Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Sarl

Adam Martin Nackers

Corey Lee Gorman

Kevin Anthony Davis

Rustin Glenn Metzger

Christopher Michael Ruemelin

John James Krone

Steven D Ott

Brian Dean Kuras

Benjamin J Hodel

Michael David Beyer

Justin Lee Steinlage

Steven Spencer

Joshua Aaron Fossum

Jonathan William Anders

Mo Wei

Brian Eugene Lister

Michael John Barngrover

Adam Vaccari

Shane C McBride

Christopher P Braet

Jeremiah C Johnson

Mahmoud M Tobaa

Christopher Rhoades

Santosh Ancha

Chris Rustu Cesur

Mike Barngrover

Roberto Martinez

Russell Aaron Schloss

Steven D Spencer

Matthew Mason

Cole Hunt

Chris R Cesur

A hydraulic system may include an electric motor and a power source electrically coupled to the electric motor. During operation of the hydraulic system in an energy recovery mode, a net negative torque may be applied to the electric motor causing the electric motor to convert a mechanical power output to an electrical input and provide the electrical input to the power source. The hydraulic system may include a controller configured to determine a time that the hydraulic system operates in the energy recovery mode and cause, during the time that the hydraulic system operates in the energy recovery mode, application of an energy recovery prevention torque to the hydraulic system. The energy recovery prevention torque may prevent the electric motor from converting the mechanical power output to the electrical input and providing the electrical input to the power source.

Energy recovery prevention for a hydraulic system

A control system for a machine includes a machine body, a linkage assembly, a bucket coupled to the machine body via the linkage assembly, a user interface remote from the machine body, and a controller in communication with the user interface. The controller is configured to receive one or more signals defining a dump region. The dump region includes a front-most end point and a rear-most end point. The controller is also configured to receive one or more signals defining a dump order or dump specification and initiate an autonomous digging and dumping procedure.

Systems and methods for controlling a digging and dumping machine

A control system for a machine includes a machine body, a linkage assembly, an implement coupled to the machine body via the linkage assembly, one or more perception systems on the machine, and a controller in communication with the one or more perception systems. The controller is configured to receive one or more signals defining a dig region, define one or more dump regions based at least on the dig region and information from the one or more perception systems, and identify a position of a haul truck relative to the defined one or more dump regions.

Systems and methods for controlling a digging machine and positioning a transport vehicle

A mechanical swing brake variable control system for an earth-moving machine including an upper revolving car body with swing components mounted on the upper revolving car body, a lower traveling car body with traction components mounted on the lower traveling car body, and a mechanical service brake interconnected with the upper and lower car bodies, controls relative rotation between the upper and lower car bodies. A pressure control device controls a variable pressure applied to the mechanical service brake to vary an amount of swing drive holding torque. An electronic controller monitors and processes signals received from sensors associated with the swing components and machine operator commands, and variably controls the amount of holding torque exerted on the upper revolving car body using the mechanical service brake as a function of one or more of machine roll angle, operational configuration of the swing components, inertial mass of the swing components, and machine operator commands.

Swing motion variable control system

A system and method for determining a health status of a hydraulic system is disclosed. The system may comprise a controller configured to receive a request to determine a health status and in response to the request, automatically conduct a health test and determine the health status. The health test may include: move a member or the upper frame; receive information indicative of measurements associated with movement; determine one or more parameters; compare each parameter to a check range or value; and if the pump status, the main control valve leakage status, the in-line relief valve leakage status, the cylinder drift status or the cylinder seal leak status associated with the component is currently failing, predicted to fail or out of specification, identify the component as a service-needed on a display or log and activate an alarm.

Hydraulic health system

A hydraulic system may include a first actuator to control a first linkage member, a second actuator to control a second linkage member, a first primary hydraulic circuit and a first secondary hydraulic circuit that include the first actuator, a second primary hydraulic circuit and a second secondary hydraulic circuit that include the second actuator, a first pump to cause fluid to flow through the first primary hydraulic circuit and the second secondary hydraulic circuit, a second pump to cause fluid to flow through the second primary hydraulic circuit and the first secondary hydraulic circuit, and a controller. The controller may be configured to determine that an operator assistance mode is enabled, and cause closing of a first valve that controls fluid flow through the first secondary hydraulic circuit and a second valve that controls fluid flow through the second secondary hydraulic circuit.

Control of a hydraulic system

A swing motion control system for an earth-moving machine may include a closed loop hydraulic circuit including a hydrostatic swing pump fluidly coupled to at least one hydraulic swing motor configured to control a swing mechanism of the earth-moving machine, a pressure control device configured to control the pressure of fluid supplied to the hydrostatic swing pump for control of the pressure output by the pump, and a controller. The controller may be configured to monitor and process signals received from sensors and operator input, wherein the signals received from the sensors are indicative of machine position and pose, and inertia mass of swing components and a payload being moved by the swing mechanism of the machine, and control at least one of an offset amount for desired pump displacement by the hydrostatic swing pump or an offset amount for pump output pressure from the hydrostatic swing pump based on at least one of an amount of slope on which the machine is operating or the inertia mass of the swing components and payload.

