Excavating implement heading control

Abstract

An excavator comprises a chassis, an implement, and an assembly comprising a boom, a stick, and a coupling. The assembly is configured to define a heading {circumflex over (N)} and to swing with, or relative to, the chassis about a swing axis S. The stick is configured to curl relative to the boom about a curl axis C. The implement is coupled to a stick terminal point G via the coupling and is configured to rotate about a rotary axis R such that a leading edge of the implement defines a heading Î. An excavator control architecture comprises sensors and machine readable instructions to generate signals representative of {circumflex over (N)}, an assembly swing rate ωabout S, and a stick curl rate ωabout C, generate a signal representing a terminal point heading Ĝ based on {circumflex over (N)}, ω, and ω, and rotate the implement about R such that Î approximates Ĝ.