Construction machine

Details Construction machine Construction machine

2000-09-01

2002-04-30

Batson, Victor (Department: 3671)

Excavating

Ditcher

Condition responsive

C701S050000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06378231

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to construction machines.
2. Description or Related Art
Generally, construction machines are provided with a plurality of actuators including swing motors, boom cylinders and so on, and a plurality of operating elements for operating these actuators. Some of the construction machines input operating signals from the operating elements to a control unit which then outputs actuating commands to the actuators on the basis of the operating signals thus input.
Hereupon, the interlocking relationship (operating pattern) between operating elements and actuators operated by the operation of the operating elements has not been conventionally standardized. The operating pattern thus varies depending upon the manufacturing companies, types and models of construction machinery, or JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) specifications and the like. The operating pattern must be modified in conformity to an operator, but such modification of the operating pattern has been conventionally carried out by rearranging the piping connections between valves and actuators, which are actuated by means of operating elements. However, such rearrangement of piping connections are intricate, troublesome and provide poor workability.
It has been proposed in JP-A-3-61811, to store several kinds of operating patterns in a memory of a control unit in advance so that an operator can select a desired operating pattern from these operating patterns. However, if the desired operating pattern is not stored beforehand in the memory, the operator is unable to perform the desired operating pattern.
Meanwhile, it is conceivable to store all operating patterns in the memory. With such arrangement, at least 40320 kinds of operating patterns must be stored, for example, when extending and retracting a boom cylinder, a stick cylinder and a bucket cylinder, and right and left swinging actuations of a swing motor while using two joystick levers. Taking into account the operating patterns for various kinds of other operating elements including operating levers and operating switches, the number of operating patterns significantly increases. Furthermore, not only is a mass storage memory necessary to register all of such operating patterns, but selecting a desired operating pattern from such an enormous number of operating patterns is intricate.
Further, with JP-A-3-61811, since buttons and so on are provided around a drivers seat to modify the operating pattern, the pattern can be modified easily. However, the operator is often unaware of such a modification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In various exemplary embodiments of the construction machine according to the invention, the construction machine includes a plurality of actuators, a plurality of operating elements for operating the actuators, and a control unit adapted to output actuating commands to the actuators based on operating signals from the operating elements input thereto, wherein data relating to interlocking between the operating elements and the actuators to be operated by the operating elements is input into the control unit, and the control unit is provided with a memory that stores the data thus input.
Specifically, the operating elements include operating levers, operating pedals, and operating switches, and the actuators are subjected to proportional control, ON-OFF control and toggle control. More specifically, the operating signals are given by sensors for detecting direction angle of the operating levers, and the actuators include a boom cylinder, a stick cylinder, a bucket cylinder and a swing hydraulic motor. Further, the operating signals are switching signals associated with the operating levers and operating pedals, and the actuators include a dozer cylinder, a tilting cylinder, and an angle cylinder.


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