Analog-programmed control system for excavators having jibs

Claim 2

An analog control system for automatically controlling the operation of an excavator having a jib and a wheel mounted on the jib and including a normal distance from the axis of said wheel to the pivot axis of said excavator, a normal distance from the axis of said wheel to the plane of travel of said excavator, a jib control for controlling the displacement of said jib and the lift of said jib and including a displacement drive for said jib and a lift drive for said jib, an angular displacement of the projection of the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said pivot axis to said plane of travel and the pivot motion of said excavator, an angular displacement of said plane of travel from the horizontal plane in the direction of said first mentioned angular displacement, and a pivot motion drive, said analog control system determining the position of the axis of said wheel in a system of coordinates derived from the motion of said excavator, said analog control system comprising a first sensor for sensing a coordinate x representing the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said pivot axis; a second sensor for sensing a coordinate z representing the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said plane of travel; a third sensor for sensing the angle representing the angular displacement of the projection of the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said pivot axis to said plane of travel and the pivot motion of said excavator; a fourth sensor for sensing the angle delta representing the angular displacement of said plane of travel from the horizontal plane in the direction of the angular displacement Epsilon ; and control means comprising servomultiplier means, a plurality of compensating amplifiers, a plurality of adders and a plurality of gates connected between said amplifiers and adders for controlling the operation thereof, said control means electrically connected between each of said first, second, third and fourth sensors and each of said displacement drive, said lift drive and said pivot motion drive, each of said displacement, lift and pivot means drives being mechanically coupled to a corresponding one of said sensors.

Claim 3

An analog control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means further comprises a plurality of potentiometers connected to and controlled in operation by said gates.

Claim 4

An analog control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said compensating amplifiers comprise a first compensating amplifier connected to said displacement drive via one of said gates, a second compensating amplifier connected to said lift drive via another of said gates, and a third compensating amplifier directly connected to said pivot motion drive.

Claim 5

An analog control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said servomultiplier has a plurality of inputs connected to corresponding ones of the outputs of said third sensor, to the output of the first sensor and to the output of said fourth sensor, said servomultiplier providing the expressions xcos epsilon , x2 sin epsilon and x2 tan delta when said first sensor senses coordinates x2.

Claim 6

An analog control system for automatically controlling the operation of an excavator having a jib and a wheel mounted on the jib and including a normal distance from the axis of said wheel to the pivot axis of said excavator, a normal distance from the axis of said wheel to the plane of travel of said excavator, a jib control for controlling the displacement of said jib and the lift of said jib and including a displacement drive for said jib, a lift drive for said jib, an angular displacement of the projection of the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said pivot axis to said plane of travel and the pivot motion of said excavator, an angular displacement of said plane of travel from the horizontal plane in the direction of said first mentioned angular displacement, and a pivot motion drive, said analog control system determining the position of the axis of said wheel in a system of coordinates derived from the motion of said excavator, said analog control system comprising a first sensor having an output for sensing a coordinate x representing the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to pivot axis; a servomultiplier having a plurality of outputs and inputs including an input connected to the output of said first sensor; a first adder; a first compensating amplifier having outputs and an input connected to the output of said first sensor via said first adder; a second sensor having an output for sensing a coordinate z representing the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said plane of travel; a third adder; a second compensating amplifier having an output and an input connected to the output of said second sensor via said third adder; a second gate connected between the output of said first compensating amplifier and said displacement drive; mechanical coupling means coupling said displacement drive to said first sensor; a fourth gate connected between the output of said second coMpensating amplifier and said lift drive; mechanical coupling means coupling said lift drive to said second sensor; a third sensor having outputs for sensing an angle epsilon representing the angular displacement of the projection of the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said pivot axis to said plane of travel and the pivot motion of said excavator; a fourth sensor having an output for sensing an angle delta representing the angular displacement of said plane of travel from the horizontal plane in the direction of the angular displacement epsilon , an output of said third sensor being connected to said fourth sensor, a second output of said third sensor being connected to a corresponding input of said servomultiplier, a third output of said third sensor being connected to a corresponding input of said servomultiplier and the output of said fourth sensor being connected to a corresponding input of said servomultiplier; an eighth adder; a sixth potentiometer connected between an output of said servomultiplier and said eighth adder; a sixth adder directly connected to said output of said servomultiplier; a seventh potentiometer connected between another output of said servomultiplier and said eight adder; a seventh adder directly connected to said third adder; an eighth gate connected between said eighth adder and said seventh adder; a ninth gate connected between another output of said servomultiplier and said seventh adder; a fourth adder directly connected to said third adder; a second potentiometer; a third gate connected in series with said second potentiometer between said second compensating amplifier and said fourth adder; a fifth potentiometer; a tenth gate connected between said fourth adder and said fifth potentiometer; a second adder directly connected to said first adder; an eighth potentiometer directly connected at one end to each of said sixth and second adders and directly connected at its other end to each of said third and fourth adders; a fourth potentiometer; an eleventh gate connected between said second adder and said fourth potentiometer; a first potentiometer; a fist gate connected between an output of said first compensating amplifier and said first potentiometer; a fifth adder; a sixth gate connected between said fifth and sixth adders; a seventh gate connected between said first potentiometer and said fifth adder; a third compensating amplifier having outputs and an input directly connected to said fifth adder; a third potentiometer and a fifth gate connected in series between said third compensating amplifier and said fifth adder, said pivot motion drive being directly connected to an output of said third compensating amplifier; and mechanical coupling mans coupling said pivot motion drive to said third sensor.

