US 12,134,879 B2
Method of determining an angle of a tool of a machine
Adrien Jaegy, Ungersheim (FR)
Assigned to LIEBHERR-MINING EQUIPMENT COLMAR SAS, Colmar (FR)
Appl. No. 17/263,136
Filed by LIEBHERR-MINING EQUIPMENT COLMAR SAS, Colmar (FR)
PCT Filed Jul. 26, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/070168
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 25, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/021059, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2018 118 147.7 (DE), filed on Jul. 26, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0180296 A1, Jun. 17, 2021
Int. Cl. E02F 9/26 (2006.01); E02F 3/30 (2006.01); G01B 21/22 (2006.01); G01P 3/44 (2006.01)
CPC E02F 9/264 (2013.01) [E02F 3/308 (2013.01); G01B 21/22 (2013.01); G01P 3/44 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of determining an angle of a piece of working equipment of a machine, wherein
the machine has an undercarriage and a superstructure rotatable with respect thereto;
the piece of working equipment is fastened to the superstructure via a swivel joint such that an axis of rotation of the swivel joint is orthogonal to the axis of rotation of a rotatable superstructure;
the piece of working equipment is provided with an inertial measurement unit (IMU), that is configured to detect an angular speed in three spatial directions (x, y, z), wherein the IMU is positioned such that a first one of the three spatial directions (y) in which angular speed (θy) is detectable by the IMU is fixedly aligned with and parallel to the axis of rotation of the swivel joint;
the IMU measures an angular speed (θtz) of a rotation of the superstructure; and
an angle of the piece of working equipment relative to the axis of rotation of the rotatable superstructure is determined based on the detected superstructure angular speed (θtz); and
the method further comprising measuring, by the IMU, angular speeds (θx, θz) of each of a second and a third spatial direction (x,z) of the three spatial directions (x,y,z), wherein the second and the third spatial directions (x,z) each differ from the first one of the three spatial directions (y), and wherein the angle of the piece of working equipment is determined from the measured angular speeds (θx, θz) of the two spatial directions (x,z).