Improved hydraulic device

Abstract

Method (100) for controlling an actuator device having at least two types of actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) which effect different types of movements of an attached device (10, 32) to be moved, wherein a change in the orientation and / or position of the attached device (10, 32) has an influence on the position of at least one defined area (13, 14) of the attached device (10, 32), wherein the main input (19) for changing the orientation and / or position of the attached device (10, 32) is made by a human operator, characterized in that the main input (19) is modified such that the different types of actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) are controlled in an automated manner such that the change in the position of the defined area (13, 14) of the attached device (10, 32) is at least partially compensated.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for operating an actuator device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a control device, an actuator device, and a work vehicle.

[0002] Whenever bulk materials need to be handled in large quantities, particularly in mines, construction sites, quarries, agriculture, and storage areas with large piles (to name just a few examples), telehandlers, telescopic wheel loaders, wheel loaders, and the like are commonly used types of machinery. In particular, they can be used without the need for major infrastructure. Accordingly, they can be deployed much more flexibly and in areas where stationary structures such as overhead cranes, large storage bunkers, underground bunkers, or the like, despite their inherent advantages, cannot be used effectively.

[0003] The basic design of such telehandlers, telescopic wheel loaders and general wheel loaders is that they have a movable vehicle body on wheels and partly on tracks. An arrangement of levers and pivot arms is pivotally mounted on the vehicle body. Typically, the arrangement of levers is moved by hydraulic pistons, although other actuators can in principle be used. Movement of the actuators (e.g. hydraulic pistons) results in an upward and downward movement of the parts of the arrangement of levers that are located opposite a hinge point. A tiltable device such as a bucket, excavator spoon, fork or the like is usually attached there. By tilting the bucket / bucket / fork (or other device), the material to be moved can be tilted either in or out.be held on the device in such a way that the vehicle can be moved without losing the goods, or in such a way that the goods are dispensed. For example, in the case of a shovel, the shovel can be placed in a trough-like position so that gravel or other types of solid bulk materials can be moved. By tilting the shovel, the gravel can be discharged at the destination. This could be a truck, a dump truck, a railway wagon, a pile of solid bulk material, and / or similar.

[0004] Needless to say, such vehicles are very widespread and successfully used in a wide range of technical applications. Accordingly, the production of such machines is an attractive commercial area.

[0005] However, conventional standard machines require well-trained operators. The problem is that, due to the design and layout of the machine, the control of the various actuators not only has the desired effect on the directly driven parts of the machine, especially the bucket or the like. Rather, side effects usually also occur, so that the occurrence of various undesirable types of movements can be observed. Until now, such side effects have either had to be tolerated and / or compensated for by appropriate manual control of the machine by well-trained personnel.

[0006] To give an example, when the bucket of a telescopic shovel loader is tilted so that bulk materials contained within the bucket are discharged onto the bed of a dump truck, a tilting movement of the bucket commanded by an operator typically also results in a (usually) undesirable downward movement of the front section (bucket edge) of the bucket. This could lead to mechanical contact between the bucket and the dump truck, potentially resulting in damage. Accordingly, the shovel loader operator must compensate for this effect by appropriately controlling the raise / lower lever.

[0007] Furthermore, a tilting movement of the bucket also leads to a backward / forward movement of the releasing edge (bucket edge) of the bucket. Particularly when filling trucks / dump loaders that are approved for standard roads (and which accordingly may have a comparatively narrow width of approximately 2.5 m, depending on national legislation), this effect can easily lead to asymmetrical loading of the truck (which can result in adverse and even dangerous driving behavior). Furthermore, the loading area of ​​the dump loader can easily be missed during dumping of the material, causing a certain amount of the dumped material to fall sideways off the dump loader. Consequently, the operator must compensate for this backward / forward movement by appropriately controlling a forward or reverse movement of the vehicle.

[0008] Since driving the various hydraulic devices and actuators requires sufficient power, in today's machines the operator usually has to request more or less power from the internal combustion engine (which is the typical energy source for such vehicles).

[0009] It's clear that such orchestrated control of different settings of various levers and pedals is not easy and requires lengthy training and sufficient experience from the operator. Even then, it typically leads to operator fatigue after a relatively short period of time. Furthermore, even well-trained operators can make incorrect inputs, which can lead to spillage of bulk material, the need for corrective movement of already loaded goods, and even damage to the machine.

