Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies LLC

Eastman-kodak Company

Trimble Navigation Limited

Bruce Wayne Enix

Gary Lynn Cain

Chad Curtis Apple

Jeffrey Lynn Finley

A control system for controlling the movement of a machine element of a construction machine may include a camera support, a plurality of video cameras, a processor responsive to the cameras, and a control for providing control signals. The camera support is adapted for attachment to a movable construction machine. The plurality of video cameras are mounted in a row on the camera support, with the cameras being directed downward to define overlapping fields of view beneath the row. The processor determines the relative position of a point of interest on a surface in the overlapping fields of view of at least two adjacent cameras. The control provides control signals for controlling the movement of the construction machine in dependence upon the relative position of the point of interest.

System for machine control

A method of determining the heading of an excavator at a worksite uses a magnetic field sensor, mounted on the excavator, inclinometers that provide an indication of the pitch and roll of the excavator, a gyroscopic sensor that senses the rotational rate of the excavator about the Z axis of the magnetic field sensor, and a processor circuit, having an associated memory. A calibration table of data is created and stored using the gyroscopic sensor as the excavator is rotated at a uniform velocity. The sensed indications of the magnetic field from the coordinate reference frame of the sensor are transformed to the local level plane coordinate reference frame using the outputs from the inclinometers.

Method of operating a magnetic compass on a machine

A machine control and guidance system for an earthmoving machine, includes one or more sensors and a portable digital media device mounted on the earthmoving machine. The portable digital media device may comprise an iPhone, an iTouch, or other similar device. Each of the sensors senses the position or orientation of a portion of the earthmoving machine and provides a wireless output signal indicating the position or orientation. The portable digital media device is in wireless communication with each of the sensors. The device has an associated display and a memory in which is stored an application program which permits the device to determine the position of one or more portions of the earthmoving machine and to display the position of one or more portions of the earthmoving machine on the display.

Machine control and guidance system incorporating a portable digital media device

An apparatus and method for controlling a hydraulically movable tool carried by a machine in order to maintain a selected horizontal orientation and a selected elevation relative to an external light reference. The apparatus is a control device, having a light detector, placed at a known location along a longitudinal axis of the tool and a single-axis gravity-based sensor. The gravity-based sensor is also provided within the housing of the control device to measure the horizontal orientation (side-to-side slope or pitch) of the longitudinal axis of the tool relative to true horizontal at the known location. Finally, with internal valve drivers, the control device individually controls the lift mechanism(s) of the hydraulically movable tool to maintain both a selected elevation and a selected horizontal orientation with only the signals provided by the light detector and the gravity-based sensor.

Light detector for multi-axis position control

A print media cartridge for use in combination with a portable printer having a housing with a print media ingress in its lower rear wall and a print media egress in its top wall. The cartridge includes a housing having an elongated wall portion of generally U-shape cross section and two end wall portions closing the ends of the elongated portion, a roll of print media supported within the elongated wall portion with roll ends facing respective end wall portions; and a cartridge door of size and shape corresponding to the open side of the elongated U-shaped wall portion. The door is hingedly coupled to one lip of the elongated U-shaped portion and there are means for latching the door to the other lip of the elongated, U-shaped wall portion.

Cartridge and printer system for using roll print media

An envelope holder is described for feeding envelopes through a printer. It comprises a pocket formed from an upper and lower sheet joined together, a window portion of which is removed to allow printing of an envelope held in the pocket. The holder is improved in that the upper sheet has longitudinal edges that extend only a fraction of the length of the lower sheet portion that forms the pocket. That fraction is between about 30% and about 85% of the lower sheet length.

Growing community of inventors

Huber Heights, OH, United States of America

Bruce Wayne Enix