Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Sarl

Christopher Michael Ruemelin

Adam Martin Nackers

Rustin Glenn Metzger

Corey Lee Gorman

Joshua Aaron Fossum

Steven Spencer

Santosh Ancha

Steven D Spencer

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 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 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.

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Morton, IL, United States of America

Christopher Michael Ruemelin