[0010] Various proposals have already been made in the state of the art to simplify the work for operators of such machines, with an additional focus on preventing accidents.

[0011] US 6,233,511 B1, for example, proposes the use of an electronic digital control system in the context of a loader having conventional mechanical components. The hydraulic valves are electronically controlled such that the control system rotates the bucket such that a substantially uniform angle is maintained between the bucket and the loader body (i.e., a constant bucket orientation is maintained) when the operator commands the loader bucket to be raised or lowered. US 9,822,507 B2 and US 6,763,619 B2 pursue a similar approach.

[0012] US 2014 / 0 107 841 A1 proposes a control system for controlling an articulated linkage system, such as the articulated arm of a hydraulic excavator, that combines the automation of routine tasks with real-time correction by a human supervisor. One embodiment uses a differential control architecture using an inverse Jacobian matrix. This avoids the need to model the desired trajectory of the end effector in system space.

[0013] Although these suggestions are admittedly quite helpful, they do not address the problems associated with tilting a bucket or other device attached to an array of levers (i.e., when the orientation of the attached device is changed).

[0014] These and other problems can be solved by using the present idea.

[0015] It is therefore an object of the present application to propose a method for controlling an actuator device which has at least two types of actuators which cause different types of movement of the attached device to be moved, wherein a change in the orientation and / or position of the attached device has an influence on the position of at least one defined region of the attached device, wherein the method is improved over known methods for controlling an actuator device of this type.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to propose a control device that is improved over control devices known in the prior art. Yet another object of the invention is to propose an actuator device that is improved over actuator devices known in the prior art. Yet another object of the present invention is to propose a work vehicle that is improved over work vehicles known in the prior art.

[0017] It is proposed to carry out a method for controlling an actuator device which has at least two types of actuators which bring about different types of movements of an attached device to be moved, wherein a change in the orientation and / or the position of the attached device has an influence on the position of at least one defined area of ​​the attached device, wherein the main input for changing the orientation and / or the position of the attached device is carried out by a human operator, in such a way that the main input is modified in such a way that the different types of actuators are controlled in an automated manner in such a way that the change in the position of the defined area of ​​the attached device is at least partially compensated.When speaking of “a change in position”, it may be necessary to distinguish between an intended change in position / inputted change in position / commanded change in position / desired change in position, and an unintended change in position / outputted change in position / uncommanded change in position / unwanted change in position / side effect change in position / resulting change in position.

[0018] When talking about actuators, it should be noted that an actuator type can comprise one, two, or more individual actuators. The way in which the different types of actuators are designed is essentially arbitrary. To name just a few examples, hydraulic pistons, electric motors, linear motors, internal combustion engines, hydraulic motors, gears, and the like can be used, possibly in combination. When talking about a type of movement, linear movements and / or rotational movements and / or different directions (possibly directions that are orthogonal to each other) can be considered, possibly in combination. The type of movement can refer to an external reference system, but also to the output side of another type of actuator.To give an example, if a linear actuator is attached to another type of actuator, the direction of the linear movement may change accordingly depending on the position of the previous actuator (or possibly a plurality of previous actuators). It is even possible that, due to pivoting movement of one or more previous actuators, even a linear actuator may have a component of rotational movement with respect to an external reference system. Typically, an attached device can be considered to be a bucket, a fork, a grapple, or any other type of device. Typically, the attached device is essentially the last device to perform the function for which the actuator device is designed.Accordingly, in the case of a telehandler for moving gravel, the attached device will typically be a bucket for gravel. However, different types of devices can also be considered. Typically, the attached device will be the last device in the chain of actuators. In other words, the attached device will typically not be another actuator and / or a device that can itself be moved to move one or more actuators or other devices. The defined range of the attached device will typically be chosen depending on the intended use of the (complete) actuator device and / or the attached device.External devices that are not part of the actuator device but are determined by the purpose of the actuator device may also play a role in defining the defined area of ​​the attached device. In the case of a bucket wheel loader, for example, the defined area of ​​the attached device may be the edge of the bucket. However, a position slightly offset from the edge of the bucket may also be considered. This may be based on a situation where the bucket is used to load a truck or a dump truck.Since the bucket edge will typically be located in the center of the truck / dump truck bed during bucket unloading, the defined area of ​​the attached device may be an area of ​​the bucket offset from the bucket edge of the bucket by a certain proportion of the width of the bed of the truck / dump truck loading area, for example by about 50% thereof.