Hystat swing motion actuation, monitoring, and control system

A hydraulic system controller is disclosed. The hydraulic system controller may determine a maximum active circuit pressure of a set of active hydraulic circuits of the hydraulic system, wherein the hydraulic system includes a hydraulic pump to cause fluid to flow throughout the set of active hydraulic circuits; determine a circuit pressure of a hydraulic circuit of the hydraulic system; determine, based on a hydraulic flow command for the hydraulic circuit and the circuit pressure, a desired circuit delta-pressure for the hydraulic circuit; determine, based on the desired circuit delta-pressure and a pressure difference between the maximum active circuit pressure and the circuit pressure, a circuit valve setting for a circuit valve of the hydraulic circuit; and cause a control device to set a position of the circuit valve according to the circuit valve setting.

Electrical control of a hydraulic system

A hydraulic circuit is disclosed. The hydraulic circuit may include a hydrostatic pump to provide, at a flow rate, a fluid to a hydraulic motor, wherein the hydrostatic pump has a displacement, and wherein the hydraulic motor drives a swinging element; a swing circuit pressure sensor to sense a circuit pressure of the hydraulic circuit; a pilot pressure actuator to control, based on a supply pressure, the displacement of the hydrostatic pump; a pilot pressure override valve to control the supply pressure; and a controller configured to adjust, based on sensed signals and with the pilot pressure override valve, the supply pressure, wherein the sensed signals include: a circuit pressure signal based on the circuit pressure sensed by the swing circuit pressure sensor; and a sensed swing speed signal based on a swing speed of the swinging element sensed by one or more machine sensors.

Hydraulic circuit for a swing system in a machine

A method of determining the real time state of a machine includes receiving acceleration and angular rate of motion measurements from IMU's mounted on components of a machine. Fusing signals received from the IMU's with separate Kalman filter modules by combining an acceleration measurement and an angular rate of motion measurement from each IMU to estimate an output joint angle for the component on which the IMU is mounted. Estimated and measured values of the output joint angle for each component are combined, a kinematic equation is solved to determine a real time value for at least one of position, velocity, and acceleration of the component at successive timesteps, and the determined real time values are applied to control movement of each component.

System and method for determining machine state using sensor fusion

A hydraulic control system is disclosed for an excavation machine including a tool linkage system. The hydraulic control system may have a first actuator configured to move a first link of the tool linkage system in response to input from an operator of the excavation machine, and a pressure sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a pressure of the first actuator. The hydraulic control system may also have a second actuator configured to move a second link of the tool linkage system in response to input from the operator. In addition, the hydraulic control system may have a controller in communication with the pressure sensor, the first actuator, and the second actuator. The controller may be configured to automatically affect operation of the first actuator based on the pressure signal at times when movement of the second actuator is being requested by the operator and movement of the first actuator is being requested by the operator at a level less than a threshold.

Boom assist management feature

A hydraulic system is disclosed for use with a machine. The hydraulic system may have a pump configured to pressurize fluid, a first actuator configured to receive pressurized fluid from the pump, and an accumulator configured to receive fluid from the first actuator. The hydraulic system may also have a second actuator configured to receive pressurized fluid from the pump and the accumulator, and a pilot circuit configured to receive pressurized fluid from the pump and the accumulator. The hydraulic system may further have at least one valve movable to provide priority of fluid flow from the accumulator to the pilot circuit over the second actuator when a pressure of the accumulator is less than a low-pressure threshold.

Hydraulic regenerative and recovery parasitic mitigation system

A power system for a machine is provided. The power system includes an operator interface for entering an operator command relating to one or more functions of the machine. The power system includes a hydraulic pump and an engine configured to provide power to the hydraulic device. A controller is in communication with the operator interface, the hydraulic device and the engine. The controller is configured to consider operator skill level information relating to a skill level of the operator of the machine and to determine at least one desired power system operating parameter based on the operator command and the operator skill level information and to adjust at least one of the hydraulic pump and the engine based on the desired power system operating parameter.

System and method for managing machine power system

Method of controlling multiple variable displacement hydraulic pumps determined relative to operator commands. If non-second-pump-dominated command, a respective adjusted displacement request is determined based upon the lesser of the operator requested torque limited displacement and an adjusted torque limited displacement that calculated based upon and the torque limited displacement of the respective pump and a scaling factor calculated based upon the first relief valve set pressure and respective pump pressure. If second-pump-dominated command, the set pressure of a relief valve associated with one of the pumps is instead utilized in calculating the scaling factor in the above strategy.

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East Peoria, IL, United States of America

Adam Martin Nackers