Turret envelope control system and method for a fire fighting vehicle

• US 6,922,615 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Issued: 07/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
• Original Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
• Inventors: Pillar, Duane R., Bjornstad, Neil, Woolman, William M., Squires, Bradley C.
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US10/364,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701 35- 36, 701/2, 701/1, 701/23, 169/25, 169 46- 47, 169 23- 24, 169 61- 62, 169/70, 169 51- 54, 239/166, 239/172, 239/332, 239/146, 239/587, 239/549, 239/507
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 27/00 Fire-fighting land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/043 with additional means for keeping the receptacle substantially vertical during raising
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/045 Four-bar linkages
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4097 characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM G05B19/4093 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/10 Waste collection, transportation, transfer or storage, e.g. segregated refuse collecting, electric or hybrid propulsion

Abstract

A turret control system includes one or more control modules, such as an envelope control module, turret targeting module, a turret pan module, a turret deploy module, a turret store module. The preferred turret control system also provides improved turret control flexibility and improved operator feedback.

Claims

1. A method of controlling motion of a turret on a fire fighting vehicle, comprising:

(A) acquiring operator inputs, the operator inputs being useable to generate first control signals to control motion of the turret, the operator inputs directing movement of the turret in such a way that the turret is susceptible to impacting the fire fighting vehicle; and

(B) preventing the turret from impacting the fire fighting vehicle, including

(1) determining that the turret is susceptible to impacting the fire fighting vehicle, and

(2) in response to step (B)(1), providing the turret with second control signals that are different than the first control signals, the second control signals directing movement of the turret in such a way that the turret does not impact the fire fighting vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining and providing steps are performed by a microprocessor-based turret controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the turret comprises first arm and second arms.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the turret comprises a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm, and wherein the second arm is hingedly moveable relative to the first arm and the third arm is hingedly moveable relative to the second arm.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering the turret to a deployment destination, and deploying a fire fighting agent from the turret at the deployment destination.

6. A method of controlling motion of a turret on a fire fighting vehicle, the turret having an overall range of motion which includes obstructions that the turret is susceptible to impacting, the method comprising:

storing information indicative of a permissible travel envelope, the permissible travel envelope defining a permissible range of motion which is smaller than the overall range of motion of the turret, the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope being stored in a memory of a microprocessor-based turret controller; and

comparing an actual position of the turret with the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope;

wherein the permissible travel envelope includes a three-dimensional space occupied by the fire fighting vehicle.

7. A method of controlling motion of a turret on a fire fighting vehicle, the turret having an overall range of motion which includes obstructions that the turret is susceptible to impacting, the method comprising:

storing information indicative of a permissible travel envelope, the permissible travel envelope defining a permissible range of motion which is smaller than the overall range of motion of the turret, the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope being stored in a memory of a microprocessor-based turret controller; and

comparing an actual position of the turret with the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope;

wherein the permissible travel envelope further comprises structure that is not part of the fire fighting vehicle.

8. A method of controlling motion of a turret on a fire fighting vehicle, the turret having an overall range of motion which includes obstructions that the turret is susceptible to impacting, the method comprising:

storing information indicative of a permissible travel envelope, the permissible travel envelope defining a permissible range of motion which is smaller than the overall range of motion of the turret, the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope being stored in a memory of a microprocessor-based turret controller;

comparing an actual position of the turret with the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope; and

stopping the turret substantially near a boundary of a three-dimensional space occupied by the fire fighting vehicle.

9. A method of controlling motion of a turret on a fire fighting vehicle, the turret having an overall range of motion which includes obstructions that the turret is susceptible to impacting, the method comprising:

storing information indicative of a permissible travel envelope, the permissible travel envelope defining a permissible range of motion which is smaller than the overall range of motion of the turret, the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope being stored in a memory of a microprocessor-based turret controller; and

comparing an actual position of the turret with the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope;

wherein the turret is configured to receive a commanded path of travel to direct the turret along a path of travel.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising adjusting the path of travel of the turret from the commanded path of travel.

11. A method of controlling motion of a turret on a fire fighting vehicle, the turret having an overall range of motion which includes obstructions that the turret is susceptible to impacting, the method comprising:

storing information indicative of a permissible travel envelope, the permissible travel envelope defining a permissible range of motion which is smaller than the overall range of motion of the turret, the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope being stored in a memory of a microprocessor-based turret controller; and

comparing an actual position of the turret with the information indicative of the permissible travel envelope;

moving the turret along an edge of the permissible travel envelope when a commanded path of travel would cause the turret to leave the permissible travel envelope.

