Caterpillar Inc.

Sudarshan Maiyur

Paul Anthony Dvorak

Michael William Ries

Christopher Mark Elliott

Corwin Eugene Storer

Bradley John Will

Gang Victor Wen

Jeremy A Kushner

Moses Imo Akpan

Jeffrey M Pillis

Lucas Micah Newlon

An automatic torque control system and methods for automatically controlling a torque of a vehicle are disclosed. The method includes detecting when the vehicle engages a load. The method further includes automatically decreasing the torque when the vehicle engages the load and prior to one or more wheels of the vehicle slipping.

Automatic torque control system

An automatic vehicle speed control system for use in a vehicle having an implement is disclosed. The automatic vehicle speed control system includes: a controller configured to: set a speed of the vehicle to a creep setting; monitor one or more operating conditions of the implement; and automatically adjust the speed of the vehicle based on the one or more operating conditions of the implement.

Automatic vehicle speed control system

A system and method configured to select a control configuration for a hydraulic fluid system. The system includes a controller having at least one sensor and a processor. The controller is configured to sense a feed pressure and a return pressure of a fluid within the hydraulic fluid system and a speed of a driven set of wheels and a speed of an idle set of wheels. The driven set of wheels are drivingly coupled to an engine, and the idle set of wheels are drivingly coupled to the hydraulic fluid system. The controller is further configured to select a control configuration for the hydraulic fluid system based on a ratio between the feed pressure and the return pressure, and further based on a ratio between the speed of the driven set of wheels and the speed of the idle set of wheels.

Pressure and speed control for a vehicle

A hybrid hydrostatic-direct drive transmission configured to transmit power from a power source to a power output of a machine operating at low, intermediate, and high speed ranges is described. The hybrid hydrostatic-direct drive transmission may comprise a hydrostatic transmission portion including a first hydrostatic driveline having a first hydrostatic motor, and a second hydrostatic driveline having a second hydrostatic motor. The hybrid hydrostatic-direct drive transmission may further comprise a direct drive transmission. The hydrostatic transmission portion may operate alone to transmit power from the power source to the power output at the low speed range, and the direct drive transmission portion may operate alone to transmit power from the power source to the power output at the high speed range.

Hybrid hydrostatic-direct drive transmission

A main valve and method assembling for use on a machine is disclosed. The main valve may comprise a body, a free wheeling valve, a bypass valve, a flow divider valve, a free wheeling pilot valve, and a flow divider bypass pilot control valve. Each valve may be disposed inside the body. The body may define a plurality of ports and channels between the valves. The free wheeling valve may be operable between a free wheeling mode and a drive assist mode. The bypass valve may have a flow dividing mode that permits fluid communication between the free wheeling valve and the flow divider valve, and a bypass mode that permits fluid communication between the free wheeling valve and first and second bypass channels.

Flow divider free wheeling valve

A hydraulic power control system includes an engine driving a variable displacement pump. The variable displacement pump is fluidly connected to a first passageway and a second passageway, and has a selectively variable displacement that is adjustable in response to a pump displacement command signal. A hydraulic motor fluidly connected to the first and second passageways operates by a flow of hydraulic fluid originating from the pump. A controller receives an engine speed signal and adjusts pump displacement based on the engine speed signal to reduce the rotation speed of the pump when an overrun condition is present.

Over-speed control system and method

A brake system and method includes a test mode for determining a capacity of the brake system provided on a machine having a hydrostatic drive. A hydrostatic drive target differential pressure range is determined to simulate a test torque. A machine ground speed limit, hydrostatic drive actual differential pressure, and actual ground speed of the machine are determined. An output pressure of the hydrostatic pump is modulated to drive the hydrostatic drive actual differential pressure toward the hydrostatic drive target differential pressure range. A first test fault condition is determined when the actual ground speed exceeds the machine ground speed limit. A second test fault condition is determined when the hydrostatic drive actual differential pressure is outside the hydrostatic drive target differential pressure range.

Growing community of inventors

Cary, NC, United States of America

Sudarshan Maiyur