Control system for a machine implement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016289916-A1
Application number	US-201615175815-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A control system for controlling a position of an implement of a machine operating on a terrain includes a controller configured to generate a signal indicative of a desired cylinder velocity of an actuator associated with the implement of the machine and an operating mode sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an operating mode of the machine. The control system includes an instability detection module which receives the signal indicative of the desired cylinder velocity of the actuator from the controller and the signal indicative of the operating mode of the machine from the operating mode sensor. The instability detection module detects an instability condition based on the signal indicative of the desired cylinder velocity of the actuator and selectively adjusts a controller gain associated with the desired cylinder velocity based at least in part on the instability condition and the operating mode of the machine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A control system for controlling a position of an implement of a machine operating on a terrain, the control system comprising:
a controller configured to generate a signal indicative of a desired cylinder velocity of an actuator associated with the implement of the machine; an operating mode sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an operating mode of the machine; an instability detection module communicably coupled to the controller and the operating mode sensor, the instability detection module configured to:
receive, from the controller, the signal indicative of the desired cylinder velocity of the actuator;
receive, from the operating mode sensor, the signal indicative of the operating mode of the machine;
detect an instability condition based on the signal indicative of the desired cylinder velocity of the actuator;
selectively, adjust a controller gain associated with the desired cylinder velocity based at least in part on the instability condition and the operating mode of the machine.

2 . The control system of claim 1 , wherein the operating mode of the machine includes at least one of a steering signal, a reversing signal, a velocity signal, a command history from an operator input device.

3 . The control system of claim 1 , wherein selectively adjusting the controller gain includes at least one of increasing the controller gain or decreasing the controller gain.

4 . The control system of claim 3 , wherein a rate of decreasing controller gain is greater than a rate of increasing controller gain.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Callaway Joshua David
• Grant Charles W

Classifications

• E02F3/844 Primary

  for positioning the blade, e.g. hydraulically · CPC title

• E02F9/2025

  Particular purposes of control systems not otherwise provided for (E02F3/16, E02F3/26, sub-groups of E02F3/43, E02F3/651, sub-groups of E02F3/84, E02F3/907, E02F5/145 take precedence) · CPC title

• E02F9/2203

  Arrangements for controlling the attitude of actuators, e.g. speed, floating function · CPC title

• E02F3/7609

  Scraper blade mounted forwardly of the tractor on a pair of pivoting arms which are linked to the sides of the tractor, e.g. bulldozers · CPC title

• E02F9/262

  with follow-up actions to control the work tool, e.g. controller · CPC title