WO2021148236A1

WO2021148236A1 - Decoupling a tool from tilt rotator

Info

Publication number: WO2021148236A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/025002
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank VON KONINGSBRUGGE; Richard Oswald; Phillip J. Shankwitz; Ard ZOONTIJENS
Original assignee: Caterpillar Work Tools B.V.
Priority date: 2020-01-22
Filing date: 2021-01-07
Publication date: 2021-07-29
Also published as: GB2591254A; CN114981502A; GB2591254B; GB202000937D0; JP2023510969A; AU2021211839A1; EP4093919A1

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a Method of decoupling a tool (20) from a tilt rotator assembly (100) comprising a tilt rotator (10) with a tool (20) coupled thereto, the method comprising: retrieving (S20) at least one value (VI) corresponding to a current posture of the tilt rotator assembly (100); determining (S30) at a control unit (2) whether the at least one retrieved value (VI) fulfills a predetermined condition; and allowing (S40) the decoupling of the tool (20) from the tilt rotator assembly (100) if it is determined that the at least one retrieved value (VI) fulfills the predetermined condition. The present invention further pertains to a vehicle (200) comprising a tilt rotator assembly (100) being configured to carry out said method and a computer system for performing said method.

Description

DECOUPLING A TOOL FROM TILT ROTATOR

Background

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly comprising a tilt rotator with a tool coupled thereto. Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle and/or a computer system configured to carry out such a method.

Machines such as hydraulic excavators, hydraulic shovels, backhoe loaders and the like are often required to perform different kinds of work on a work site. Different work tools, for example buckets, hammers, rippers, and grapples, can be engaged to the working end of an arm assembly (including for example, dipper sticks and booms) of the machine. In recent years, intermediate tools, so-called tilt rotators, are widely used. Tilt rotators function as a linkage, arranged between the working end of an arm assembly and the work tool to be coupled.

With only minor losses of overall machine breakout force, recent tilt rotator models provide 360-degree rotation and about 40-degree tilting action side-to-side, allowing the machine to reach more work areas from a single position, significantly reducing machine repositioning and subsequent fuel consumption. Tilt rotators enable the operator to manoeuvre around posts, rocks, and other obstacles, as well as to more easily reach along ditch edges. Such capabilities allow the machine to work over, under, and around all types of obstructions or infrastructure using any attachments or tools required for the job.

Tilt rotators are usually modular systems which may be configured according to the requirements defined by the operator. For instance, the tilt rotator may be the only component connecting a dipper stick with a tool. Alternatively, a tilt rotator assembly may include a coupler attached to its bottom, which is configured to couple a tool with/to the tilt rotator. Further, a tilt rotator assembly may comprise a dedicated rotatable turntable component as part of the tilt rotator assembly.

To that end, decoupling methods are known, e.g. WO 2014/168540 Al, which describes a system for controlling a quick coupler that may be a part of a tilt rotor assembly. The system comprises a first and second control unit that both receive an input signal as a basis for a checking procedure conducted by each of the control units. The control system further comprises a control means that is arranged to control the quick coupler to the unlocked position if the first and second control signals both indicate a value which corresponds to a valid signal for the unlocked position.

Summary

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotor assembly comprising a tilt rotator with a tool coupled thereto. Some embodiments provide a vehicle and a computer system configured to carry out such a method.

In some embodiments, a method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly comprising a tilt rotator with a tool coupled thereto, is provided. The method includes retrieving a value corresponding to a current posture/orientation/position of the tilt rotator. A control unit determines whether the retrieved value fulfills a predetermined condition. The controller provides for decoupling of the tool from the tilt rotator assembly if it is determined that the retrieved value fulfills the predetermined condition.

In some embodiments, a processor is used to determine whether the posture/orientati on/position of the tilt rotator and/or a value associated with the posture/orientation/position of the tilt rotator meets a predetermined condition and may control or operate a controller to decouple a tool from the tilt rotator if the posture/orientation/position of the tilt rotator or the value associated with the posture/orientation/position of the tilt rotator meets the predetermined condition. In some embodiments, a machine may include the processor and/or decoupling controller and may decouple the tool from the tilt rotator when the posture/orientati on/position of the tilt rotator and/or a value associated with the posture/orientation/position of the tilt rotator fulfils a predetermined condition.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present disclosure will be more readily appreciated by reference to the following detailed description when being considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 schematically shows a side view of a vehicle equipped with a tilt rotator assembly for carrying out a method for decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a side view of a tilt rotator assembly comprising a pin grabber coupler in a neutral posture of the tilt rotator assembly;

