Excavating – Ditcher – Condition responsive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-16
2001-05-08
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Excavating
Ditcher
Condition responsive
C414S699000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226902
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to work vehicles having excavating apparatus and first and second sensors of presence of an operator. More particularly, the present invention relates to backhoes having an override device of an operator first position presence sensor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Work vehicles often include, as in the case of construction equipment (e.g., front end loaders and backhoes), attached implements such as buckets for tasks such as excavating soil. Such implements include actuators, often in the form of hydraulic cylinders, which are controlled by operator commands transmitted to an implement position control system by using operator manual input devices such as levers, joysticks, pedals, knobs or the like.
A work vehicle is generally provided with an operator station having a seat located for good visibility of the work being done by the implement and for best access to the operator input devices. To preclude operation of the implement with an operator not properly positioned at the operator input devices, an operator presence sensor may be provided in the form of a seat switch; i.e., a switch located within or under the seat and disposed to change state when the operator is seated and his weight is borne by the seat. Actuation of the seat switch upon seating of the operator typically provides a signal to an implement control system which enables response of the actuators to operator commands, while rising of the operator from the seat disables at least a portion of the implement by causing a least a portion of the control system to no longer respond to operator commands and to instead cause the portion of the implement to remain in the position it was disposed in upon the rising of the operator from the seat.
In some cases, however, an operator may prefer to briefly stand at the operator input devices so that, while remaining in a position suitable for manipulating the operator input devices, he may obtain a better view of work in progress; e.g., excavating of a deep trench with a backhoe. He is not able to do so, however, if a presence sensor such as a seat switch will disable actuator response to his implement position commands.
It would be advantageous to provide for a work vehicle having an implement including actuators, an operator's seat in the region of operator input devices, and an implement position control system including an implement disabling circuit associated with the seat, to include an override device for allowing continuing enablement of the operator input devices for so long as the operator remains engaged with the override device regardless of the operator's position with respect to the seat.
It would also be advantageous to provide for such an override device to be in the general nature of a momentary contact switch affixed to at least one of the operator input devices, the control system configured for engagement of the momentary contact switch to have effect when engaged by the operator prior to his rising from the seat.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention relates to a backhoe having a plurality of actuators having positions for positioning of a digging bucket of the backhoe, an operator station having a first position of an operator and a second position of the operator, and a control system configured for controlling position of the bucket in response to bucket position commands. The control system includes a plurality of manual operator input devices located at the operator's station for providing the bucket position commands, a first operator presence sensor associated with the first operator position and a second operator presence sensor associated with the second operator position.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a work vehicle including a frame; an excavating apparatus movably secured to the frame, including a material engaging member and a plurality of actuators having positions for positioning the material engaging member with respect to the frame; an operator's station and a control system for controlling the positions of the plurality of actuators and thereby the position of the material engaging member. The control system includes a plurality of manual operator input devices located at the operator's station for providing material engaging member position commands; an operator presence sensor associated with the seat, configured to enable the providing of material engaging member position commands when the operator is disposed in a first operator position and to disable the providing of material engaging member position commands when the operator is away from the first operator position; and an override device for bypassing the presence sensor, the override device being manually engageable by the operator.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a control system for positioning a material engaging member of a material excavating apparatus associated with a work vehicle, the work vehicle having an operator's station and a seat associated with the operator's station, the excavating apparatus movably secured to a frame of the work vehicle, the excavating apparatus including a plurality of actuators having positions for positioning the material engaging member with respect to the frame. The control system includes a plurality of manual operator input devices located at the operator's station for providing material engaging member position commands; an operator presence sensor associated with the seat, configured to enable the providing of material engaging member position commands when the operator is disposed in a first operator position and to disable the providing of material engaging member position commands when the operator is disposed away from the first operator position; and an override device for bypassing the presence sensor, the override device being manually engageable by the operator.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of overriding a disablement system for an implement attached to a work vehicle, the work vehicle including an implement control system having operator input devices for operator inputs and configured to disable the implement in the absence of a signal indicative of operator presence provided by an operator presence sensor, and an operator's station having an operator's seat in the region of the operator input devices, the method including the steps of sitting in the seat to provide the signal indicative of operator presence; engaging a manual override device associated with the operator input devices after the step of sitting; and maintaining engagement of the manual override device while rising from the seat to override the disablement system after the step of engaging.
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Case Loader/Backhoe Brochure, 580L, Case Corporation, Racine, WI, 1996.
Case Corporation
Foley & Lardner
Pezzuto Robert E.
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