US5473541A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle
Assignee: Komatsu Ltd
•
Filing: 1994-06-30
•
Granted: 1995-12-05
•
Expires: 2014-06-30
Abstract
Abstract A steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle comprising: a power source; a steering motor driven by the rotation of the power source, for driving crawler belts provided at both sides of the vehicle such that a relative travel difference is caused between the crawler belts, thereby turning the vehicle rightwards or leftwards; a steering instructing device which can be displaced from a neutral position by operation and which instructs, according to the direction and distance of its displacement, a turning direction and a turning radius for the vehicle, the turning radius decreasing as the displacement distance increases; a displacement detector for detecting the displacement of the steering instructing device; and a steering motor revolution speed control unit for obtaining a target steering motor revolution speed which is made proportional to the revolution speed of the power source based on the displacement of the steering instructing device detected by the displacement detector and controlling the revolution speed of the steering motor with the target steering motor revolution speed.
Inventors
- 👤 Tsutomu Ishino
- 👤 Ryoichi Maruyama
- 👤 Hideki Yamada
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 01:46
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16H; F16H47/00; F16H47/02; F16H47/04; B; B62; B62D; B62D11/00; B62D11/02; B62D11/06; B62D11/10; B62D11/14; B62D11/18; B62D11/183; F16H37/00; F16H37/02; F16H37/06; F16H37/08; F16H37/0833; F16H37/084; F16H2037/088; F16H2037/0886
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
179 words
A steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle comprising: (a) a rotary power source; (b) a steering motor driven by the rotation of the power source for driving crawler belts provided at both sides of the vehicle such that a relative travel difference results between the crawler belts, thereby turning the vehicle rightwards or leftwards; (c) steering instructing means which can be displaced from a neutral position by operation and which instructs, according to the direction and distance of the displacement of the steering instructing means, a turning direction and a turning radius for the vehicle, the turning radius decreasing as the displacement distance increases; (d) displacement detector means for detecting the displacement of the steering instructing means; and (e) steering motor revolution speed control means for obtaining a target steering motor revolution speed which is made proportional to the revolution speed of the power source based on the displacement of the steering instructing means detected by the displacement detector means and controlling the revolution speed of the steering motor with the target steering motor revolution speed.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
179 words
A steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle comprising: (a) a rotary power source; (b) a steering motor driven by the rotation of the power source for driving crawler belts provided at both sides of the vehicle such that a relative travel difference results between the crawler belts, thereby turning the vehicle rightwards or leftwards; (c) steering instructing means which can be displaced from a neutral position by operation and which instructs, according to the direction and distance of the displacement of the steering instructing means, a turning direction and a turning radius for the vehicle, the turning radius decreasing as the displacement distance increases; (d) displacement detector means for detecting the displacement of the steering instructing means; and (e) steering motor revolution speed control means for obtaining a target steering motor revolution speed which is made proportional to the revolution speed of the power source based on the displacement of the steering instructing means detected by the displacement detector means and controlling the revolution speed of the steering motor with the target steering motor revolution speed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
88 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises power source revolution speed detector means for detecting the actual revolution speed of the power source and wherein the steering motor revolution speed control means obtains a target steering motor revolution speed which is made proportional to the actual revolution speed of the power source detected by the power source revolution speed detector means, based on the displacement of the steering instructing means detected by the displacement detector means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
125 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein the steering motor revolution speed control means obtains the target steering motor revolution speed which is made proportional to the actual revolution speed of the power source detected by the power source revolution speed detector means, based on the displacement of the steering instructing means detected by the displacement detector means, by first obtaining a target steering motor speed ratio which is the ratio of a revolution speed of the steering motor to the revolution speed of the power source based on the displacement of the steering instructing means, and then the target steering motor speed ratio is multiplied by the actual revolution speed of the power source.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
91 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 3, wherein the revolution speed of the power source for the target steering motor speed ratio, which is the ratio of the revolution speed of the steering motor to the revolution speed of the power source, is any one of a set target revolution speed and the actual revolution speed of the power source detected by the power source revolution speed detector means, and the revolution speed of the steering motor is the target revolution speed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the steering motor revolution speed control means obtains a target steering motor revolution speed which is made proportional to a target revolution speed set for the power source, based on the displacement of the steering instructing means detected by the displacement detector means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
