and to said third ranging radio, for determining the position of said third pivot joint based on the outputs of said angle sensor and said ranging radios. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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Specification