Dump vehicle overturn preventing device

• US 8,670,906 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ichinose, Masanori, Yasuda, Tomohiko, Sato, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US13/505,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 701/49, 701/50
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/04 with a tipping movement of load-transporting element dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/045 Levelling or stabilising systems for tippers suspensions with levelling or stabilising means for vehicles in general B60G17/00, B60G21/00, using ground-engaging vehicle fittings B60S9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/283 Elements of tipping devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 7/04 involving a vehicle which moves along the profile to be traced

Abstract

Provided is an overturn preventing device for a dump vehicle equipped with a body (3) and hoist cylinders (5). The dump vehicle overturn preventing device comprises: a loaded weight estimation unit (32) which estimates loaded weight on the body; a vehicle rotation moment calculation unit (33) which calculates a vehicle rotation moment Mb caused by movement of the dump vehicle'"'"'s load upon discharging of the load; a reference moment calculation unit (34) which determines a reference moment Ms not greater than an overturn threshold moment MI which is the minimum value of a rotation moment required to lift the front wheels (1) off the ground; a judgment unit (35) which judges whether or not the vehicle rotation moment Mb has exceeded the reference moment Ms; and a display device (37) which notifies the driver that there is a probability of an overturn of the vehicle when the vehicle rotation moment Mb is judged to have exceeded the reference moment Ms. The device thus prevents overturning of the vehicle caused by the load sliding down from the body in a lump.

Claims

1. An overturn preventing device for a dump vehicle equipped with a body rotatably supported on a frame, rear wheels, and hoist cylinders that expand and contract to rotate the body around a rotation axis aligned substantially parallel with a rear-wheel axle, the device comprising:

loaded weight estimation means which estimates loaded weight on the body;

vehicle rotation moment calculation means which calculates a vehicle rotation moment about the rotation axis caused by movement of a dump vehicle'"'"'s load upon discharging of the load based on the loaded weight estimated by the loaded weight estimation means;

reference moment calculation means which calculates a minimum value of a rotation moment required to lift front wheels of the vehicle off the ground and sets a reference moment not greater than the minimum value;

judgment means which judges whether or not the vehicle rotation moment calculated by the vehicle rotation moment calculation means has exceeded the reference moment calculated by the reference moment calculation means; and

notification means which notifies a driver that there is a probability of an overturn of the vehicle when the judgment means judges that the vehicle rotation moment has exceeded the reference moment.

2. The overturn preventing device for a dump vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

angle detecting means which detects a tilt angle of the body with respect to the frame; and

angle judgment means which judges whether or not the detected value of the angle detecting means has exceeded a preset angle, the preset angle being a tilt angle of the body at which a vehicle rotation moment so as to cause the vehicle to overturn cannot occur;

wherein the notification means makes the notification that there is a probability of an overturn of the vehicle only when the angle judgment means judges that the detected value of the angle detecting means has exceeded the preset angle.

3. The overturn preventing device for a dump vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising cylinder control means which reduces expansion speed of the hoist cylinders or stops expansion of the hoist cylinders when the judgment means judges that the vehicle rotation moment has exceeded the reference moment.

4. The overturn preventing device for a dump vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

rear axle load detecting means which detects a load acting on the rear wheels of the vehicle;

load shift calculation means which calculates a load shift of the rear wheels caused by the vehicle rotation moment based on the vehicle rotation moment, the vehicle rotation moment being calculated by the vehicle rotation moment calculation means;

road shoulder shape measurement means which measures the distance from the vehicle to a road shoulder behind the vehicle and the shape of the road shoulder;

road shoulder strength calculation means which calculates a withstand load of the road shoulder based on the road shoulder shape measured by the road shoulder shape measurement means; and

load comparison judgment means which judges whether or not a maximum rear axle load, calculated based on the rear axle load detected by the rear axle load detecting means and the rear axle load shift calculated by the load shift calculation means, has exceeded the withstand load of the road shoulder calculated by the road shoulder strength calculation means;

wherein the notification means notifies the driver that there is a probability of an overturn of the vehicle also when the load comparison judgment means judges that the maximum rear axle load has exceeded the withstand load of the road shoulder.

5. An overturn preventing device for a dump vehicle equipped with a body rotatably supported on a frame, rear wheels, and hoist cylinders that expand and contract to rotate the body around its rotation axis aligned substantially parallel with a rear-wheel axle, the device comprising:

front axle load detecting means which detects a load acting on a front wheels of the vehicle;

rear axle load detecting means which detects a load acting on a rear wheels of the vehicle;

loaded weight estimation means which estimates loaded weight on the body based on the detected values of the front axle load detecting means and the rear axle load detecting means;

vehicle rotation moment calculation means which calculates a vehicle rotation moment about the rotation axis that is expected to occur when the dump vehicle'"'"'s load slides down from the body in a lump based on the loaded weight estimated by the loaded weight estimation means;

reference moment calculation means which calculates a minimum value of the rotation moment required to lift front wheels of the vehicle off the ground based on the detected values of the front axle load detecting means and the rear axle load detecting means and sets a reference moment not greater than the minimum value;

judgment means which judges whether or not the vehicle rotation moment calculated by the vehicle rotation moment calculation means has exceeded the reference moment calculated by the reference moment calculation means; and

notification means which notifies a driver that there is a probability of an overturn of the vehicle when the judgment means judges that the vehicle rotation moment has exceeded the reference moment.