Jog Shuttle Backup for Construction Machinery Engine Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction machinery engine control apparatuses fail to appropriately adjust engine revolutions when the engine control dial is malfunctioning or incorrectly operated, leading to increased downtime, especially in remote locations where maintenance access is delayed.
Innovation Solution
An engine control apparatus that incorporates a jog shuttle with a jog switch, allowing users to manually control engine revolutions by generating selection signals for various operation modes, and an instrument panel that displays and adjusts engine RPM values, enabling the equipment controller to receive and process signals from both the engine control dial and jog shuttle, even if the dial is faulty.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an engine control dial is used to control engine revolutions, then the engine can be controlled under normal conditions, but the system becomes unreliable when the dial malfunctions or is erroneously operated
Solution Approach 1:
The jog shuttle is designed to serve dual purposes: it functions as a standard navigation control for selecting menu items during normal operation, and simultaneously serves as an engine revolution control input when the engine control dial malfunctions. The equipment controller detects dial malfunction and automatically switches to accept revolution control signals from the jog shuttle, allowing one component to fulfill multiple functional roles and improve system reliability without adding separate dedicated emergency controls.
2Productivity
If the engine control dial malfunctions, then the construction machinery must stop operation for maintenance, but this causes increased downtime especially in remote locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of engine control dial malfunction through the equipment controller, which monitors the dial's operational status. When malfunction is detected, the system proactively switches to the jog shuttle for engine revolution control before complete failure occurs. This preliminary detection and automatic switching mechanism prevents total operational shutdown, allowing continuous productivity maintenance without requiring immediate maintenance intervention even in remote locations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a jog shuttle is added as an alternative control method, then the system gains backup control capability, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The jog shuttle leverages an existing component in the instrument panel that was originally designed for navigation and menu selection. By programming the equipment controller to interpret jog shuttle signals as engine revolution control inputs when dial malfunction is detected, the system repurposes an existing component for dual functions. This approach increases adaptability by providing backup control capability while minimizing additional device complexity, as no completely new hardware is introduced but rather existing hardware is multi-functionalized.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an engine control apparatus for construction machinery, including: an engine control dial manually operated by a user and configured to generate a control signal for increasing and decreasing revolutions per minute (rpm) of an engine by a predetermined unit; a jog shuttle including a jog switch, which is manually rotated and pressed by the user, and configured to generate a selection signal for selecting or changing functions corresponding to various operation modes; an instrument panel configured to display operation information of various elements which the user requires while driving the construction machinery; an engine controller configured to control the engine to respond to the control signal generated by the engine control dial; and an equipment controller configured to receive either the control signal generated by the engine control dial or the control signal corresponding to the rotation and the press of the jog switch, and provide the engine controller with a value of an rpm of the engine corresponding to the received control signal among values of the rpms of the engine corresponding to the respective control signals.