Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Global Mining LLC

Caterpillar Global Mining America LLC

Brett J Janson

Matthew James Beschorner

William Norbert O'Neill

Chad Timothy Brickner

Hans P Dietz

Rustu Cesur

Michael Angel Cobo

Eric Hughes

Bryan A Johnson

Christopher Alan Williamson

Steven V Christensen

Wayne J Wulfert

Sean Johnson

Michael P Chiaramonte

Naoto Funabiki

Christopher Kent Hoadley

Brandon Z Barnes

Justin Ayers

Tomohiro Oyama

Rob E Stone

Dhanabalan Raman

Robert Stone

An angular position sensor is disclosed. The angular position sensor has a cylindrical magnet holder that has a base portion attached to a top surface of a shaft and a magnet holding portion extending from the base portion. A magnetic coding is arranged on the outer surface of the magnet holding portion that establishes a magnetic field. A sensor base encircles the base portion of the magnet holder and supports magnetic field sensors that are fixed on an arc-segment. The arc-segments partially overlap so that output signals of the magnetic field sensors are indicative of the angular portion of the sensor base relative to the shaft.

Hollow center angular position sensor

A control system for a machine is disclosed. The control system may have a bypass passage situated to allow fluid to bypass an actuator, and a warmup valve disposed within the bypass passage that is movable between flow-passing and-blocking positions. A controller is configured to move the warmup valve to the flow-passing position, fix a displacement position of the pump, compare the pressure of the fluid of the actuator with a threshold, and move the warmup valve to the flow-blocking position and reduce a pump outlet pressure when the pressure of the fluid is greater than the threshold. The controller may be configured to move the warmup valve to the flow-passing position, fix a displacement position of the pump, and adjust an input speed of the pump in response to the signal.

Machine control system having hydraulic warmup procedure

A method of calibrating an electrohydraulic valve is disclosed. The method includes actuating an on-off valve to an open position. A speed of a fixed displacement pump is regulated to establish a desired flow rate at an outlet of the pump. The pump is in fluid communication within a closed loop circuit with the on-off valve and the electrohydraulic valve. A target pressure in the closed loop circuit is determined as a function of the desired flow rate. The method further includes increasing a current to the electrohydraulic valve and monitoring the target pressure in the closed loop circuit. A start of a fluid flow through the electrohydraulic valve is determined based on a drop in the target pressure within the closed loop circuit.

System and method for calibrating electrohydraulic valve

A hydraulic circuit for controlling a component of a hydraulic machine includes an actuator having a head end chamber and a rod end chamber, the actuator having an extended position for moving the component in a first direction and a retracted position for moving the component in a second direction. The hydraulic circuit includes a regeneration valve having an open position for fluidly connecting the head end chamber to the rod end chamber, a first control valve having a first open position, a second open position for fluidly connecting the regeneration valve to the return tank and substantially fluidly disconnecting the rod end chamber from the fluid source, and a closed position, and a second control valve having a first open position, a second open position, and a closed position for substantially fluidly disconnecting the rod end chamber from the fluid source.

Hydraulic control circuit with regeneration valve

A void protection system for a mining shovel having an operator input device includes an independent metering valve assembly including one or more fluid source-cylinder valves for fluidly connecting the fluid source to the hydraulic cylinder. The system also includes a sensor assembly for monitoring the fluid pressure within the rod end and the head end of the hydraulic cylinder, and a control module. The control module is configured to monitor movement of the operator input device, monitor pressure within the hydraulic cylinder, increase the opening of the corresponding fluid source-cylinder valve and increase fluid flow from the fluid source to fill corresponding end of the hydraulic cylinder until pressure in the corresponding end of the hydraulic cylinder is above a first threshold pressure.

Void protection system

A hydraulic control system for a machine having a work implement is disclosed. The hydraulic control system has a fluid actuator configured to move the work implement. The control system also has an operator interface device configured to generate at least one signal in response to a movement of the operator interface device. The control system further has a valve assembly for controllably providing hydraulic fluid flow to the fluid actuator to affect movement of the fluid actuator. The hydraulic control system has a controller configured to communicate with the valve assembly and the operator interface device. The controller is also configured to receive a signal, determine a velocity input associated with the movement of the operator interface device based on the received signal, and determine a desired fluid actuator velocity based on the determined velocity input. The controller is further configured to generate a command signal corresponding to the desired fluid actuator velocity and to direct the command signal to the valve assembly.

Implement control system based on input position and velocity

A control system for use in connection with control systems on construction equipment includes an electronic control module that records pressure sensor signals of a hydraulic pressure sensor and responsively determines whether the pressure sensor has failed.

Control system for use on construction equipment

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling a fluid system. The fluid system includes a hydraulic circuit having a pump driven by an engine. The pump delivers fluid to an actuator through a valve assembly. The method includes the steps of receiving an operator input, determining a condition of the hydraulic circuit, determining a valve command in response to the circuit condition and the operator input, and delivering the valve command to the valve assembly.

Method and apparatus for controlling the deadband of a fluid system

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Hanna City, IL, United States of America

Brett J Janson