Blade control system for bulldozer

• US 5,174,385 A
• Filed: 05/07/1991
• Issued: 12/29/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ono, Toyoichi, Shinbo, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Reese, Randolph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US07/700,171
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 172/2, 172/4.5, 37/DIG. 1, 37/DIG. 20, 364/424.07, 104/7.1
• US Class Current: 172/4.5
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/842 using electromagnetic, optical or photoelectric beams, e.g. laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/847 using electromagnetic, optical or acoustic beams to determine the blade position, e.g. laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 37/907 Automatic leveling excavators

Abstract

A blade control system for a bulldozer enables the bulldozer to effectively perform a ground leveling work or a grading work with high accuracy in a minimum amount of time. The system compensates for pitching of a tractor portion of the bulldozer, and for variations in the amount of earth to be moved by a blade of the bulldozer. The system comprises: a pair of photo receivers (2, 3) which are mounted on the tractor portion (1) along a longitudinal axis of the portion (1) while spaced apart from each other, each of which receivers (2, 3) detects an optical reference plane (6) produced by a photo projector (4) to issue a level signal; and a blade controller (13) which controls an hydraulic valve actuaor (14) for moving the blade (8) based on the level signals. The receivers (2, 3) can detect a three-dimensional position of the tractor portion (1), and the blade controler (13) controls the actuator (14) upon receipt of an output signal issued from a position-measuring controller (23) which receives the level signals issued from the receivers (2, 3) to calculate a progress of the work.

Claims

1. In a blade control system for a bulldozer for performing ground leveling work or grading work by automatically controlling a vertical position of a blade of a bulldozer during the work, of the type comprising a light projecting means for forming over a predetermined ground area a horizontal optical reference plane or an oblique optical reference plane inclined at an arbitrary angle, said light projecting means being installed at a location remote from said bulldozer;

a light receiving means mounted on a tractor body portion of said bulldozer for detecting said optical reference plane formed by said light projecting means to issue a level signal; and

a control means which receives said level signal to control a hydraulic valve actuator of said bulldozer based on said level signal, which hydraulic valve actuator moves said blade of said bulldozer, the improvement wherein;

said light receiving means comprises at least a pair of photo receivers which are respectively arranged along a longitudinal axis of said tractor body portion of said bulldozer and spaced apart from each other to form a tractor reference plane therebetween; and

a blade controller which controls said hydraulic valve actuator based on a first output signal issued from one of said photo receivers at a first location on said reference plane, and a second output signal issued from the other of said photo receivers at a second location on said reference plane, said second location being longitudinally spaced from said first location, said controller relating said tractor reference plane and said optical reference plane.

2. The blade control system for the bulldozer as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said light projecting means comprises a pair of photo projectors, each of said photo receivers of said light receiving means has the facility for detecting a three-dimensional position of said tractor body portion of said bulldozer; and

said blade controller of said light receiving means controls said hydraulic valve actuator based on an output signal issued from a position measuring controller, which position measuring controller receives said output signal issued from each of said photo receivers to obtain progress data of said work.

3. The blade control system for the bulldozer as set forth in claim 2,

further including a wireless unit and an on-vehicle monitor mounted on said bulldozer in addition to said photo receivers;

and

a ground wireless unit and a ground monitor installed on the ground.

4. The blade control system for the bulldozer as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said blade control system further comprises a cylinder stroke sensor which detects a stroke of said hydraulic valve actuator to issue a stroke signal of the thus detected stroke, said stroke signal being fed back to said blade control system.

5. A blade control system for a bulldozer, comprising:

a bulldozer having a tractor body portion defining a longitudinal axis, a blade of said bulldozer for performing ground leveling work or grading work, means for controlling a vertical position of the blade during the work, and means responsive to said controlling means for moving said blade in a vertical direction;

light projecting means for forming over a predetermined ground area a horizontal optical reference plane or an oblique optical reference plane inclined at an arbitrary angle, said light projecting means being located at a position remote from said bulldozer and in light communication therewith;

a light receiving means mounted on said tractor body portion of said bulldozer for detecting said optical reference plane formed by said light projecting means to issue a level signal to said controlling means, whereby said controlling means controls said vertical position of said blade in response thereto, said light receiving means comprising at least a pair of photo receivers arranged along said longitudinal axis of said tractor body portion of said bulldozer and spaced apart from each other and forming a tractor body reference plane, said controlling means being responsive in part to a distance between the tractor body reference plane and a tractor bearing ground surface to calculate vertical distance to be moved by said blade, said controlling means being responsive in part to a first output signal issued from one of said photo receivers at a first location on said reference plane, and a second output signal issued from the other of said photo receivers at a second location on said reference plane, said second location being longitudinally spaced from said first location, said controller.