Wheel Loader Bucket Inclined Plate Automatic Excavation Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wheel loaders face inefficiencies in automatic excavation control due to delayed start of auto lift or tilt controls when high thresholds are set to distinguish between excavation and grading work, leading to suboptimal timing and reduced operating efficiency.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a bucket with an inclined bottom plate that increases the horizontal reaction force, allowing earlier activation of auto lift or tilt controls by setting thresholds based on the inclination angle, thereby improving timing and efficiency during automatic excavation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a high threshold is set for bottom pressure to distinguish excavation work from grading work, then the automatic excavation control can be activated selectively, but the control start timing is delayed resulting in reduced operating efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvework type discrimination accuracyVSAvoidcontrol start delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The inclined portion on the bucket bottom plate performs preliminary action by increasing the horizontal reaction force during bucket thrusting. This causes the bottom pressure to rise more quickly and reach the high threshold value sooner, enabling the automatic excavation control to start at the optimal timing without compromising work type discrimination accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If a high threshold is set for bottom pressure, then grading work can be excluded from automatic control, but the bucket must thrust further before control activation reducing efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvework mode differentiationVSAvoidexcavation efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The inclined portion creates preliminary action by amplifying the horizontal reaction force component during bucket thrusting. This allows the system to maintain a high pressure threshold for work mode differentiation while still reaching that threshold quickly during excavation, thus preserving both adaptability and productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the bottom pressure threshold is increased to prevent false activation during grading, then the control system becomes more reliable but the response time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefalse activation preventionVSAvoidcontrol response speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The inclined portion on the bucket bottom plate performs preliminary action by increasing the horizontal reaction force during thrusting. This causes bottom pressure to rise more rapidly, allowing the system to use higher threshold values for reliable false activation prevention while maintaining fast control response speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3333325B1Wheel loader with automatic control of operations

Publication Date: 2020.10.07 KOMATSU LTD

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AI summary

A working vehicle (1) includes: a vehicle body (2); and a boom (31); a bucket (32); a boom driving unit including a boom cylinder (36); a bucket driving unit configured to swing the bucket (32); a boom-bottom pressure sensor (460) configured to detect a boom-bottom pressure of the boom cylinder (36); and a working equipment controller (10) configured to control at least one of a lift motion of the boom (31) and a tilt motion of the bucket (32). The bucket (32) includes an inclined portion (44). The working equipment controller (10) controls the lift motion or the tilt motion by comparing a threshold set in accordance with an inclination angle of the inclined portion (44) with the boom-bottom pressure.