[0019] This is based on the consideration that this may be the most critical area where the bucket and the sides of the loading area are closest to each other and / or where sufficient spacing must be ensured.

[0020] Compensation for the change in the position of the defined area of ​​the attached device when a change in the orientation and / or position of the attached device is commanded is carried out in an automated manner. The automated manner can be realized by means of a suitable mechanical structure and / or by applying correction signals to the actuators. In particular, it is possible to generate modified control signals using a control device, in particular an electronic control device and / or a programmable control device. In particular, a computer device, such as an electronic control device, including a single-board computer, can be used for this purpose. It is also possible for the method to be implemented on a control device that is already available for controlling the actuator device.This does not rule out the possibility that the computing power of the control device in question may need to be increased to implement the additional functionality of the method proposed here. Preferably, the compensation proposed here is complete (100%). However, it is also possible that only partial compensation is implemented.Partial compensation can be understood to mean that only a specific direction and / or a specific degree of freedom of movement (or only two, three or a plurality of different directions and / or degrees of freedom of movement) is compensated and / or that the compensation of a specific direction and / or a specific degree of freedom of movement (or of two, three or a plurality of specific directions and / or degrees of freedom of movement) is only partially carried out (for example up to a maximum of 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%). Conversely, it may also be appropriate to provide for overcompensation, for example, of (up to / not more than) 110%, 120%, 130%, 140%, 150%, 160%, 170%, 180%, 190%, 200%, 250%, 300%, 350%, 400%, 450%, or 500%. The value can be chosen by the manufacturer, a maintenance mechanic, the employer, and / or the operator themselves.In particular, it should be noted that for a person accustomed to manually compensating for lateral and / or rotational deviations due to the previously described "side effects of movement," the behavior of the presently proposed method for controlling an actuator device may be surprising and / or even counterproductive, so that the combination of automatic compensation and manual compensation (to which the operator is accustomed) may lead to damage due to "double compensation." The use of such an individually selectable fraction of compensation may be useful to help today's experienced operators unlearn the corrective behavior. Additionally and / or alternatively, it is possible that the extent of at least partial compensation may depend on specific ranges of movement.Accordingly, compensation can be implemented for certain ranges of motion, while no compensation is performed (or compensation is performed to a reduced extent) when that range is exceeded. This can be done based on any consideration, for example, taking into account the mechanical capability for movements of the attached device.

[0021] The described situation of an actuator device, in which a change in the orientation and / or position of the attached device influences the position of at least one defined area of ​​the attached device, occurs in a variety of basic structures and / or technical fields of application. Essentially, such a situation can occur when the actuators in question do not exclusively cause movements in mutually orthogonal directions. Accordingly, this situation can occur when two actuators execute a linear movement in directions that are not perpendicular to each other. Likewise, the described influence usually also occurs when an actuator causes a pivoting / rotating movement. The unintended movement, i.e.Typically, a change in the position of at least one defined area of ​​the attached device may depend on the angular position / orientation of the attached device. Quite frequently, some sort of sinusoidal / cosine-like dependence occurs. The described dependence regularly occurs when different actuators are arranged in some sort of series arrangement. This is the case when two (or more) actuators are not connected to the same frame, but rather are arranged in such a way that a second (or later) actuator is moved in conjunction with the movement of the first (or any of the "earlier" actuators).This is the case when, in a sense, an input side of one type of actuator (possibly a first, second, third, or further actuator) is attached to a base system or to a previous system (e.g., a vehicle body and / or the environment and / or other actuators), whereas another (second, third, fourth, and / or later) actuator is connected with its input side to the output side of another actuator (previous actuator; first actuator). The same can apply analogously to even more actuators. In the case of a moving vehicle, the second actuator can be connected to a vehicle body, with the vehicle body being, so to speak, the output side of the first actuator, and the first actuator can be understood as the driving platform / hydraulic motor of the vehicle. Thus, in this case, the input side of the first actuator can be considered as an external reference system, i.e.as the environment.

