US 12,225,858 B2
Method and an arrangement for managing and controlling the lifetime of a tree handling system for a forest machine
Erik Udd, Färila (SE)
Assigned to Komatsu Forest AB, Umeå (SE)
Appl. No. 17/596,729
Filed by Komatsu Forest AB, Umeå (SE)
PCT Filed May 14, 2020, PCT No. PCT/SE2020/050494
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 16, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/256614, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1950738-3 (SE), filed on Jun. 18, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0338428 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. A01G 23/08 (2006.01); A01G 23/06 (2006.01); B66C 23/90 (2006.01); G01L 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC A01G 23/08 (2013.01) [A01G 23/06 (2013.01); B66C 23/905 (2013.01); G01L 5/0071 (2013.01); B66C 2700/084 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for managing and controlling a lifetime of a tree handling system, comprising a crane equipped with a tree handling unit, and which tree handling system is activable at varying loading values by means of hydraulically powered execution means, each of which can create a force impact on the tree handling system and are activable with varying loading values (PT) through an operator's impact of a control stick, which via a hydraulic system adjusts a hydraulic flow to and from said execution means, wherein the tree handling system and associated execution means form part of a forest machine, and which method comprises:
obtaining a first sensor data from pressure sensors that represent a current loading (PT) on at least one of the crane and the tree handling unit included in the tree handling system,
determining a current partial damage value (SL, SM, SH), which during a normative activation period (At) is deemed to occur on the tree handling system at various loadings (PT) on the tree handling system,
determining a key indicator, which describes a measured value (X) that relates to an operation of the tree handling system (1) and is representative of a risk of partial damage relative to specific reporting about a current running operating state of the tree handling system,
comparing the current partial damage value (SL, SM, SH) with a normative partial damage value (SLX, SMX, SHX) for a normative operating state of the tree handling system corresponding to the key indicator and determining a change that affects the measured value (X) of the key indicator in such a manner that the current partial damage value (SL, SM, SH) returns to or approaches a level corresponding to the normative partial damage value (SLX, SMX, SHX) for the key indicator,
wherein said change that affects the measured value (X) is executed by an actuator coupled to a control unit by reducing hydraulic flow to at least one of the execution means so as to limit the loading (PT) of the tree handling system to a pre-determined maximum loading value (PTmax).