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a side view of a tilt rotator assembly comprising a pin grabber coupler in a neutral posture of the tilt rotator assembly with unlocked locking means;

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a side view of a tilt rotator assembly comprising a pin grabber coupler in a curled posture of the tilt rotator assembly;

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of an isolated tilt rotator assembly comprising a pin grabber coupler;

Fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator, such as illustrated in Figs. 2-5, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator, such as illustrated in Figs. 2-5, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; Fig. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator, such as illustrated in Figs. 2-5, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator, such as illustrated in Figs. 2-5, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In the following, some embodiments of the present disclosure are explained with reference to the accompanying Figures. In the Figures, like elements are denoted by identical reference numerals and repeated description thereof may be omitted in order to avoid redundancies.

The present disclosure is generally directed towards a method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly comprising a tilt rotator with a tool coupled thereto. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the method provides a safe and simple decoupling method comprising controlling whether or not the tool may be decoupled from the tilt rotator assembly. This control, preventing decoupling when the tool and/or tilt rotator assembly are not is a safe decoupling state/orientation/posture, prevents, for example, an operator from accidentally disengaging the tool when the tilt rotator is in a posture in which the tool would fall from the tilt rotator assembly. It also prevents the operator from unintentionally releasing the tool when the tilt rotator is in a posture in which the tool might swing out of the tilt rotator assembly.

The basic methods of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly are well known to a person skilled in the art and are thus not further specified. Rather, characteristics of the method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly according to the present invention are addressed and specified in the following.

In the following, the present invention and its underlying principles are explained exemplary for a tilt rotator assembly comprising a pin grabber coupler. However, besides the pin grabber coupler, any other coupler may be used interchangeably in combination with the tilt rotator assembly, in particular S type excavator couplers and CW series couplers, provided that the predetermined condition is defined such that it takes into account the specific design features of the attached coupler.

Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a vehicle 200 intended for being used in excavating applications and carrying out the method set forth in the present specification. The vehicle 200 comprises a boom 210 and a dipper stick 220, which is equipped with a tilt rotator assembly 100 on the working end of the dipper stick 220. The tilt rotator assembly 100 comprises a tilt rotator 10 and a pin grabber coupler 12 mounted to the bottom of the tilt rotator 10.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, a tool 20 may be coupled rigidly to the tilt rotator assembly 100. As coupled, the tool 20 may be actuated/controlled by the tilt rotator assembly 100. The tool 20 may be coupled to the pin grabber coupler 12 which may be a component of the tilt rotator assembly. More specifically, the tool 20 may be received via a rearward-facing notch 16 and a downward-facing notch 18 of the pin grabber coupler 12. This way, the tool 20 may be coupled to the tilt rotator assembly 100. Since the pin grabber coupler 12 may be fixedly attached to the tilt rotator assembly 100, the tool 20 may thus be rigidly coupled to the tilt rotator assembly 100. Accordingly, the tool 20 may easily be picked up, coupled and locked remotely. The working principle of picking up, coupling and locking a tool 20 using a pin grabber coupler 12 may require aligning the pin grabber coupler 12 in such a way that the rearward-facing notch 16 and the downward-facing notch 18 may engage with the tool 20. As engaged, the tool 20 may be locked in the rearward-facing notch 16 and/or the downward-facing notch 18 using locking means.

In the following, the terms “rear” and “down” are defined according to the representation of the vehicle 200 and the Cartesian coordinate nomenclature XYZ as provided in Fig. 1. Accordingly, the rearward-facing notch 16 and the downward-facing notch are defined as facing “rearwards” and “downwards” respectively, even though the tilt rotator assembly 100 may for example be rotated about 360 degrees in a X-Z plane, tilted at about 40 degrees in Y-Z plane and curled and uncurled in the X-Y plane.

In other words, the terms “rearwards” and “downwards” might also be seen in relation to the coordinate system defined by the tool 20, wherein the rearward direction is the direction in which the active work is usually performed by drawing the tool closer to the vehicle 200.