[0022] A detailed example of this is a telehandler (or telescopic loader), where the vehicle's drive motor can be considered the first actuator. The environment is then the input side of the first actuator, while the vehicle body is the output side of the first actuator, and the first actuator is the drive motor / drive actuator (e.g., a hydraulic motor) of the telehandler. A further actuator (second actuator), in this case a hydraulic piston (or a plurality of hydraulic pistons), is connected to the output side of the first actuator. The hydraulic pistons are provided to effect an upward / downward movement of the spaced-apart part of the arrangement of (lifting) levers (or (lifting) rods) moved by the (lifting) hydraulic pistons.The vehicle body is the input side for the second actuator, while the angular position of the (lifting) lever assembly (and thus its remote end(s)) can be considered the output side of the second actuator (lifting actuator). As is obvious to a person skilled in the art, the upward and downward movement (angular variation) of the lever assembly is a main output movement and the intended output movement of the (lifting) hydraulic piston(s) (second actuator). However, due to the hinge-like arrangement of the lever assembly on the vehicle body, and accordingly the pivoting movement thereof, an angular change / upward and downward movement of the remote end of the lever assembly (opposite the pivot point) may occur in addition to a less pronounced forward and backward movement of the (remote) end of the lever assembly with respect to the external reference frame.A rotatable bucket can be attached to the remote end of the lifting levers. The rotational movement can be effected by a third (or fourth; see below) actuator, whereby the (alignment) actuator can also be a hydraulic piston. For mechanical reasons, the axis of rotation of the bucket is typically located approximately in the area of ​​the bucket's center of gravity when the bucket is filled with the goods for which it is intended. As a consequence, the bucket edge of the bucket performs an upward and / or downward movement, as well as a forward and / or backward movement, when the bucket is rotated. The extent of the upward / downward movement relative to the forward / backward movement of the bucket edge per unit of rotational movement depends on the (angular) position of the bucket. Typically, an approximately sine / cosine relationship is present.When the bucket is in a substantially horizontal position, the up / down movement will be more pronounced, whereas the forward / backward movement of the bucket edge will be comparatively small, while the situation is reversed when the bucket is in a vertical position. The lifting levers (lifting rods) may be designed to be extendable by means of a suitable actuator (e.g., a hydraulic piston; a motor driving a gear meshing with a rack; or any other type of suitable actuator). Since this actuator is arranged between the second actuator (lifting hydraulic piston) and the (then) fourth actuator (rotation actuator), if one considers these as a chain of actuators, the third actuator has its input side connected to the output side of the second actuator, while the output side of the third actuator is connected to the input side of the (then) fourth actuator.A change in the length of the lifting levers then influences the height (of the defined range) of the attached device, as well as the lateral position (forward / backward position) (of the defined range) of the attached device. This depends primarily on the current angular position of the lifting levers (typically a sinusoidal and / or cosinusoidal dependence). Accordingly, this third actuator, if present, can usually at least partially compensate for a change in height and / or forward / backward change (of the defined range) of the attached device. This possibility may be limited to certain ranges of positions of the different (other) actuators. Of course, this type of compensation is not possible if extension / retraction of the lifting lever is not possible.

[0023] It is proposed to carry out the method in such a way that the orientation of the attached device is primarily determined by the position of an alignment actuator, wherein the position of the alignment actuator usually also influences the position of the defined region of the attached device. In other words, the position of the orientation of the attached device is primarily determined by the position of an associated actuator, namely an alignment actuator. Nevertheless, the orientation of the attached device is at least to a certain extent additionally determined by the position of one or more different types of actuators, in particular actuators which are arranged upstream of the alignment actuator in the actuator chain. Relatively often, the alignment actuator will be the last actuator in the actuator chain, although this does not necessarily have to be the case.The position of the alignment actuator, in particular the position of the defined area of ​​the attached device, is typically primarily influenced by one or more actuators other than the alignment actuator. However, as described above, the position of the alignment actuator can also influence, at least to some extent, the position of the defined area of ​​the attached device. In this context, reference is also made to the previously described example of a telehandler with a rotatable bucket for solid bulk material.

