The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 20, 2003
Filed:
Feb. 26, 2001
Ned E. Dammeyer, New Bremen, OH (US);
Crown Equipment Corporation, New Bremen, OH (US);
Abstract
A steering tiller and a steered wheel(s) of a steer-by-wire steering system of a materials handling vehicle are synchronized with one another and a virtual coupling force is exerted on the steering tiller to maintain synchronization. A motor or brake is associated with the steering tiller and the positions of the tiller and the steered wheel(s) are monitored and used to control the motor or brake to apply the virtual coupling force to the tiller. Thus, an operator of the vehicle receives feedback corresponding approximately to that experienced in a mechanically coupled steering system so that synchronism is maintained between the tiller and the steered wheel(s). In this way, if the operator attempts to oversteer or outrun the steered wheel(s) by rapid rotation of the tiller, a force proportional to the operator's action is applied to oppose that action. Synchronization can be set up with the tiller set to a desired position selected by the operator, for example to selected a desired tiller spinner straight ahead position.