公开(公告)号：US5848485A

公开(公告)日：1998-12-15

申请号：US774203

申请日：1996-12-27

申请人： Robert Allen Anderson ,  Jan Bos ,  Ronald Peter Krom

发明人： Robert Allen Anderson ,  Jan Bos ,  Ronald Peter Krom

IPC分类号： E02F3/43 ,  E02F5/02

CPC分类号： E02F3/435

摘要： The present invention is an apparatus and method for accurately determining the position of a tool, for example an earthmoving bucket, mounted at the end of an arm which has a plurality of pivot points and is pivotally attached to the base of a machine, for example a piece of construction equipment like the platform of an excavator or other earthmoving machine. The present apparatus includes a plurality of reflectors mounted on the machine for indicating movement of the arm and the tool. Each reflector is operatively adapted for reflecting light back toward a light source. A light transceiver is mounted on the machine in a known relationship to the reflectors. The light transceiver is operatively adapted for transmitting a beam of light to illuminate each of the reflectors, thereby generating reflective light. The light transceiver detects the reflective light and the angular orientation of the reflective light it detects. The light transceiver is also adapted to generate an output signal in response to the reflective light and the angular orientation it detects. A computer computes the position of the tool using the output signals of the light transceiver generated in response to the reflected light and the angular orientation of the reflected light. The present position determining system is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive and readily installed, including on construction equipment like various types of conventional earthmoving machines.

摘要翻译： 本发明是一种用于精确地确定安装在具有多个枢转点并且可枢转地附接到机器的基座的臂的端部处的工具（例如挖土铲斗）的位置的装置和方法，例如 一种建筑设备，如挖掘机或其他土方机械的平台。 本装置包括安装在机器上的多个反射器，用于指示臂和工具的运动。 每个反射器可操作地适于将光反射回光源。 光收发器以与反射器已知的关系安装在机器上。 光收发器可操作地适于透射光束以照亮每个反射器，从而产生反射光。 光收发器检测反射光及其检测到的反射光的角度方向。 光收发器还适于响应于反射光及其检测到的角度方向而产生输出信号。 计算机使用响应于反射光和反射光的角度取向而产生的光收发器的输出信号来计算工具的位置。 现在的位置确定系统的结构相对简单，便宜且易于安装，包括在各种类型的常规挖土机上的施工设备上。