[0024] In this context, it should be noted that an influence on one or more actuator types can also be due to external effects. To give just one example: the drive motor of a telehandler's vehicle body will, at first glance, only influence the forward / reverse position of the attached device. However, if the telehandler is on a linear incline, a forward and backward movement of the vehicle body will also influence the height of the attached device (relative to the external reference system). If the telehandler is moved even further along a curved incline (with different angles of inclination), a forward / backward movement of the vehicle body will even influence the orientation of the attached device.

[0025] It is further proposed that at least some of the actuators be hydraulic actuators, in particular hydraulic pistons and / or hydraulic motors, and / or it is proposed that at least one of the actuators be a drive actuator of a vehicle. Such actuators have proven to be very reliable and perform the required aspects of the movement particularly advantageously. Furthermore, such actuators are readily available, so that the method can also be easily implemented using standard actuators. It is even possible that the method proposed here can be used as a type of software extension (or hardware extension, if additional control and / or improved control or similar is required) even for existing machines.

[0026] Furthermore, it is proposed to carry out the method such that the attached device is a shovel, a fork, a bucket, and / or a gripping device, and / or to carry out the method such that the actuator device is part of a shovel loader, wheel loader, telescopic shovel loader, telehandler, backhoe, excavator, and / or forklift. In this case, the presently proposed method can demonstrate its intrinsic advantages and properties particularly well.

[0027] Furthermore, it is proposed that the defined region of the attached device be located in the region of a bottom side of the attached device and / or near a front side of the attached device, preferably opposite a connection region and / or a hinge device of the attached device and the actuator device. As can be seen from the previously described example of a telehandler, these regions are typically the most critical areas where damage is comparatively likely, where a certain distance must be provided, and / or where the usefulness of the actuator device can be increased.

[0028] Furthermore, it is proposed that the range for corrections and / or the direction of corrections be limited for certain actuators, in particular for safety reasons. Additionally and / or alternatively, it is proposed that corrections of at least certain actuators are permitted only under certain conditions and / or only after explicit approval and / or only upon a certain sensor input and / or only upon a certain data output and / or only in certain areas and / or only at certain locations. For example, a corrective backward movement of a telehandler while the contents of a bucket are being poured into a dump truck can be problematic from a safety perspective, as this corresponds to a certain extent to an uncommanded backward movement of the vehicle. This is particularly the case if the operator of the actuator device is not yet accustomed to the corrective behavior proposed here.Accordingly, it may prove advantageous to prevent such a "non-commanded" backward movement, or at least to limit the distance of such a "non-commanded" backward movement. It should be noted that in the case where the lifting levers are designed to be extendable / retractable, controlling an extension / retraction movement of the lifting levers is usually the preferred type of compensation. However, this may not be (fully) possible in certain positions of the actuator device.However, such reversing may still be permitted in certain areas (for example, in a quarry where only trained personnel are present), where personnel can simply be instructed to keep a certain distance from operating machinery (an instruction that is usually given anyway) and / or if an operator has pressed an enable button for such automatic reversing after ensuring that the rear of the vehicle is clear. This too can be done in an automated manner, for example by using distance sensors. If such distance sensors show that the rear of a telehandler is clear, automated reversing is permitted. It should be noted that this is only an explicit example.In particular, different directions (in particular a forward movement of a telehandler) and / or different types of machines (apart from telehandlers) can also be used in connection with the embodiment described here.

[0029] In particular, it is proposed to use the method in such a way that the method is only carried out on request, in particular on request by the operator, and / or it is proposed that the method be suspended on request, in particular on request by the operator. This request (possibly by the operator) can be of a binary nature (on / off). However, it can also be made with respect to different correction directions / types of movement (such as those described above, i.e. possibly with respect to a backward and / or forward movement (of the machine)). Likewise, it can be carried out on a "percentage basis", so that compensation is only carried out to a certain percentage extent, as already described initially with respect to a telehandler. Likewise, a maximum distance can be set.For example, the maximum reversing distance can be limited to 50 cm (unless, for example, a specific authorization is given by the operator). For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the various aspects of such a requirement can also be partially and / or fully combined.

[0030] As mentioned, the method is implemented in such a way that the primary input is provided by a human operator. The human operator can be seated in or on the machine, or can operate the machine via a remote control. A combination of human control and autonomous driving can be realized, particularly in the case of a remote control arrangement, where the human operator may merely indicate the destination or certain aspects of the route, while the automated driving logic fills in the "missing" commands.

[0031] Furthermore, a control device is proposed which is designed and configured to carry out a method according to the above-mentioned suggestions. The control device in question can also be modified in the sense described above. Typically, such a control device will have the same advantages and properties as described above, at least analogously. In particular, the control device can be an electronic control device.

[0032] Furthermore, an actuator device is proposed that comprises a plurality of actuators and a control device of the type described above. In this way, the actuator device can have the same advantages and properties as described above, at least analogously. Furthermore, the control device can also be modified in the sense described above, at least analogously.

[0033] Furthermore, a work vehicle is proposed that has an actuator device of the type described above. In this way, a work vehicle can be realized that has the properties and advantages described above, at least analogously. The work vehicle can also be modified, at least analogously, in the sense described above.

[0034] Further advantages, features and objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1: a schematic view of a telehandler seen from one side; Fig. 2: a hydraulic diagram of the telehandler according to Fig. 1 in a schematic view; Fig. 3: the scheme of a control procedure for a telehandler according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2; Fig. 4: a schematic side view of a shovel loader.

[0035] Fig. Figure 1 shows a telehandler 1 in a schematic side view. Telehandlers 1 are well known in the art.

[0036] As usual, the telehandler 1 has a body 2, which in this case is mounted on four wheels 3. Thanks to the wheels 3, the telehandler 1 can be moved by an operator sitting in a driver's cab 4 of the telehandler 1. Of course, the number of wheels 3 can vary. It is also possible to use tracks instead of wheels 3.

[0037] The telehandler 1 has a telescopic arm 5, which can be extended and retracted by means of a suitable actuator, in this case a hydraulic piston 6 (telescopic piston 6). Of course, different types of actuators are also possible, such as a hydraulic motor that drives a gear meshing with a rack, to name just one example.

[0038] Furthermore, a second hydraulic piston 7 (angle variation piston 7) is provided, which is used to change the angle of the telescopic arm 5 relative to the vehicle body 2. To enable this, the telescopic arm 5 is movably attached to the body 2 by means of a hinge area 8.

[0039] At the upper end 9 of the telescopic arm 5, a fork 10 is provided, which can be used to pick up and put down pallets, straw bales, and the like. Furthermore, the fork 10 is attached to the upper end 9, as is generally known in the prior art, using a tilt actuator 11 (here also driven by a hydraulic piston; alignment actuator), so that the angle of the fork 10 / the fork tines 14 relative to the body 2 can be changed. Thanks to this capability, pallets can be easily picked up and put down in a horizontal position (seen in relation to the surroundings). However, by tilting the fork 10 into a suitable position, the pallet can be securely held on the fork 10 so that it does not fall when the pallet is moved around with the telehandler 1.

[0040] As is also known in the prior art and from Fig. 1, actuation of the angle variation piston 7 results in a tilting movement of the fork 10. In detail, the change in the angle of the telescopic arm 5 relative to the body 2 is identical to the change in the angle of the fork 10 relative to the ground (if the telehandler 1 is not moving). This change in orientation can be compensated either by a suitable manual operation by the operator (manual compensation) or by automatic actuation of the tilt actuator 11 (automatic compensation).

[0041] However, controlling the angle variation piston 7 will also lead to a change in the horizontal position (x-axis) of the fork 10 (a comparatively large influence), as well as to a change in the vertical position (y-axis) of the fork 10 relative to the ground (a comparatively small change in the position of the telescopic arm 5 shown here). It is proposed here that this variation be achieved (at least in part) by a suitable control of the telescopic arm 5 (suitable extension / retraction of the telescopic piston 6), and / or by a suitable control of the wheels 3, which are driven in this case by a hydraulic motor 12 (see Fig. 2), is automatically compensated.

[0042] Similarly, extending or retracting the telescopic arm 5 not only results in a raising or lowering (y-axis) of the fork 10, but also in a certain forward or backward movement of the fork 10 (x-axis). As proposed here, this change can be at least partially compensated by a suitable control of the wheels 3. However, it is usually preferred if the compensation of the actuator device is carried out without controlling the wheels 3. Such control of the wheels may nevertheless prove necessary / advantageous, at least in certain positions of the actuator device.

[0043] When a tilt command is applied to the tilt actuator 11 of the fork 10, this tilt command will also result in a specific change in the horizontal and / or vertical position of different areas of the fork 11. For the telehandler 1 shown here, the front tip 13 of the fork tines 14 of the fork 10 is typically the most problematic area. It is also proposed that a change in the height (vertical position; y-axis) and / or the horizontal position (x-axis) that occurs due to a tilting movement of the fork 10 be automatically compensated by appropriately controlling the various other actuators, namely the angle variation piston 7 and / or the telescoping piston 6 and / or the hydraulic motor 12 (which drives the wheels 3). Thus, the front tips 13 of the fork tines 14 remain in a substantially identical spatial position, even though the angular position (orientation) of the fork 10 changes.

[0044] The relevance of this compensation becomes clear when considering a situation in which an operator has to place a pallet in a storage compartment of a rack: he wants to change the backward tilted position of the fork 10, suitable for rolling around, to a horizontal position so that he can place the pallet on the fork 10 in the rack. Previously, when controlling a forward tilt of the fork 10, the operator had to simultaneously manually control a lifting movement and a reversing movement so that the position of the front tips 13 of the fork 10 did not change relative to the rack. This state of the art is quite cumbersome and requires a considerable amount of training and experience.

[0045] Thanks to the automatic compensation proposed here, the operator can simply command a forward tilt and the remaining control is carried out automatically.

[0046] When an experienced operator, accustomed to compensating for varying positional changes, is deployed for the first time on a telehandler 1 according to the present invention, problems may arise. To simplify the familiarization phase, it is possible to implement only partial automatic correction to ease the transition. Accordingly, an individual operator can set a 50% automatic correction at the beginning of their shift, while increasing the automatic correction to 70% the next day or week, to give just one example. Of course, another operator can choose a different setting that suits them.

[0047] It should also be noted that, depending on the task at hand, overcompensation may also be appropriate. For example, an overcorrection of 120% may be advantageous if a pallet is placed on the fork 10, with the pallet length being 20% ​​greater than the length of the fork tines 14.

[0048] In Fig. 2, the basic hydraulic circuit 15 is shown in a schematic drawing.

[0049] The hydraulic oil required for the various hydraulic services 6, 7, 11, 12, 17, 23 is pumped by a hydraulic pump 16. In the present example, the hydraulic pump 16 operates the telescoping piston 6, the angle variation piston 7, the tilt actuator 11, and the hydraulic motor 12, as well as possibly various other systems, such as a hydraulic steering system 23, which in this case is connected to the hydraulic circuit via a priority valve 17 (to give just one example).

[0050] In this case, the operator input is made using a joystick 18 (although other devices may also be used). The input data 19 is forwarded to a controller 20.

[0051] Further input data is received from various sensors placed at suitable positions.

[0052] The operator input data 19 are read 101 by the controller 20 (see also flowchart 100 in Fig. 3).

[0053] Furthermore, additional input data 21 are read in 102 by the controller 20.

[0054] Based on the various input data 19, 21, as well as additional data stored in the controller (which includes the mechanical structure of the telehandler 1, the current operator's preferences, etc.), the controller 103 first calculates the side effects resulting from a specific control command. For example, in this step, the controller 20 considers a tilt command to tilt the fork 10 and calculates the effect this will have on the horizontal (x-axis) and vertical (y-axis) positions of the front tips 13 of the fork 10.

[0055] Next, the controller 20 calculates 104 suitable compensation signals to be applied to the different actuators 6, 7, 11, 12 so that no side effects occur.

[0056] If necessary, the strength of the control signals is artificially increased or decreased (i.e. the correction signals are adjusted 105), provided that the operator, the vehicle manufacturer, a workshop or the employer has implemented this function.

[0057] Accordingly, the controller 20 outputs suitably corrected control signals 106.

[0058] The program then returns 107 and the flow chart 100 goes through a new cycle.

[0059] To complete the description, Fig.4 shows another machine type, namely a shovel loader 25, in a schematic side view. In the detailed embodiment shown here, similar devices use the same reference numerals if the function of the respective devices is identical or at least highly similar to one another.

