Work vehicle and method of controlling work vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617709-B2
Application number	US-201514655130-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2015
Priority date	Feb 2, 2015
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A work vehicle includes a vehicular body, a work implement, an angle sensor, and a work implement control unit. A bucket is rotatable with respect to an arm around a bucket axis in parallel to an arm axis and a tilt axis orthogonal to a bucket axis. The angle sensor is provided in the bucket and detects an angle of inclination of the bucket with respect to a horizontal plane. The work implement control unit starts control of the work implement in which an operation of the work implement is controlled at least partially automatically when an angle of inclination of the bucket detected by the angle sensor is smaller than a first threshold value, and does not start control of the work implement when an angle of inclination of the bucket detected by the angle sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A work vehicle, comprising:
a vehicular body;
a work implement containing a boom rotatable with respect to said vehicular body around a boom axis, an arm rotatable with respect to said boom around an arm axis in parallel to said boom axis, and a bucket rotatable with respect to said arm around a bucket axis in parallel to said arm axis and a tilt axis orthogonal to said bucket axis;
an angle sensor provided in said bucket and detecting an angle of inclination of the bucket with respect to a horizontal plane; and
a work implement control unit executing control of the work implement in which an operation of said work implement is controlled at least partially automatically based on design topography representing an aimed shape of a target of working by said work implement,
said work implement control unit starting control of said work implement when an angle of inclination of the bucket detected by said angle sensor is smaller than a first threshold value and not starting control of said work implement when an angle of inclination of the bucket detected by said angle sensor is equal to or greater than said first threshold value.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
said work implement control unit starts control of said work implement when the angle of inclination of the bucket detected by said angle sensor is smaller than the first threshold value or equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and
does not start control of said work implement when the angle of inclination of the bucket detected by said angle sensor is equal to or greater than said first threshold value and smaller than the second threshold value.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an inclination detection portion detecting an inclination of the vehicular body with respect to the horizontal plane;
an attitude state obtaining portion obtaining attitude information on an attitude of the work implement; and
a tilt axis angle calculation portion calculating an angle of inclination of the tilt axis with respect to the horizontal plane based on the inclination of said vehicular body and the attitude information of said work implement, wherein
said work implement control unit starts control of said work implement when an angle of inclination of the tilt axis calculated by said tilt axis angle calculation portion is smaller than a second threshold value, and
does not start control of said work implement when the angle of inclination of the tilt axis calculated by said tilt axis angle calculation portion is equal to or greater than said second threshold value.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an operation portion capable of accepting an instruction to start control of said work implement from an operator, wherein
said work implement control unit executes control of said work implement in response to the instruction to start issued from said operation portion, and
said operation portion does not accept the instruction to start control of said work implement from said operator when the angle of inclination of the bucket detected by said angle sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

5. The work vehicle according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a display portion; and
a display control unit controlling contents of display on said display portion, wherein
said display control unit has said display portion display information that control of said work implement cannot be started by said operator when the angle of inclination of the bucket detected by said angle sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

6. A work vehicle, comprising:
a vehicular body;
a work implement containing a boom rotatable with respect to said vehicular body around a boom axis, an arm rotatable with respect to said boom around an arm axis in parallel to said boom axis, and a bucket rotatable with respect to said arm around a bucket axis in parallel to said arm axis and a tilt axis orthogonal to said bucket axis;
an inclination detection portion detecting an inclination of the vehicular body with respect to a horizontal plane;
an attitude state obtaining portion obtaining attitude information on an attitude of the work implement;
a tilt axis angle calculation portion calculating an angle of inclination of the tilt axis with respect to the horizontal plane based on the inclination of said vehicular body and the attitude information of said work implement; and
a work implement control unit executing control of the work implement in which an operation of said work implement is controlled at least partially automatically based on design topography representing an aimed shape of a target of working by said work implement,
said work implement control unit starting control of said work implement when an angle of inclination of the tilt axis calculated by said tilt axis angle calculation portion is smaller than a first threshold value, and not starting control of said work implement when an angle of inclination of the tilt axis calculated by said tilt axis angle calculation portion is equal to or greater than said first threshold value.

7. The work vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
said work implement control unit starts control of said work implement when the angle of inclination of the tilt axis calculated by said tilt axis angle calculation portion is smaller than the first threshold value or equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and
does not start control of said work implement when the angle of inclination of the tilt axis calculated by said tilt axis angle calculation portion is equal to or greater than said first threshold value and smaller than the second threshold value.

8. The work vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising an operation portion capable of accepting an instruction to start control of said work implement from an operator, wherein
said work implement control unit executes control of said work implement in response to the instruction to start issued from said operation portion, and
said operation portion does not accept the instruction to start control of said work implement from said operator when the angle of inclination of the tilt axis calculated by said tilt axis angle calculation portion is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

9. The work vehicle according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a display portion; and
a display control unit controlling contents of display on said display portion, wherein
said display control unit has said display portion display information that control of said work implement cannot be started by said operator when the angle of inclination of the tilt axis calculated by said tilt axis angle calculation portion is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

10. A work vehicle, comprising:
a vehicular body;
a work implement including a boom rotatable with respect to said vehicular body around a boom axis, an arm rotatable with respect to said boom around an arm axis in parallel to said boom axis, and a bucket rotatable with respect to said arm around a bucket axis in parallel to said arm axis and a tilt axis orthogonal to said bucket axis;
an angle sensor provided in said bucket and detecting an angle of inclination of the bucket with respect to a horizontal plane;
an attitude state obtaining portion obtaining attitude information on an attitude of said work implement based on a result of detection by said angle sensor; and
a display control unit including a state of attitude of said bucket with respect to design topography representing an aimed shape of a target of working by said work implement displayed based o

Assignees

• Komatsu Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shintani Satoru
• Fujii Yuto
• Seki Masanobu
• Ichihara Masashi
• Kami Yoshiki

Classifications

• E02F3/43

  Control of dipper or bucket position; Control of sequence of drive operations · CPC title

• E02F3/3681

  Rotators · CPC title

• B60Y2400/406

  Hydraulic actuators · CPC title

• E02F9/26

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

• E02F9/261

  Surveying the work-site to be treated · CPC title