Computer controlled backhoe

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to an automatic computer operated control system for a mechanism on a material handling vehicle that has a backhoe assembly The invention is particularly directed to a programmed and pre-programmable computer used in combination with the vehicle so as to sense the relative location of the backhoe assembly mechanism including boom, crowd, and a bucket relative to a desired digging mode.
Sensor devices, such as variable resistors, are at the various pivot points of the backhoe assembly and generate a signal to a computer, which, in turn, is capable of supplying binary movement data to hydraulic control valves operating the various parts of the backhoe assembly, including the outrigger leveling device or devices.
The present invention is further directed to a backhoe assembly as a part of a vehicle, which may be manually operated but controlled by a programmed computer so that the operator cannot go beyond certain desired levels or distances.
In particular, the invention is directed to a vehicle having a frame with an imaginary "x" or roll axis and a "y" or pitch axis.
At least two outriggers pivotal to the frame are used to level the frame relative to the "x" axis with appropriate hydraulic actuators to move the outriggers.
A backhoe assembly is attached to the frame pivotally and comprises a boom pivotal at one end to the frame with appropriate hydraulic means to pivot the boom in its vertical plane, along with appropriate hydraulic means to pivot the boom in a horizontal plane.
A crowd is pivotal of one end of the other end of the boom and includes appropriate hydraulic means to pivot the crowd in the vertical plane.
A bucket is pivotal to the other end of the crowd and includes appropriate bucket hydraulic means to pivot the bucket in the vertical plane.
Appropriate manual control valves are located adjacent the operator's position to control all of the aforesaid hydraulic actuators and means.
The improvement in the invention is directed towards a multiple-bit computer with interphase and pre-programmed ROM to provide information to a central processor in the computer for the purpose of supplying binary movement data relative to a desired standard to the backhoe assembly or parts thereof