[0060] Similar to the telehandler 1, the shovel loader 25 shown here has a body 26 arranged on the wheels 27 (in this case four wheels 27). The operator sits in a driver's cab 28.

[0061] The shovel loader 25 has a pivotably mounted arm 29. The arm 29 is attached to the body 26 by means of a hinge region 8.

[0062] The arm 29 can be raised or lowered by means of a hydraulic piston 30 (angle-variation piston 30). It should be noted that different actuator types can also be used.

[0063] In this case, a blade 32 is attached to the side opposite the hinge area 8 (front side 31 of the arm 29). In this case, the blade 32 is also rotatably attached to the arm 29 by means of a hinge 33. The orientation of the blade 32 (angular position of the blade 32 relative to the ground) can be changed by an alignment actuator 34, which in this case is also designed as a hydraulic piston 34.

[0064] The above statements can also be applied analogously to the presently proposed shovel loader 25. In this case, the same tasks, advantages, and properties can be achieved, at least analogously. Reference list 1 telehandler 2 Body 3 wheels 4 Driver's cab 5 telescopic arm 6 telescopic pistons 7 angle variation pistons 8 Hinge area 9 upper end 10 forks 11 Tilt actuator 12 Hydraulic motor 13 front tip 14 forks 15 Hydraulic circuit 16 Hydraulic pump 17 Priority valve 18 Joystick 19 Input data 20 Control 21 additional input data 22 sensors 23 hydraulic steering system 25 shovel loaders 26 Body 27 wheels 28 Driver's cab 29 pivoting arm 30 angle variation pistons 31 Front 32 shovels 33 Hinge 34 Alignment actuator 100 Flowchart 101 Reading input data 102 read additional input data 103 Calculation of side effects 104 Calculation of compensation signals 105 Adjustment of correction signals 106 Output corrected control signals 107 Return

Claims

[1] Method (100) for controlling an actuator device having at least two types of actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) which cause different types of movements of an attached device (10, 32) to be moved, wherein a change in the orientation and / or position of the attached device (10, 32) has an influence on the position of at least one defined area (13, 14) of the attached device (10, 32), wherein the main input (19) for changing the orientation and / or position of the attached device (10, 32) is provided by a human operator, characterized by that the main input (19) is modified such that the different types of actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) are controlled in an automated manner such that the change in the position of the defined area (13, 14) of the attached device (10, 32) is at least partially compensated. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the orientation of the attached device (10, 32) is primarily determined by the position of an alignment actuator (11), wherein the position of the alignment actuator (11) usually also has an influence on the position of the defined area (13, 14) of the attached device (10, 32). [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that at least some of the actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) are hydraulic actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34), in particular hydraulic pistons (6, 7, 11, 30, 34) and / or hydraulic motors (12) and / or characterized by that at least one of the actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) is a drive actuator (12) of a vehicle (1, 25). [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the attached device is a shovel (32), an excavator bucket, a fork (10, 32) and / or a gripping device and / or characterized bythat the actuator device is part of a shovel loader (25), a wheel loader, a telescopic shovel loader, a telehandler (1), a backhoe, an excavator and / or a forklift. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the defined region (13, 14) of the attached device (10, 32) is located in the region of a bottom side of the attached device and / or in the vicinity of a front side (13) of the attached device (10, 32), preferably opposite to a connecting region (11) and / or to a hinge device of the attached device (10, 32) and the actuator device. [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the range for corrections and / or the direction of corrections for certain actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) is limited, in particular for safety reasons and / or characterized bythat corrections of at least certain actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) are only permitted under certain conditions and / or only after an explicit release and / or only with a certain sensor input and / or only with a certain data output and / or only in certain areas and / or only at certain locations. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the procedure is only carried out on request, in particular on request by the operator and / or characterized by that the procedure is suspended on request, in particular on request from the operator. [8] Control device (20), in particular electronic control device, which is designed and configured to carry out a method (100) according to one of the preceding claims. [9] Actuator device comprising a plurality of actuators (6, 7, 11, 12, 30, 34) and a control device according to claim 8. [10] Work vehicle (1, 25) comprising an actuator device according to claim 9.

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