Figure 2 schematically illustrates a side view of a tilt rotator assembly 100 comprising a pin grabber coupler 12 in a neutral posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100. As indicated by the broken lines in Figure 2, the posture of the dipper stick 220 may be disregarded for the features described in the following. Rather, the posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100 itself is significant in the method of decoupling the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 as described in this disclosure. In the context of this application, the term “posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100” refers to the posture of the tool 20, as the tool 20 may be rigidly attached to the tilt rotator assembly 100.

Hereto, Figure 2 illustrates the tilt rotator assembly 100 in a neutral posture. The tilt rotator assembly 100 comprises a tilt rotator 10 to which a pin grabber coupler 12 is mounted on a rotatable manipulator table 14 of the tilt rotator 10. As such, the pin grabber coupler 12 may be rotated and tilted as identified above. The tool 20 comprises a first pin 24 and a second pin 26, where the first pin 24 is received in the rearward-facing notch 16 of the pin grabber coupler 12 and the second pin 26 is received in the downward-facing notch 18 of the pin grabber coupler 12. Thereby, the tool 20 may be coupled by engaging the first pin 24 with the rearward-facing notch 16 in a first step and by engaging the second pin 26 in the downward-facing notch 18 in a subsequent step. Further, the second pin 26 may be locked in the downward-facing notch 18 using locking means 22. As an example, the locking means 22 may be a hydraulically actuated latch which may positively lock the second pin 26 in the downward-facing notch 18. As an example, in a deactivated state, the latch may be contained on the inside of the pin grabber coupler 12. Upon activation, the latch may be driven out of the pin grabber coupler 12, thereby locking the second pin 26 within the downward facing notch 18 of the tool 20. The forces required to lift the tool are distributed over the first pin 24 and the second pin 26 of the tool 20. As an example, the center of gravity 28 of the tool 20 as illustrated in Figure 2 results in about equally balanced weight distribution over the first pin 24 and second pin 26 of the tool 20

Figure 3 illustrates a scenario in which a swing-out of the tool 20 out of the pin grabber coupler 12 occurs. In the neutral posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100, and in a condition where the locking means 22 are opened, the tool 20 may only be held by its first pin 24 received in the rearward-facing notch 16 of the pin grabber coupler 12. Consequently, the tool 20 may tilt into a posture where its center of gravity 28 is aligned with a vertical plane A, extending through the center axis of first pin 24. In other words, the gravitational force G, acting at the center of gravity 28 of the tool 20, may cause a swing-out momentum S, causing a swing-out of the tool 20 from the rearward-facing notch 16 of the pin grabber coupler 12. Theoretically, the scenario set forth in Figure 3 might arise during different operations. For example, if no safety method is present and the tool 20 is released during a neutral posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100. Also, this scenario may occur in a controlled manner, namely during an uncurling step that is subsequent to a step of curling the tilt rotator assembly 100 followed by a step of unlocking the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100.

In view of Figures 2 and 3, decoupling of the tool 20 may only be allowed in a condition in which the tool 20 is curled. With reference to Figure 4, a curled condition may be a condition, in which the center of gravity 28 of the tool 20 lies offset to vertical plane A. In this context, the term offset refers to the opposite side of where the downward-facing notch 18 is located with respect to the rearward-facing notch 16. The center of gravity 28 of the tool 20 may be located beyond the vertical plane A if the backward-facing notch 16 is substantially higher than the downward-facing notch 18, as indicated by the height difference DH in Figure 4. The minimum difference in height DH may be provided and included in a predetermined condition of the method disclosed in this specification. This condition has the effect that the second pin 26 of the tool 20 applies a force F to the downward-facing notch 18. Thus, a swing-out or drop of the tool 20 out of the pin grabber coupler 12 is prevented. The above discussed condition may be referred to as a curled condition. In other words, a curled condition may be a condition where the second pin 26 of the tool 20 applies a force F against the downward-facing notch 18 of the pin grabber coupler 12. Accordingly, in a curled posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100, the tool 20 will remain attached to the tilt rotator assembly 100 irrespective of whether the locking means 22 are in an open or locked position. Alternatively, the curled posture may be defined as a posture of the tool 20 in which the first pin 24 is at a higher altitude with respect to the second pin 26 of the tool 20, such that the difference in heights of the first pin 24 and the second pin 26 from ground is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. According to this embodiment, any posture not matching the criteria of a curled posture may be considered an uncurled posture.

Identifying whether or not the tilt rotator assembly 100 is in a curled condition may be achieved by a sensor unit 3. Such a sensor unit 3 is to be understood in a broad sense as any source of information or physical media, on the basis of which a value corresponding to a current posture of the tilt rotator assembly may be retrieved. This way, the sensor unit 3 may provide at least one value corresponding with a posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100.

As an example, posture information about one, some, or all of the components used to actuate the tilt rotator assembly 100, so-called “actuation components”, may be provided by the sensor unit 3. In this context, actuation components may include a boom 210 and/or a dipper stick 220 and/or means for actuating the tilt rotator assembly 100 itself, in particular means for rotation and tilt of the tilt rotator assembly 100. According to one embodiment, the sensor unit 3 may comprise a bucket cylinder and a pressure relief valve and may be configured to provide posture information about an associated actuation component. More specifically, the bucket cylinder may be configured such that at a specific posture of the associated actuation component, the pressure build-up within the bucket cylinder is relieved via the pressure relief valve. An actuation of the pressure relief valve may physically or logically trigger a value corresponding to the current posture of the component. Preferably, said specific posture may be a curled posture. In this case, the sensor unit 3 provides a value VI which corresponds to a specific value VI. The value corresponding with a current posture of the tilt rotator assembly may be a logical value of Boolean type, hence “TRUE” (1), or “FALSE” (0). Further, if more components are used to actuate the tilt rotator assembly, several sensor units 3 may be used. In this case, each sensor unit 3 may provide a value analogously to what is set forth above. Alternatively, the sensor unit 3 may comprise several sub-units providing a combined value corresponding to a current posture of the tilt rotator assembly.

Identifying whether or not the tilt rotator assembly 100 is in a curled condition as set forth above may be achieved by a sensor unit 3 located in the downward-facing notch 18. According to this embodiment, the sensor unit 3 may be configured such that it provides a value indicating whether a force F is applied to the downward-facing notch 18 by the second pin 26 of the tool 20 and preferably the amount of force applied to the downward-facing notch 18 by the second pin 26 of the tool 20. Since in this posture, a force applied to the downward-facing notch 18 indicates that a drop out of the tool 20 can be ruled out, only potential swing-outs must be considered within the predetermined conditions. The latter may for example be encountered by defining a sufficient minimum amount of force applied to the downward-facing notch 18 within the predetermined condition.

The at least one value received from the sensor unit 3 may be used in the determination, whether the at least one value fulfills a predetermined condition, for example if the tilt rotator is in a curled posture or not. As a matter of course, the predetermined condition may be formulated in different ways. For example, if the value corresponding with a current posture of the tilt rotator assembly is a logical value of Boolean type, hence “TRUE” (1), or “FALSE” (0), the predetermined condition may be formulated such that a value “TRUE” is required. Further, if several logical values of Boolean type are retrieved, the predetermined condition may be formulated such that all retrieved values must be “TRUE”. Alternatively, if the sensor unit provides data corresponding with a force measured at the downward-facing notch, the at least one value corresponding with the posture of the tilt rotator assembly may be a value corresponding to a measured force. Accordingly, the predetermined condition may then comprise a minimum force value that must be reached in order to fulfil the condition. As an alternative to measuring force, other sensors may be utilized. Also, one or more postures of the tilt rotator assembly may be stored for a given tool which are known to be well within the condition.

Starting from the curled posture as set forth in Figure 4, the locking means 22 may be opened safely without risking a swing-out or drop of the tool 20 out of the pin grabber coupler 12. In a subsequent step, uncurling of the tilt rotator assembly 100 may lead to releasing the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 in a controlled manner. This may be achieved by uncurling the tilt rotator assembly 100 from the curled posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100 as illustrated in Figure 4 to a neutral posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100 as illustrated in Figure 3. Additionally, uncurling of the tilt rotator assembly 100 may be conducted even further, such that a swing-out or drop of the tool 20 out of the rearward-facing notch 16 of the pin grabber coupler 12 occurs.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a tilt rotator assembly 100 comprising a tilt rotator 10 with a pin grabber coupler 12 coupled to the lower end of the tilt rotator 10. Said lower end of the tilt rotator 10 comprises a rotatable manipulator table 14, to which the pin grabber coupler 12 is fastened. The tilt rotator 10 further comprises tilting cylinders 30 configured to tilt the pin grabber coupler 12 up to an angle of 40 degrees. The tilt rotator assembly 100 further comprises means for actuating the rotatable manipulator table 14 about 360 degrees (not shown), for example by hydraulic power. Alternatively, besides the pin grabber coupler 12, any other coupler may be used interchangeably in combination with the tilt rotator assembly 100, in particular S type excavator couplers and CW series couplers.

The basic structure and basic mode of operation of a vehicle 200 equipped with a tilt rotator assembly 100 are well known to a person skilled in the art and are thus not further specified. Rather, characteristics of a method of decoupling the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 and its implementation to the vehicle 200 are addressed and specified in the following passages.

An embodiment of a method of decoupling a tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 is illustrated in Figure 6 in the form of a flow diagram. At step S20, at least one value VI, corresponding to a current posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100, is retrieved. The expression “posture of the tilt rotator assembly” may also include the posture of a tool 20 coupled to the tilt rotator assembly 100. The value VI may be a calculated, measured or otherwise processed or unprocessed signal from a sensor and/or any other source, for example a sensor unit 3. The retrieved value VI may be retrieved by or communicated to a control unit 2 for further processing. The at least one value VI may be any value related to a posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100. Retrieving the at least one value VI may be conducted once, upon request, upon an external condition, intermittently or continuously.

At step S30, a control unit 2 may determine whether the retrieved at least one value VI fulfills a predetermined condition. Thereto, the predetermined condition may comprise a threshold, an upper or lower value and/or a Boolean condition used as a basis for the comparison or evaluation of the at least one retrieved value VI . If it is determined at step S30 that the at least one retrieved value VI fulfills the predetermined condition, then, at step S40, the control unit 2 may allow decoupling of the tool 20. Allowing the decoupling of the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 may include a variable indicating allowance for a specific retrieved variable VI.

Allowing the decoupling of a tool in step S40 may include a step of checking whether the current posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100 is still valid or not. Alternatively, the decision of allowing the decoupling of a tool 20 in step S40 may expire after a predetermined amount of time and/or until a new variable VI has been determined in step S30. Allowing the decoupling of a tool 20 in step S40 may include issuing an alarm or signal to indicate that the current posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100 fulfills a predetermined condition.

If it is determined that the retrieved at least one value V 1 does not fulfil the predetermined condition, the method may further comprise the step of maintaining S41, wherein the tool 20 is in a coupled condition with the tilt rotator assembly 100. In this way, the tool 20 is still coupled, thereby allowing the method of decoupling the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 may be repeated. Further, if it is determined that the retrieved at least one value VI does not fulfil the predetermined condition, a signal or alarm may be issued, indicating that the at least one value VI does not fulfil the predetermined condition.

In one further embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, the method of decoupling the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 may further include a step S10 of receiving an input il at an input device 1, wherein receiving the input il at the input device 1 causes retrieving S20 the at least one value VI. As such, the input device 1 may be configured to provide an interface with an operator, for example including a panel having a touch screen, buttons, switches or the like, enabling the operator to initiate the method of decoupling a tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100.

In a further embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, the method of decoupling the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 may further include a step of unlocking S50 the tool 20 using locking means 22 if decoupling of the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100 is allowed. In this configuration, the tool 20 may still be coupled to the tilt rotator assembly 100 yet the tool 20 may be unmounted by subsequent actuation of the tilt rotator assembly 100, by manual disassembly or the like.

Preferably, the step of unlocking S50 of the tool may further include restricting further actuation of the tilt rotator assembly 100. In particular, said further action may be restricted such that only a predetermined tool decoupling procedure may be followed. Alternatively or additionally, the restriction of further actuation of the tilt rotator assembly 100 may be active until the tool 20 is decoupled or until the tool 20 is coupled and locked again. Thereby, it may be prevented that the tool 20 drops or swings out of the tilt rotator assembly 100 after the tool 20 is decoupled.

The predetermined condition may comprise that the tilt rotator assembly 100 is in a curled posture as defined in the present disclosure. In general, a curled posture of the tilt rotator assembly 100 means that the tool 20 is brought into such a curled posture that a drop or swing-out of the tool 20 out of the tilt rotator assembly does not occur when the tool 20 is unlocked. In particular, in the step S40, the necessary electric and/or hydraulic actuators may be actuated to unlock locking means 22, such that the tool 20 may be unlocked from the tilt rotator assembly 100.

In this case, as illustrated in Figure 9, the step of unlocking the tool 20 using locking means 22 may be followed by a step S60 of uncurling the tilt rotator assembly 100. In this way, upon uncurling the curled yet unlocked tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100, a point will be reached where a swing-out and/or drop of the tool 20 is achieved in a controlled fashion, thereby, completely separating the tool 20 from the tilt rotator assembly 100.

It will be obvious for a person skilled in the art that these embodiments and items only depict examples of a plurality of possibilities. Hence, the embodiments shown here should not be understood to form a limitation of these features and configurations. Any possible combination and configuration of the described features can be chosen according to the scope of the invention. This is particularly, in the case with respect to the following optional features which may be combined with some or all embodiments, items and/or features mentioned before in any technically feasible combination.

A method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly comprising a tilt rotator with a tool coupled thereto may be provided. The method may comprise a step of retrieving at least one value corresponding to a current posture of the tilt rotator, a step of determining at a control unit whether the retrieved value fulfills a predetermined condition and a step of allowing the decoupling of the tool from the tilt rotator assembly if it is determined that the at least one retrieved value fulfills the predetermined condition. Accordingly, the method provides a safety control that is dependent on the posture of the tilt rotator.

As a result, compared to the known methods of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly, there are in principle no sensors required in the proximity of the tool. Instead, a variable corresponding to the current posture of the tilt rotator assembly may for example be retrieved from the electronic and/hydraulic control of the tilt rotator and/or the vehicle directly. As an example, if the tilt rotator assembly is actuated hydraulically, information regarding the current position of the hydraulic cylinders may already be readily available in the machine control system. Alternatively, said information may conveniently be retrieved remotely from the tool and used as variable corresponding to the current posture of the tilt rotator assembly. In this way, a more reliable, simpler and safer method of decoupling of a tool from a tilt rotator assembly may be realized.

In a further development, the method may further comprise a step of receiving an input at an input device, wherein receiving the input at the input device causes retrieving the at least one value. Specifically, initiating the method of decoupling the tool from the tilt rotator assembly may be triggered externally which allows reducing processing resources.

Further, the method may comprise a step of maintaining the tool in a coupled condition with the tilt rotator assembly if it is determined that the at least one retrieved value does not fulfil the predetermined condition. Therefore, an additional safety feature is provided as the decoupling the tool is explicitly ruled out. Specifically, maintaining the tool in the coupled condition may stay valid until a further value is determined as fulfilling the predetermined condition.

In addition thereto, the method may further comprise a step of unlocking the tool using locking means if decoupling of the tool from the tilt rotator assembly is allowed. Specifically, locking means may for example be electrically and/or hydraulically actuated components. In particular, locking means may comprise hydraulic cylinders actuating latches which positively lock the tool in the tilt rotator assembly.

Preferably, the step of unlocking the tool may further include restricting further actuation of the tilt rotator assembly. Unlocking the tool itself poses a risk due to the loosely coupled tool. To mitigate this risk, only actuations of the tilt rotator assembly that are reasonable for fully release the tool from the assembly might for example be allowed. Vice versa, actuations of the tilt rotator assembly which are identified as unnecessary for fully releasing the tool might be forbidden. Such a restriction may comprise individual hardware components as well as direction or velocity parameters of one, some or all hardware components used in the actuation of the tilt rotator assembly.

In a further development, the predetermined condition may comprise that the tilt rotator assembly is in a curled posture. As defined above, a curled posture in the context of the present disclosure relates to a posture out of which the tool does not swing-out or drop down from the tilt rotator assembly if unlocked. Curling the machine in order to unlock the tool is a procedure known to the operator from machines having no tilt rotators attached. Consequently, the operator conducting the method as disclosed within the present disclosure will not notice any difference in handling.

Further, a step of uncurling of the tilt rotator may be included in order to decouple the tool from the tilt rotator assembly if decoupling of the tool from the tilt rotator assembly is allowed. Specifically, uncurling of the tilt rotator assembly may be defined such as to fully release the tool from the tilt rotator assembly in a controlled manner. Preferably, the step of uncurling of the tilt rotator assembly may include further restrictions of actuating the tilt rotator assembly regarding velocity, direction and/or a posture-relationship towards the ground.

In a further development, retrieving the at least one value comprises retrieving the at least one value from a sensor unit. In this case, the retrieved at least one value may comprise a hardware parameter measured at a hardware component. Specifically, the hardware parameter may for example be an extension of the cylinder, a pressure within the cylinder or a volumetric flow of hydraulic fluid through a valve of that given cylinder. In this case, the sensor unit may be an optical sensor, pressure sensor, proximity sensor or the like. Thereby, it is possible to draw a conclusion regarding the posture of the tilt rotator. Such a hardware parameter may be translated or added to the at least one value corresponding to the posture of the tilt rotator assembly. Alternatively, such a hardware parameter may be identical with the value corresponding to a current posture of the tilt rotator.

The predetermined condition may preferably comprise a threshold, an upper or lower value and/or a Boolean condition. In the context of the present disclosure, the predetermined condition may be understood as any information that allows a comparison with the retrieved value that corresponds with the current posture of the tilt rotator.

According to one embodiment, the tilt rotator assembly further comprises a rotatable manipulator table disposed in between the tilt rotator and the pin grabber coupler to connect the tilt rotator and pin grabber coupler. Specifically, the pin grabber coupler may be attached to the bottom of the rotatable manipulator table. In particular, the rotatable manipulator table and the pin grabber coupler may comprise a plurality of through holes into which bolts may be inserted for attaching the pin grabber coupler. Further, the tilt rotator assembly may further comprise a pin grabber coupler having a rearward-facing notch and a downward-facing notch, wherein the predetermined condition further comprises that the rearward-facing notch of the pin grabber coupler is substantially higher than the downward-facing notch, such that a swing-out or drop of the tool out of the pin grabber coupler is prevented when the tool is unlocked from the pin grabber coupler. The combination of such rearward-facing notch with a downward-facing notch has the advantage that the tool may conveniently be coupled remotely by an operator. More specifically, during the coupling procedure, only the rearward-facing notch facing the operator, needs to be engaged with a pin of the tool. Therefore, the tool is hingedly coupled with the pin grabber coupler and may conveniently be fully coupled by tilting the tool until the downward-facing notch engages with a second pin of the tool. In a final step, in one or both notches of the pin grabber coupler, locking means may be actuated in order to lock the engaged pins.

As set forth in the disclosure above, the curled posture of the tilt rotator assembly may be a posture. The rearward-facing notch of the pin grabber coupler being substantially higher than the downward-facing notch relates to the condition where the center of gravity of the attached tool is located such that the second pin of the tool applies a force to the downward-facing notch. Thereby, a swing-out or drop of the tool out of the pin grabber coupler may be prevented even if the tool is unlocked. Since tool and load within the tool may vary, it may be required to include a step of checking whether the second pin of the tool applies a force to the downward-facing notch of the pin grabber coupler. Alternatively, it may be possible to include a step of checking whether the tool is loaded or empty and/or checking the tool against a predetermined set of data comprising information about the curled condition of the tool coupled to the tilt rotator assembly.

In a further development, the predetermined condition may comprise that the posture of the tilt rotator assembly is such that the tool is substantially levelled out, preferably wherein the predetermined condition comprises that the tool is close to the ground. In this context, levelling the tool out relates to the vector of gravity. Specifically, levelling the tool may be conducted with respect to the tiling direction of the tool. Thus, it may be prevented that the tool may drop or swing-out in a non-parallel fashion regarding the rearward-facing notch which may damage the tool, the tilt rotator assembly and the surrounding environment. In this regard, it may further be advantageous to restrict the height out of which the tool may be dropped or swung out. The height may be determined assuming the ground to be at the lowest point of the vehicle. Alternatively, the height may be determined using a sensor.

In a further development, the method may further comprise a step of work tool recognition comprising reading a work tool identifier provided on the tool and checking the work tool identifier against a database and retrieving a predetermined condition from the database, if checking the work tool identifier was successful, preferably wherein the retrieved predetermined condition allows decoupling of the tool in a working posture if the tool is identified as one of a demolition tool, a grappler or a compactor. Thereby, specific tools for which curling is disadvantageous due to their dimensions or purpose, may be granted a specific set of a predetermined condition without the necessity of curling. Specifically, the work tool identifier may be an RFID tag provided on the work tool, also called Work Tool Recognition. The work tool identifier may be read by the control unit and checked against a database which may be stored in the software of the machine. In this regard, it may further be advantageous to issue a warning on the display, indicating that decoupling may be allowed in the current posture for the grapple or compactor. Further, it may be advantageous that the retrieved predetermined condition comprises that the tool is close to the ground.

