Operator interface for machine control

• US 8,746,395 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Frazier, Brent Ryan, Ober, David Allen, Copeland, Bryan Everett, Smith, Todd Bartholomew, McBride, Shane C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US13/474,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20130306395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 180/333, 180/335, 180/336, 744/733, 744/733.3, 744/731.2, 745/43, 200/556, 200/339
• US Class Current: 180/333
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 23/00 Arrangement or mounting of control devices for vehicle transmissions, or parts thereof, not otherwise provided for movable cabs having special adaptations of vehicle control devices B62D33/06; such control devices per se F16D, F16H
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2004 Control mechanisms, e.g. control levers control levers per se G05G
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/0239 Up- and down-shift or range or mode selection by repeated movement mechanical step by step selection devices F16H63/14
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/08 Range selector apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 5/03 Means for enhancing the operator's awareness of arrival of the controlling member at a command or datum position; Providing feel, e.g. means for creating a counterforce arrangements for indicating the position of the controlling member G05G1/015
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/04788 comprising additional control elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20201 Control moves in two planes

Abstract

An operator interface for advanced transmission control of a vehicle is disclosed. The operator interface may include a hand operated joystick mounted on a vehicle and a roller mounted on the joystick, the roller having at least two detents for providing at least four distinct states of speed control, the at least four distinct states including one or more increasing states and one or more decreasing states. In another embodiment, the roller of the operator interface may include at least one detent for providing at least three distinct states of speed control, the at least three distinct states including at least one increasing state, at least one decreasing state, and at least one other speed state provided in one of either an increasing state or a decreasing state.

Claims

1. An operator interface for proportionally controlling a continuously variable transmission of a machine, the operator interface comprising:

a hand operated joystick mounted on the machine; and

a roller mounted on the joystick and operatively connected to the continuously variable transmission, the roller having a steady state position and at least two detent points for providing at least four distinct states of speed control, the at least four distinct states including at least two speed increasing states when the roller is rotated from the steady state position in a first direction and at least two speed decreasing states when the roller is rotated from the steady state position in an opposite direction,

wherein, when the roller rotates in the first direction from the steady state position, the roller rotates through a first smaller increment state in which a force required to rotate the roller increases at a first spring force rate, the roller then rotates past a first detent point wherein the force required to rotate the roller through the first detent point increases at a higher spring force rate that is greater than the first spring force rate and then decreases at a drop rate after the first detent point, and the roller then rotates through a first larger increment state in which the force required to rotate the roller increases at a second spring force rate that is less than the higher spring force rate, and

wherein, when the roller rotates in the second direction from the steady state position, the roller rotates through a second smaller increment state in which the force required to rotate the roller increases at the first spring force rate, the roller then rotates past a second detent point wherein the force required to rotate the roller through the second detent point increases at the higher spring force rate and then decreases at the drop rate after the second detent point, and the roller then rotates through a second larger increment state in which the force required to rotate the roller increases at the second spring force rate.

2. The operator interface of claim 1, wherein the first smaller decrement state extends from about a zero degree position of the roller to about a twenty degree position of the roller in the first direction.

3. The operator interface of claim 1, wherein the first larger decrement state extends from about a twenty degree position of the roller to about a twenty five degree position of the roller in the first direction.

4. The operator interface of claim 1, wherein the first detent point and the second detent point provide a tactile feedback when the roller moves from the first smaller increment state to the first larger increment state and from the second smaller increment state to the second larger increment state, respectively.

5. The operator interface of claim 4, wherein the tactile feedback is in the form of a change in effort level.