Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Tractor Co.

John F Szentes

Adam J Gudat

Thomas M Baker

Paul Thomas Corcoran

George G Codina

Robert A Herold

Gregory H Gipp

Charles E Grawey

Daniel E Zimmermann

Alan L Stahl

David C Mack

John Jay Bernardi

David Charles Orr

Ali A Bitar

David Marchand

Eric A Hutchison

John M Sloma

J Scott Burdick

Jon S Burdick

Jay A Tschetter

Larry H Franzen

Marios C Zenios

Wesley E Jacobson

Thomas T Stevenson

Brian D Huggins

Donald E Foley

L Ted Johnson

Michael Furlong

Ward Welton Reeser

Charles Leslie Zuck, Jr

James A Smittkamp

Craig L Sells

William G Schwader

A system for approximating a temperature of a battery includes a sensor configured to provide a temperature measurement of the ambient air, a sensor configured to provide a voltage measurement of the battery, a sensor configured to provide a current measurement of the battery, and signal processing circuitry configured to determine an approximate battery temperature as a function of the measured ambient air temperature, the measured voltage of the battery, and the measured current of the battery.

System and method for determining battery temperature

An apparatus coupled to a work machine for assisting the work machine in removing a first layer of material from a second layer of material is provided. The work machine includes a work implement with a cutting portion. The work implement is elevationally movably connected to the work machine. The cutting portion extends in a direction transverse the longitudinal axis of the work machine. An electromagnetic unit, connected to the work machine, delivers electromagnetic radiation towards the surface, receives a reflection of the delivered electromagnetic radiation, and delivers a responsive first signal. The electromagnetic radiation penetrates the first layer of material and reflects off of the second layer of material. A controller receives the first signal, determines the distance between the electromagnetic unit and the second layer of material and responsively produces a distance signal. An implement controller receives the distance signal and responsively actuates the work implement relative to the frame.

Implement control system for locating a surface interface and removing a

An automatic object responsive control system for a work implement has a ground penetrating device mounted for sensing subsurface objects, an object detecting device for determining the undesirability of the object, and an implement control system for automatically elevationally raising the implement in response to an undesirable object being located elevationally between the implement and the ground penetrating device. The automatic object responsive control system is particularly suited for use on a geographic surface altering machine.

Object responsive implement control system

In one aspect of the present invention, a joystick is disclosed. The joystick includes a control shaft having an operator handle and a base. A cardan joint is provided to pivotally mount the control shaft to the base. An actuating body is rigidly attached to the control shaft. Advantageously, a plurality of electrically non-contacting sensors is provided to sense the relative position of the shaft relative to the base. The sensors include a pair of spaced apart electrodes establishing an electrostatic capacity with each other, and a dielectric body being disposed between the electrode pair. Accordingly, as the control shaft pivots, the actuating body engages the dielectric body which moves the dielectric body relative to the electrode pair thereby modifying the capacitance of the sensor.

Capacitive joystick apparatus

A non-contacting joystick includes a control shaft being universally movable about a Z-axis. A spherical conducting body is attached to an end of the control shaft. A plurality of conducting plates are disposed circumjacent to the spherical body. A charging power supply supplies electrical energy of a first polarity to the spherical body and electrical energy of a second polarity to the plurality of conducting plates. Each conducting plate forms a variable capacitor with the spherical body. The capacitance value of each variable capacitor is a function of the displacement of the spherical body relative to the Z-axis. A circuit produces a plurality of position signals, each position signal being responsive to a capacitance value of a respective variable capacitor. The position signals indicate the relative position of the spherical body.

Non-contacting joystick

An apparatus for determining the position of a movable object is disclosed. A pair of fixed elements having spaced electrically conductive surfaces form a capacitor. A movable element having an electrically nonconductive composition is connected to the movable object. The movable element is disposed between the fixed element pair. In response to the movement of the movable element, the capacitance value of the variable capacitor changes. A circuit detects the change in capacitance and determines the relative position of the movable object.

