Self-propelled civil engineering machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8977442-B2
Application number	US-201113269816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2011
Priority date	Oct 13, 2010
Publication date	Mar 10, 2015
Grant date	Mar 10, 2015

Abstract

A civil engineering machine includes an arrangement for assisting the driver of the machine when reversing which has a calculating unit to determine data which defines at least one trajectory of the civil engineering machine as a function of the position of the front and rear running gear, both as a function of a steering angle and as a function of a mode of steering. The arrangement for assisting the driver of the machine when reversing also has an image detecting unit for detecting an image of the rear part of the civil engineering machine and a display unit for displaying the detected image of the rear part of the civil engineering machine. An image processing unit superimposes a representation of the at least one trajectory on the image of the rear part of the civil engineering machine which is displayed on the display unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A self-propelled civil engineering machine, having a running gear which has wheels or other running-gear units which are at the front with respect to the working direction and wheels or other running-gear units which are at the rear with respect to the working direction, a chassis of the civil engineering machine which is carried by the wheels or other running-gear units, a drive arrangement for driving at least one of the front or rear wheels or other running-gear units, a steering arrangement for steering at least one of the front wheels or other running-gear units and the rear wheels or other running-gear units, and a unit having controls, said self-propelled civil engineering machine characterised in that:
the civil engineering machine has an arrangement for assisting a driver of the machine when reversing, the arrangement for assisting the driver of the machine when reversing having
a unit for sensing a position of the front wheels or other running-gear units and rear wheels or other running-gear units,
a calculating unit to determine data which defines at least one trajectory of the civil engineering machine as a function of the position of the front wheels or other running-gear units and the rear wheels or other running-gear units,
an image detecting unit for detecting an image from a rear of the civil engineering machine,
a display unit for displaying the detected image, and
an image processing unit which is so designed that the at least one trajectory is superimposed on the image which is displayed on the display unit; and

wherein the unit having the controls has a selector for selecting one mode of steering from a plurality of modes of steering, the unit having the controls co-operating with the steering arrangement in such a way that the steering arrangement makes allowance for the selected mode of steering,
wherein the unit having the controls has a steering apparatus for stipulating a steering angle for at least one of the front or rear wheels or other running-gear units, the unit having the controls co-operating with the steering arrangement in such a way that the steering arrangement sets a stipulated steering angle, and
wherein the calculating unit calculates the data defining the at least one trajectory, as a function of the selected mode of steering, and the calculating unit corrects the data defining the at least one trajectory on the basis of a correcting function by which allowance is made for a change in at least one of a longitudinal inclination of the chassis, a transverse inclination of the chassis, or a height of the image detecting unit.

2. The civil engineering machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the calculating unit is so designed that the data defines the trajectory, with the selected mode of steering and the stipulated steering angle, in a co-ordinate system referred to the running gear of the civil engineering machine.

3. The civil engineering machine according to claim 2 , characterised in that the calculating unit converts the data defining the at least one trajectory to be in a co-ordinate system referred to the image detecting unit in which the image is displayed on the display unit.

4. The civil engineering machine according to claim 3 , characterised in that:
the chassis of the machine is designed to be adjustable in at least one of a heightwise direction and in inclination,
the calculating unit corrects the data defining the at least one trajectory in the co-ordinate system referred to the image detecting unit, on the basis of the correcting function by which allowance is made for the change in at least one of the longitudinal inclination, transverse inclination, or height of the image detecting unit relative to the co-ordinate system referred to the running gear of the civil engineering machine.

5. The civil engineering machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the calculating unit corrects the data defining the at least one trajectory in a co-ordinate system referred to the image detecting unit, on the basis of a correcting function by which allowance is made for distortion of the image detected by the image detecting unit.

6. The civil engineering machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the calculating unit for calculating data defining the at least one trajectory is so designed that there are calculated, in a co-ordinate system referred to the running gear of the civil engineering machine:
a starting point which is situated at a reference point related to the civil engineering machine,
an end point which is situated at a point at which the reference point is situated, after a movement back of the civil engineering machine for a stipulated distance of travel in the selected mode of steering and with the stipulated steering angle, and
at least one of the radius or center of an arc of a circle extending between the starting point and the end point.

7. The civil engineering machine according to claim 6 , characterised in that the stipulated distance of travel by which the civil engineering machine is to be moved back is at least part of a length of the civil engineering machine.

8. The civil engineering machine according to claim 7 , characterised in that the calculating unit is so designed that an end point of a first trajectory whose starting point is situated on one longitudinal side of the civil engineering machine, and at the left-hand point thereof at the rear with reference to the working direction, is calculated, and an end point of a second trajectory whose starting point is situated on the other longitudinal side of the civil engineering machine, and at the right-hand point thereof at the rear with reference to the working direction, is calculated.

9. The civil engineering machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the unit having the controls co-operates with the steering arrangement in such a way that the steering arrangement sets steering angles of a front right-hand and a front left-hand wheel or other running-gear units and steering angles of a rear right-hand and a rear left-hand wheel or other running-gear units in such a way that the front and rear wheels or other running-gear units are being turned in the same direction in a first mode of steering.

10. The civil engineering machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the unit having the controls co-operates with the steering arrangement in such a way that the steering arrangement sets steering angles of a front right-hand and a front left-hand wheel or other running-gear units and steering angles of a rear right-hand and a rear left-hand wheel or other running-gear units in such a way that the front and rear wheels or other running-gear units are being turned in opposite directions in a second mode of steering.

11. The civil engineering machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the steering arrangement is so designed that extensions of axes of the wheels or other running-gear units intersect at a center of a turning circle.

12. An apparatus for assisting a driver of a civil engineering machine when reversing the civil engineering machine, said apparatus comprising:
at least one position sensor configured to sense a position of at least one of a front running gear and a rear running gear of the civil engineering machine, wherein said position is a steering angle;
a selector configured such that the driver may select one mode of steering from a plurality of modes of steering;
a calculating unit configured to determine data that defines at least one trajectory of the civil engineering machine as a function of the position of the at least one of the front running gear and the r

Assignees

• Menzenbach Christoph
• Von Der Lippe Joern
• Barimani Cyrus
• Haehn Guenter
• Wirtgen Gmbh

Inventors

• Menzenbach Christoph
• Von Der Lippe Joern
• Barimani Cyrus
• Haehn Guenter

Classifications

• B62D7/1509

  with different steering modes, e.g. crab-steering, or steering specially adapted for reversing of the vehicle · CPC title

• E02F9/2087

  Control of vehicle steering (for steering with hydraulic or pneumatic drives E02F9/225) · CPC title

• E02F9/26

  Indicating devices {(E02F5/145 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E01C19/004

  Devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path (for graders or bulldozers E02F3/841; for other soil-shifting machines E02F9/2045) · CPC title

• E01C23/088 Primary

  Rotary tools, e.g. milling drums {(for forming recesses to receive marking materials E01C23/0946)} · CPC title