Turret positioning system and method for a fire fighting vehicle

• US 7,107,129 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2003
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
• Original Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
• Inventors: Rowe, Ryan F., Pillar, Duane R., Bjornstad, Neil, Woolman, William M., Squires, Bradley C.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/668,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20040069865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/23, 169 46- 47, 169 23- 24, 169 61- 62, 169/70, 169 51- 54, 239/166, 239/172, 239/146, 239/547, 239/587, 239/507
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 27/00 Fire-fighting land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 35/11 controlled by a signal from the danger zone
• 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: B60T 17/221 Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M
• 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: F41A 27/18 for gun turrets F41A27/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 27/20 Drives for turret movements
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 27/26 Fluid-operated systems F41A27/02, F41A27/04, F41A27/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 27/28 Electrically-operated systems F41A27/02, F41A27/04, F41A27/30 take 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: 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 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 fire fighting vehicle includes a turret and a turret controller. The turret includes a base which is coupled to the vehicle, and the turret is configured to rotate relative to the vehicle at the base. The turret controller is configured to use feedback control to control the movement of the turret from a first position where the turret is positioned at a first angle of rotation at the base to a second position where the turret is positioned at a second angle of rotation at the base, where the first and second angles are different.

Claims

1. A fire fighting vehicle comprising:

a turret rotationally coupled to the vehicle, the turret being configured to and dispense a fire-extinguishing agent;

a first gear immovably coupled to the vehicle;

a second gear coupled to the turret so that the second gear moves with the turret as the turret rotates relative to the vehicle, the second gear also being rotationally coupled to the first gear; and

a position sensor coupled to the second gear, the position sensor being used to determine the position of the turret based on the rotational motion of the second gear.

2. The fire fighting vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the position sensor is a rotary potentiometer.

3. The fire fighting vehicle according to claim 1 comprising a drive gear rotationally coupled to the first gear, the drive gear being used to drive rotation of the turret relative to the vehicle.

4. The fire fighting vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the turret is configured to rotate through a range of rotation that is no more than approximately 90 degrees.

5. The fire fighting vehicle according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the turret is extendable.

6. The fire fighting vehicle according to claim 1

wherein the turret comprises

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

and

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

wherein the fire fighting vehicle comprises a power distribution and control system, the power distribution and control system including a power source;

a power transmission link;

a 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;

a plurality of input devices including a plurality of position sensors capable of providing position information pertaining to the position and orientation of the turret nozzle, the plurality of input devices further including an input device associated with an operator interface;

a communication network; and

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, the plurality of interface modules being coupled to the plurality of input devise and to the plurality of output devices by way of communication links, the plurality of interface modules including one or more interface modules that are coupled to the plurality of positions sensors, the plurality of actuators, and/or the input device associated with the operator interface;

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

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

wherein each of the interface modules is configured to receive and store I/O status information pertaining to the input and/or output devices coupled to the remaining interface modules.

7. A turret configured to be rotationally coupled to a vehicle which includes a first gear that is immovably coupled to the vehicle, the turret comprising:

a second gear coupled to the turret, the second gear being configured to be rotationally coupled to the first gear;

a turret controller which uses feedback control to control rotation of the turret relative to the vehicle; and

a position sensor coupled to the second gear, the position sensor being configured to provide information related to the position of the turret to the turret controller;

wherein the turret is configured to engage the first gear to rotate the turret relative to the vehicle.

8. The turret according to claim 7 wherein the turret rotates in an approximately horizontal plane.

9. The turret according to claim 7 wherein the position sensor is a rotary potentiometer.

10. The turret according to claim 7 comprising a third gear rotationally coupled to the first gear, the third gear being configured to drive rotation of the turret relative to the vehicle.

11. The turret according to claim 10 wherein the third gear is driven hydraulically.

12. The turret according to claim 10 wherein the second gear meshes with the third gear.

13. The turret according to claim 7 wherein the second gear is configured to drive rotation of the turret.

14. The turret according to claim 7 wherein the turret is configured to dispense fire extinguishing agent.

15. The turret according to claim 7 wherein the turret is configured to rotate through a range of rotation that is not greater than approximately 90 degrees.

16. The fire fighting vehicle of claim 7 wherein the turret controller is programmed to move the turret according to a predetermined pattern.

17. The turret of claim 7 wherein the turret is rotationally coupled to the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is a fire fighting vehicle capable of dispensing a fire extinguishing agent from the turret.

18. The fire fighting vehicle of claim 17 wherein the turret controller uses feedback control to control the movement of the turret from a first position to a predetermined position.

19. The fire fighting vehicle of claim 18 wherein the first position corresponds to a stored position where the turret is stored for vehicle travel and the second position corresponds to a deployed position where the turret is positioned to dispense the fire extinguishing agent on a region of interest.

20. The fire fighting vehicle of claim 18 wherein the first position corresponds to a deployed position where the turret is positioned to dispense the fire extinguishing agent on a region of interest and the second position corresponds to a stored position where the turret is stored for vehicle travel.

21. The fire fighting vehicle of claim 20 comprising a locking mechanism that locks the turret in place after the turret reaches the stored position.

22. A vehicle comprising:

a first gear immovably coupled to the vehicle;

an apparatus rotationally coupled to the vehicle the apparatus including a second gear which is rotationally coupled to the first gear and is configured to move with the apparatus as the apparatus rotates relative to the vehicle; and

a position sensor coupled to the second gear, the position sensor being used to determine the position of the apparatus based on the rotational motion of the second gear.

23. The vehicle according to claim 22 wherein the apparatus rotates in an approximately horizontal plane.

24. The vehicle according to claim 22 wherein the position sensor is a rotary potentiometer.

25. The vehicle according to claim 22 wherein the apparatus further comprises a third gear rotationally coupled to the first gear, the third gear being configured to drive rotation of the apparatus.

26. The vehicle according to claim 25 wherein the third gear is driven hydraulically.

27. The vehicle according to claim 22 wherein the apparatus is configured to dispense a fire extinguishing agent.

28. The vehicle according to claim 22 wherein the apparatus is configured to rotate through a range of rotation that is not greater than approximately 90 degrees.

29. The vehicle according to claim 22 wherein the first gear meshes with the second gear.

30. The vehicle according to claim 22 wherein at least a portion of the apparatus is extendable.

31. A vehicle comprising:

a turret rotationally coupled to the vehicle;

a first gear which is immovably coupled to the vehicle;

a second gear coupled to the turret, the second gear also being rotationally coupled to the first gear;

a drive gear which is separate from the second gear and is coupled to the turret, the drive gear being rotationally coupled to the first gear so that rotating the drive gear causes the turret to rotate relative to the vehicle; and

a position sensor coupled to the second gear, the position sensor being used to determine the position of the turret based on the rotational motion of the second gear.

32. The vehicle according to claim 31 wherein the turret rotates relative to the vehicle in an approximately horizontal plane.

33. The vehicle according to claim 31 wherein the position sensor is a rotary potentiometer.

34. The vehicle according to claim 31 wherein the drive gear is driven hydraulically.

35. The vehicle according to claim 31 wherein the turret is configured to dispense a fire extinguishing agent.

36. The vehicle according to claim 31 wherein the turret is configured to rotate through a range of rotation that is not greater than approximately 90 degrees.

37. The vehicle according to claim 31 wherein the vehicle is a fire fighting vehicle and the turret is used to dispense a fire extinguishing agent.

38. The vehicle according to claim 31 wherein at least a portion of the turret is extendable.