121 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 5, wherein the steering motor revolution speed control means obtains a target revolution speed set for the steering motor which is made proportional to a target revolution speed set for the power source, based on the displacement of the steering instructing means detected by the displacement detector means, by first obtaining a target steering motor speed ratio which is the ratio of a revolution speed of the steering motor to the revolution speed of the power source based on the displacement of the steering instructing means, and then the target steering motor speed ratio is multiplied by the set target revolution speed for the power source.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
96 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the steering motor revolution control means obtains a target revolution speed set for the steering motor by first obtaining a target steering motor speed ratio which is the ratio of a revolution speed of the steering motor to the revolution speed of the power source based on the displacement of the steering instructing means detected by the displacement detector means, and then the revolution speed of the power source is made proportional to the target steering motor speed ratio.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
94 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 7, which further comprises power source revolution speed detector means for detecting the actual revolution speed of the power source, and wherein the steering motor revolution speed control means obtains a target steering motor revolution speed by multiplying the target steering motor speed ratio by the actual revolution speed of the power source detected by the power source revolution speed detector means to make the revolution speed of the power source proportional to the target steering motor speed ratio.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
66 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 7, wherein the steering motor revolution speed control means obtains a target steering motor revolution speed by multiplying the target steering motor speed ratio by the target revolution speed set for the power source to make the revolution speed of the power source proportional to the target steering motor speed ratio.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
67 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in any one of claims 5, 6, 9 or 4, which further comprises throttle position detector means for detecting the position of a throttle with respect to the power source and wherein a target revolution speed for the power source is set according to the throttle position detected by the throttle position detector means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
111 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying system as set forth in claim 6 or 7, which further comprises power source revolution speed detector means for detecting the actual revolution speed of the power source, and wherein the revolution speed of the power source for the target steering motor speed ratio, which is the ratio of a revolution speed of the steering motor to the revolution speed of the power source, is either a set target revolution speed or the actual revolution speed of the power source detected by the power source revolution speed detector means, and the revolution speed of the steering motor is the target revolution speed.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
60 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 11, which further comprises throttle position detector means for detecting the position of a throttle with respect to the power source and wherein a target revolution speed for the power source is set according to the throttle position detected by the throttle position detector means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
60 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 5, or 6 to 9 wherein the steering motor is rotated in forward and reverse directions, thereby driving the crawler belts at the same speed in different directions such that a relative travel difference results between the crawler belts.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 13, wherein the steering motor is any one of a hydrostatic steering motor and an electric steering motor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
63 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 5, or 6 to 9, wherein the rotary driving force of the power source is transmitted through a non-stage transmission such that the crawler belts are driven at the same speed in the same direction, thereby driving the vehicle forwards or backwards.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in claim 15, wherein the non-stage transmission is any one of a hydrostatic-mechanical transmission, a hydrostatic transmission and a belt-type transmission.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
43 words
The steering control system for use in a track-laying vehicle as set forth in any of one of claims 1, 2, 3, 5, or 6 to 9, wherein the steering instructing means is any one of a steering lever and a steering handle.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4068543A
Cited
US4043227A
Cited
US4309917A
Cited
US4434680A
Cited
US4699239A
Cited
US4754824A
Cited
US4882947A
Cited
US4917200A
Cited
JPS6330654A
Cited
US5285861A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-12-04 | 1999-06-05 | 1999-12-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-12-04 | 2003-06-05 | 2003-12-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-12-04 | 2007-06-05 | 2007-12-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |