Work Machine Controller Actuator Stroke Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of work machines, such as motor graders, face difficulty in easily changing the orientation of work implements due to the need to operate multiple levers simultaneously to achieve precise movements, leading to complex and cumbersome operations.
Innovation Solution
A work machine system comprising a vehicle body, a work implement, actuators, an operating device, sensors, and a controller that detects the current orientation, determines target orientations, and controls the actuators to achieve desired orientations through coordinated stroke motions, allowing for simpler operation by determining and adjusting the target stroke lengths of the actuators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple operating levers are operated simultaneously to change the orientation of the work implement, then the target orientation can be achieved, but the operation becomes complex and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple operating levers into a single operating lever. The single lever is divided into multiple operation regions, each corresponding to different actuators. When the operator operates the lever in a specific region, the system automatically determines which actuators to activate and calculates their stroke lengths, thereby merging multiple operations into one simplified action while maintaining precise orientation control.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary between the operator's simple lever operation and the complex multi-actuator coordination. The control unit receives the operating signal, determines the target orientation, calculates the required stroke lengths for multiple actuators, and coordinates their operation automatically. This intermediary processing eliminates the need for the operator to manually coordinate multiple levers while achieving precise orientation control.
2Ease of operation
If a single operating lever is used to control multiple actuators, then the operation becomes simpler, but the control precision and coordination of multiple actuators become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The single operating lever is segmented into multiple operation regions along its stroke direction. Each region corresponds to a specific actuator or combination of actuators. This segmentation allows the control system to determine which actuators to activate based on the lever's position within specific regions, maintaining simple operation while enabling precise control of multiple actuators through region-based activation thresholds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors to detect the actual orientation of the work implement and provides feedback to the control unit. The control unit compares the detected orientation with the target orientation and adjusts the actuator stroke lengths accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that even with simplified single-lever operation, the system can achieve and maintain precise orientation accuracy by continuously monitoring and adjusting actuator positions.
Data Source
AI summary
A work machine includes a vehicle body, a work implement movably connected to the vehicle body, a plurality of actuators that are connected to the work implement and change an orientation of the work implement with respect to the vehicle body, an operating device that is operable to change the orientation of the work implement, a sensor that detects the orientation of the work implement, and a controller. The controller acquires a current orientation of the work implement, determines a target orientation of the work implement corresponding to an operation of the operating device, determines respective target stroke lengths of the plurality of actuators so that the work implement assumes the target orientation from the current orientation with a combination of stroke motions of the plurality of actuators, and controls the plurality of actuators based on the target stroke lengths.