Excavator Bucket Angle Control With Grounding-Based Threshold Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional machine control systems for work machines, such as hydraulic excavators, face issues with inconsistent and inefficient angle maintenance of work tools due to fixed threshold values for initiating control, leading to operator discomfort and reduced efficiency in tasks like soil consolidation.
Innovation Solution
A work machine equipped with posture sensors, a grounding state sensor, and a controller that adjusts operation signals to maintain the angle of the work tool relative to a target surface by dynamically adjusting threshold values based on whether the tool is grounded, ensuring precise control regardless of the distance from the target.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large threshold value is set for the distance between the bucket and the target surface, then the range in which the angle of the bucket would be maintained is increased, but the operator must lower the bucket after posture is set, causing discomfort and reducing working efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the threshold value adjustable rather than fixed. The controller dynamically selects between a first threshold value (when the work tool is grounded on the target surface) and a second threshold value (when not grounded), allowing the system to adapt to different operational states and eliminate the need for manual bucket lowering.
2Ease of operation
If a small threshold value is set for the distance between the bucket and the target surface, then the operator comfort is improved, but deviation from the conditions for maintaining the angle of the bucket is liable to occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the threshold value based on the grounding state of the work tool. When grounded, a first threshold is used for reliable angle maintenance; when not grounded, a second threshold is used for operator comfort. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of threshold value based on operational conditions. By selecting different threshold values (first and second) depending on whether the work tool is grounded, the system optimizes both angle maintenance reliability and operator comfort without fixed compromises.
3Device complexity
If a fixed threshold value is used for initiating angle maintenance control, then the control system is simple, but control may not be started when maintaining of the angle is required or control may be started when maintaining is an obstacle
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically selects threshold values based on the grounding state detection. This adds adaptability while maintaining relative simplicity, as the controller only needs to compare the detected grounding state against predetermined conditions to select appropriate threshold values.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the grounding state sensor to determine which threshold value to apply. This feedback mechanism enables accurate control initiation without complex calculations, maintaining system simplicity while improving adaptability to different work conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
When a bucket 10 is grounded on soil, an operation signal is outputted or corrected such that a relative angle of the bucket 10 with respect to a target surface is maintained if a distance D between the bucket 10 and the target surface 60 is equal to or less than a preset first threshold value D1. When the bucket 10 is not grounded on soil, the operation signal is outputted or corrected such that the relative angle of the bucket 10 with respect to the target surface 60 is maintained if the distance between the bucket 10 and the target surface 60 is equal to or less than a preset second threshold value D2 set smaller than the first threshold value D1. As a result, control to maintain an angle of a work tool can be suitably started.