Work Machine Controller for Height Stabilization on Undulating Terrain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work machines, such as motor graders, face challenges in accurately maintaining the height of their work implements when traveling over undulating terrain, as changes in the vehicle body's posture affect the calculated height of the work implement, leading to discrepancies between the intended and actual height.
Innovation Solution
A work machine equipped with vehicle body and work implement sensors, along with a controller that acquires posture data from both the vehicle body and work implement, calculates the work implement's height in the gravity direction and adjusts it to maintain the target height even when the vehicle body posture changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the controller calculates blade height based on relative rotation angle between frame and tandem drive, then the blade height control is simplified, but the height measurement precision deteriorates when vehicle body posture changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the height measurement into two independent components: vehicle body posture (detected by vehicle body sensor) and work implement posture (detected by work implement sensor). This segmentation allows each sensor to measure only its specific component, improving overall measurement precision while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular sensing architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces vehicle body posture data as an intermediary variable that mediates between the tandem drive rotation and the actual blade height. By detecting the vehicle body posture separately and using it to correct the height calculation, the system resolves the measurement error caused by vehicle body inclination without requiring direct measurement of the complex combined motion.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the tandem drive is tilted on undulating ground, then the work machine adapts to terrain variations, but the blade height control accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the vehicle body sensor continuously detects the actual vehicle body posture, and this detected posture data is fed back to the controller to correct the blade height calculation. This feedback loop ensures that the blade height control remains accurate even when the tandem drive is tilted on undulating ground, as the system continuously compensates for posture variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical assumption that the vehicle body remains level with a sensor-based detection system. Instead of relying on mechanical levelness, the vehicle body sensor electronically detects and communicates the actual posture, allowing the control system to adapt to terrain variations while maintaining measurement precision through computational correction.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller acquires vehicle body posture data. The controller acquires work implement posture data. The controller calculates a height of a work implement in a gravity direction from a reference point of a vehicle body based on the vehicle body posture data and the work implement posture data. The controller controls an actuator so that the height of the work implement in the gravity direction is maintained even when a posture of the vehicle body changes.