Patent · US Active

Propulsion and steering system for a road milling machine

US7942604B2 · kind B2 · utility

41Cited by
15References
57Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 28, 2007
Grant dateMay 17, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 24, 2028

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
  • CPC primaryE01C23/088
  • WIPO fieldTransport
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A propulsion system is for a road milling machine with a rotatable cutter drum (3). The system includes four crawler assemblies (12) movably coupled with the mainframe so as to define front and rear, and left and right, pairs of crawler assemblies. Four steering actuators (14) are each coupled with a separate crawler assembly and each angularly displaces the crawler about a vertical axis (12a). A first pump (16A) is fluidly coupled with the left pair of crawlers and a second pump (16B) is fluidly coupled with the right pair of crawlers. A control (20) is configured to selectively operate the four actuators in a plurality of different steering modes, one steering mode being a circle steer mode, and to operate the two pumps such that one of the left and right pairs of crawlers are drivable by the first pump in one direction while the other pair of crawlers are drivable in an opposing direction.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.