The proposed method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly may be employed in a vehicle comprising a tilt rotator assembly. Specifically, the vehicle may be configured to carry out the method according to the disclosure provided above. Accordingly, technical features which are described in connection with the above method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly may also relate and be applied to the proposed vehicle, and vice versa.

In addition thereto, a computer system may be provided, which may comprise a display, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use on the computer system. Specifically, the computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions for performing the method set forth above. As such, technical features which are described in connection with the above method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly and in connection with a vehicle configured to carry out such method may also relate and be applied to the computer system, and vice versa.

Industrial Applicability

With reference to the Figures, a method of decoupling a tilt rotator assembly comprising a tilt rotator and a tool coupled thereto and a vehicle being equipped with such a tilt rotator assembly are suggested. The method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly is applicable in any suitable vehicle such as an excavator. Further, the method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly may replace conventional methods for decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly and may serve as replacement method in the form of a software update or a retrofit part.

The methods, vehicles and systems consistent with the disclosed embodiments enable a safe decoupling operation of tilt rotor assemblies with a tool coupled thereon. Further, the proposed methods are, from an operator’s perspective, similar to methods operators had been trained to conduct when operating non tilt rotating linkages. More specifically, conducting the methods proposed poses a similar task sequence as standard curl-to-unlock methods. Operators do not need additional training in order to being able to conduct the proposed methods yet benefit from the increased safety on the construction site. As a result, applying the proposed teaching, construction work may become more efficient and productive. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed method, vehicle and computer system. Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the present disclosure. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the present disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. Method of decoupling a tool from a tilt rotator assembly comprising a tilt rotator with a tool coupled thereto, the method comprising: retrieving at least one value corresponding to a current posture of the tilt rotator assembly; determining at a control unit whether the at least one retrieved value fulfills a predetermined condition; and allowing decoupling of the tool from the tilt rotator assembly if it is determined that the at least one retrieved value fulfills the predetermined condition.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of receiving an input at an input device, wherein receiving the input at the input device causes retrieving the at least one value.

3. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of maintaining the tool in a coupled condition with the tilt rotator assembly if it is determined that the at least one retrieved value does not fulfil the predetermined condition.

4. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of unlocking the tool using locking means if decoupling of the tool from the tilt rotator assembly is allowed.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the step of unlocking the tool further includes restricting further actuation of the tilt rotator assembly.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises that the tilt rotator assembly is in a curled posture.

7. Method according to claim 1 further including a step of uncurling of the tilt rotator assembly in order to decouple the tool from the tilt rotator assembly if decoupling of the tool from the tilt rotator assembly is allowed.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein retrieving the at least one value comprises retrieving the at least one value from a sensor unit.

9. Method according claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a threshold, an upper or lower value and/or a Boolean condition.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the tilt rotator assembly further comprises a pin grabber coupler to which the tool is coupled.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the tilt rotator assembly further comprises a rotatable manipulator table disposed in between the tilt rotator and the pin grabber coupler to connect the tilt rotator and pin grabber coupler.

12. Method according to any of claims 10, wherein the tilt rotator assembly comprises a pin grabber coupler having a rearward-facing notch and a downward-facing notch, wherein the predetermined condition further comprises that the rearward-facing notch of the pin grabber coupler is substantially higher than the downward-facing notch, such that a swing-out or drop of the tool out of the pin grabber coupler is prevented when the tool is unlocked from the pin grabber coupler.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises that the posture of the tilt rotator assembly is such that the tool is substantially levelled out, preferably wherein the predetermined condition comprises that the tool is close to the ground.

14. Method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of work tool recognition comprising reading a work tool identifier provided on the tool and checking the work tool identifier against a database and retrieving a predetermined condition from the database, if checking the work tool identifier was successful, preferably wherein the retrieved predetermined condition allows decoupling of the tool in a working posture if the tool is identified as one of a demolition tool, a grappler or a compactor.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined condition further comprises that the tool is close to the ground.

16. Vehicle comprising a tilt rotator assembly being configured to carry out the method according to any of the previous claims.

17. Computer system comprising: a display; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use on the computer system, the computer-readable medium storing computer- executable instructions for performing the method according to claim 1.