Apparatus for determining the position and velocity of a moving object

Centering spring devices are useful in hydraulic control valves for returning the valve to the neutral position under both normal and abnormal operating conditions. Since the actuator moving the valve spool must work against the spring centering device, electrically actuated hydraulic valves have been limited to small sizes. The subject hydraulic control valve incorporates a centering spring device that can be controllably disabled so that the valve spool can be freely moved between the neutral and operating positions. In one embodiment, a centering spring is disabled by hydraulically moving the spring retainers toward each other to compress the spring with hydraulic fluid controlled by a solenoid valve. Maintaining the spring in a compressed condition permits the valve spool to be moved with a smaller actuator thereby making it feasible to control the valve position with an electrical actuator.

Hydraulic control valve having a centering spring device

A single-piece multiple electrode conductor for a piezoelectric solid state motor stack with piezoelectric disks arranged with a plurality of electrodes. When the electrodes are connected to and biased by a source of electrical potential, an axial displacement is produced between opposite end surfaces of the stack. The single-piece multiple electrode conductor has a spine member for conducting an electrical potential to the piezoelectric disks. Extending from the spine member are a plurality of rib portions which conduct electrical potential to the piezoelectric disks which form the piezoelectric stack.

Single-piece multiple electrode conductor

Known linear position sensors suffer from inaccuracies owing to severe environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity. Physical damage to sensors exposed to rugged work conditions is a limiting factor in the expected life of sensors used, for example, in the heavy equipment industry. A pair of loop antennas mounted internal to an extensible coaxial cavity respectively transmit and receive electromagnetic signals in the radio frequency range exciting a transverse electromagnetic field in the cavity when the frequency of the signal corresponds to the resonant frequency of the cavity. The resonant frequency of the cavity is primarily dependent upon the longitudinal length of the cavity. Therefore, a voltage controlled oscillator acts under the control of a sawtooth voltage waveform of a function generator to controllably deliver a variable frequency signal to the first loop antenna. An RF detector monitors the second loop antenna for an indication that the resonant frequency has been reached. At resonance a microprocessor samples the output of the VCO and correlates the resonant frequency to the length of the coaxial cavity. The sensor is particularly suited for use in the heavy equipment industry for detecting the extended length of hydraulic cylinders as it is highly insensitive to environmental conditions and protected from the work environment.

Linear position sensor using a coaxial resonant cavity

An apparatus determines the payload carried in a work vehicle by periodically measuring the pressure of a fluid contained within front and rear suspension struts. The struts are connected in supporting relation between a load carrying portion and a ground engaging portion of the vehicle such that a pressure differential between a loaded and unloaded vehicle can be shown to be indicative of the magnitude of the payload. Moreover, the pressures are a function of the geometry of a suspension means which interconnects the load carrying portion and the ground engaging portion.

Payload monitor

An apparatus optically detects the position of a movable element through the use of six discrete tracks. Each of the tracks is formed on a glass substrate and has a preselected pattern of optically transmissive and opaque sections arranged thereon. A light source and optical sensors are associated with each of the tracks such that the light is either blocked or passed to the optical sensors respectively responsive to the opaque and transmissive sections. Five of the tracks correspond to form a five bit absolute gray code pattern indicative of the position of the movable element. The sixth remaining track has alternately opaque and transmissive sections arranged to form an incremental track where the count of the number of opaque and transmissive sections travelling past an initial set point is maintained in memory and corresponds to an incremental position within each of the absolute positions. The microprocessor base controller limits the number of incremental transitions within an absolute position to thirty-two or two to the fifth power. The thirty-two possible positions, when used as the lower five bits of a ten bit binary word, where the upper five bits come from the five absolute tracks, forms a ten bit pseudo-gray code indicative of the position of the movable element and is highly accurate without the necessity of ten absolute tracks and the cumbersome packaging associated therewith.

Absolute and incremental optical encoder

Non-contacting multi-function sensor arrangement

Engine control system

A load-shedding control for diesel-electric motor-generator sets, which allows temporary overloads to be accommodated without engine lugging by reducing the line voltage if an attempt is made to draw more than a presettable maximum normal wattage. The line voltage reduction is accomplished by automatically increasing the impedance of the voltage regulator input circuit when a signal generally proportional to line voltage and load current exceeds a preset reference signal to which it is compared.

Load-shedding control for diesel-electric sets

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

John F Szentes