12. A fire fighting vehicle comprising:

(A) a turret system coupled to the fire fighting vehicle, the turret system comprising

(1) a turret nozzle, the turret nozzle being capable of dispensing a fire-extinguishing agent, and

(2) an adjustable mount assembly that mounts the turret system to a remainder of the fire fighting vehicle;

(B) a turret control system, the turret control system further comprising a turret mount actuation system and a turret controller, the turret mount actuation system including actuators capable of adjusting the adjustable mount assembly to adjust positioning of the turret system relative to the remainder of the fire fighting vehicle, the turret controller being programmed to receive operator inputs that indicate a desired manner of movement for the turret, the turret controller being programmed to generate control signals for the turret mount actuation system that cause the turret to move in a manner that deviates from the desired manner of movement responsive to information that the turret is in the vicinity of an obstruction.

13. A fire fighting vehicle comprising:

(A) a chassis and a vehicle body mounted on the chassis, the chassis and vehicle body in combination including an operator compartment capable of receiving a human operator, the operator compartment including steering and throttle controls for receiving operator inputs to control movement of the fire fighting vehicle along a road;

(B) a turret including

(1) an adjustable mount assembly, the adjustable mount assembly being mounted to the chassis and vehicle body combination, and the mount assembly including a fire-extinguishing agent delivery system capable of transporting a fire-extinguishing agent through the mount assembly;

(2) a turret nozzle, the turret nozzle being mounted to the adjustable mount assembly, and the turret nozzle being capable of receiving the fire-extinguishing agent from the mount assembly; and

(C) a turret control system, the turret control system including a plurality of actuators capable of adjusting the mount assembly to permit the position and orientation of the turret nozzle to be adjusted, the turret control system further including a microprocessor-based turret controller coupled to the plurality of actuators, the turret controller being programmed to receive operator inputs useable to generate first control signals to control motion of the turret, the operator inputs directing movement of the turret in such a way that the turret is susceptible to impacting the fire fighting vehicle, and the turret motion controller further being programmed to prevent the turret from impacting the fire fighting vehicle by determining that the turret is susceptible to impacting the fire fighting vehicle and, in response, providing the turret with second control signals that are different than the first control signals, the second control signals directing movement of the turret in such a way that the turret does not impact the fire fighting vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second control signals slow the motion of the turret as the turret approaches the at least one boundary of the envelope.

15. A fire fighting vehicle comprising:

(A) a turret comprising

(1) an adjustable mount assembly, the adjustable mount assembly being mounted to the chassis and vehicle body combination, and the mount assembly including a fire-extinguishing agent delivery system capable of transporting a fire-extinguishing agent through the mount assembly,

(2) a turret nozzle, the turret nozzle being mounted to the adjustable mount assembly, and the turret nozzle being capable of receiving the fire-extinguishing agent from the mount assembly, and

(B) a power distribution and control system, the power distribution and control system further including

(1) a power source;

(2) a power transmission link;

(3) a plurality of output devices, the plurality of output devices including a plurality of actuators capable of adjusting the mount assembly to adjust the position and orientation of the turret nozzle,

(4) a plurality of input devices, the plurality of input devices including a plurality of position indicators capable of providing position information pertaining to the position and orientation of the nozzle, and the plurality of input devices further including an input device associated with an operator interface,

(5) a communication network, and

(6) a plurality of microprocessor-based interface modules, the plurality of interface modules being coupled to the power source by way of the power transmission link, the plurality of interface modules being interconnected to each other by way of the communication network, and the plurality of interface modules being coupled to the plurality of input devices and to the plurality of output devices by way of respective dedicated communication links, and the plurality of interface modules including one or more interface modules that are coupled to the plurality of position sensors, the plurality of actuators, and the input device associated with an operator interface; and

wherein the plurality of interface modules, the plurality of input devices, and the plurality of output devices are distributed throughout the fire fighting vehicle; and

wherein each respective interface module is locally disposed with respect to the respective input and output devices to which the respective interface module is coupled so as to permit distributed data collection from the plurality of input devices and distributed power distribution to the plurality of output devices;

wherein the one or more interface modules process information from the plurality of position sensors to detect an imminent impact of the turret with an obstruction in a path of the turret and, in response, constrain movement of the turret to avoid impact with the obstruction.