Caterpillar Inc.

Deere + Company

Kenneth Edward Poppe

Scott Svend Hendron

James Arthur Nagorcka

Joel L Peterson

Daniel Dean Radke

Lyal Douglas Allen

Mark R Hawkins

Lawrence William Bergquist

John P Mitchell

An articulated dozer with a four point independent suspension system between a chassis and two support frames is described. The chassis includes a front chassis portion and a rear chassis portion connected by an articulation joint. The vehicle is compactly arrange so that the chassis and the two support frames fit between the track systems supporting and propelling the vehicle. Additionally, the engine is arranged near the articulation joint and lower than the top of the track systems for improved view and visibility. The cab is arranged over the track systems at the front of the vehicle for an optimal view of the blade.

Articulated crawler tractor

A steering control system for an autonomous machine has a manual steering control valve for directing fluid from a pump to either a head end chamber or a rod end chamber of a hydraulic steering actuator. In one embodiment, an electrically actuated steering valve device is disposed in series flow relationship between the pump and the manual steering control valve and is operative to direct fluid from the pump to the head end and rod end chambers. In another embodiment, a electrically actuated device mechanically actuates the manual steering control valve for steering the machine.

Steering control system for an autonomous machine

Regeneration valves are useful in directing fluid expelled from a contracting chamber of a hydraulic actuator to its expanding chamber to increase the actuation speed of the actuator. The present remotely controlled regeneration circuit improves the controllability of the regeneration valve by positioning the regeneration valve between the pump and the control valve so that the fluid expelled from the contracting chamber and combined with the pump flow to the expanding chamber passes through and is controlled by the control valve. The regeneration valve is moved to its regeneration position by pressurized fluid from a solenoid valve which can be selectively energized by the operator manually closing a switch mounted to a control lever.

Regeneration circuit for a hydraulic system

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Dubuque, IA, United States of America

Kenneth Edward Poppe