Claim 7

An analog control system for automatically controlling the operation of an excavator having a jib and a wheel mounted on the jib and including a normal distance from the axis of said wheel to the pivot axis of said excavator, a normal distance from the axis of said wheel to the plane of travel of said excavator, a jib control for controlling the displacement of said jib and the lift of said jib and including a displacement drive for said jib, a lift drive for said jib, an angular displacement of the projection of the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said pivot axis to said plane of travel and the pivot motion of said excavator, an angular displacement of said plane of travel from the horizontal plane in the direction of said first mentioned angular displacement, and a pivot motion drive, said analog control system determining the position of the axis of said wheel in a system of coordinates derived from the motion of said excavator, said analog control system comprising a first sensor having an output for sensing a coordinate x representing the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to pivot axis; a servomultiplier having a plurality of outputs and inputs including an input connected to the output of said first sensor; a first adder; a first compensating amplifier having outputs and an input connected to the output of said first sensor via said first adder; a second sensor having an output for sensing a coordinate z representing the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said plane of travel; a third adder; a second compensating amplifier having an output and an input connected to the output of said second sensor via said third adder; a second gate connected between the output of said first compensating amplifier and said displacement drive; mechanical coupling means coupling said displacement drive to said first sensor; a fourth gate connected between the output of said second coMpensating amplifier and said lift drive; mechanical coupling means coupling said lift drive to said second sensor; a third sensor having outputs for sensing an angle epsilon representing the angular displacement of the projection of the normal distance from the axis of said wheel to said pivot axis to said plane of travel and the pivot motion of said excavator; a fourth sensor having an output for sensing an angle delta representing the angular displacement of said plane of travel from the horizontal plane in the direction of the angular displacement epsilon , an output of said third sensor being connected to said fourth sensor, a second output of said third sensor being connected to a corresponding input of said servomultiplier, a third output of said third sensor being connected to a corresponding input of said servomultiplier and the output of said fourth sensor being connected to a corresponding input of said servomultiplier; an eighth adder; a sixth potentiometer connected between an output of said servomultiplier and said eighth adder; a sixth adder directly connected to said output of said servomultiplier; a seventh potentiometer connected between another output of said servomultiplier and said eight adder; a seventh adder directly connected to said third adder; an eighth gate connected between said eighth adder and said seventh adder; a ninth gate connected between another output of said servomultiplier and said seventh adder; a fourth adder directly connected to said third adder; a second potentiometer; a third gate connected in series with said second potentiometer between said second compensating amplifier and said fourth adder; a fifth potentiometer; a tenth gate connected between said fourth adder and said fifth potentiometer; a second adder directly connected to said first adder; an eighth potentiometer directly connected at one end to each of said sixth and second adders and directly connected at its other end to each of said third and fourth adders; a fourth potentiometer; an eleventh gate connected between said second adder and said fourth potentiometer; a first potentiometer; a fist gate connected between an output of said first compensating amplifier and said first potentiometer; a fifth adder; a sixth gate connected between said fifth and sixth adders; a seventh gate connected between said first potentiometer and said fifth adder; a third compensating amplifier having outputs and an input directly connected to said fifth adder; a third potentiometer and a fifth gate connected in series between said third compensating amplifier and said fifth adder, said pivot motion drive being directly connected to an output of said third compensating amplifier; and mechanical coupling mans coupling said pivot motion drive to said third sensor.