= S $ % g S = S a 9 S (12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBL (19) World Intellectual Property > Orga Z International Bureau = (43) International Publication Date 2 October 2014 (02.10.2014) SHED UNDER TH WIPO|PCT p PATE! ‘T COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) ANOKA TE (10) International Publication Number WO 2014/160566 A1 (1) International Patent Classification EOE 9/20(2006.01) 21) International Application Number: PCT/US20141031169 (22) International Filing Date: 19 Mareh 2014 (19.08.2014) 25) Filing Language: English (26) Publication Language: Pnelish (G0) Priority Data: 15/853488 29 March 2013 (29.03.2013) us (71) Applicant: CATERPILLAR INC. [US/US], 100 NE ‘Adams St, Peoria, Minois 61629 (US). (72) Inventors: HAGUE, Michael Evan; 208 Shadow Creek, Washington, Ilinois 61571 (US). MARATHE, Sameer, 2331 Emerald Lane, Yorkville, Hlinois 60560 (US), (74) Agents: SHAH, Shital A. ef al; clo Black Hills IP, P.O. Box 2409, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 (US). Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every ind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BN, BR, BW, BY, BZ, CA; CH, CL, CN, CO, CR; CU; CZ; DE, DK, DM, @n (84) DO, DZ, EC, FE, FG, FS, Fl, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HIN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, I, iS, JP, KE, KG, KN, KP, KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, ER, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM. _ PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, RW. SA, SC, SD, SE,'SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, ™, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, mW. Designated States (uriess otherwise indicated, for every kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, RW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, RU, TJ, ‘TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, S, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, TE, 7 MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK: SM, TR), OAPI (BF, BI, CF, CG, Ci, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW, KM, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, 70). Published: ‘with international search report (re 2(3)) before the expiration of tke time limit for amending the claims and to be republished in the event of receipt of famendiments (Rule 43.2 (64) Title: PAYLOAD DETERMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FIG.1 (67) Absteuct: A payload determination method for 4 machine (10) includes detemnining frst head-end and frst rod-end pressures of a fist actuator 368) and a .econd actuator (360) operably connected to a boom (34) of the machine (10) as the boom (34) is raised across a position ata reference lit angle. The method further inchudes determining @ weight of payload curried by the work tool ¢ ) hased on the frst head-end pressure ofthe fist actuator (36a), the fist rod-end pressure ofthe frst actuator (36a), the frst Jnead-end pressure ofthe second actuator (36h), the frst rod-end pressure of the second aetuator (36h), and a determined piteh angle fof the machine (10), The payload is cartied by the work tool (22) during at least one of the steps described above,WO 2014/160566 PCT/US2014/031169 15 25 30 1 Description PAYLOAD DETERMINATION § ‘STEM AND METHOD ‘Technical Field ‘The present disclosure relates generally to a machine having a work tool and, more particularly, to systems and methods for determining the weight of a payload carried by the work tool. Background Mobile machines have been used at worksites such as min: construction zones, and/or other similar environments to lift, carry, relocate, excavate, and/or otherwise act on material at the worksite, For example, a number of loaders may be used at a mine or other like excavation site to remove carthen material and transport the material to a waiting haul truck. Typically, such loaders are wheeled or tracked vehicles having a large work tool, such as a bucket, at one end thereof, Such loaders also typically include various linkages and actuators used for raising, lowering, racking, unracking, and/or otherwise manipulating the work tool, In various applications, it may be useful to know the weight of a payload carried by the work tool of such vehicles. For example, on-highway haul trucks must abide by laws restricting the total weight of the material carried in their beds. Depending on the density and other characteristics of the payload deposited into haul truck beds by the loaders described above, it may be possible to load more than the maximum allowed weight into the bed of such trucks, In addition to violating applicable laws, such excessive weights may also have a detrimental effect on the suspension, drive train, and/or other components of the haul truck, Moreover, in mining a ind/or other applications in which material is sold according to weight, knowing the weight of the payload carried by such loaders, and deposited into the respective haul truck beds, may be paramount to calculating an accurate cost of the loaded material Typically, loaders used in such applications include payload systems configured to determine the weight of the payload carried by their respective work tools in real time, Occasionally, such systems must be calibrated at the worksite to ensure con: ent and accurate weightWO 2014/160566 PCT/US2014/031169 30 2 determinations. Calibrating these systems generally requires either a large scale onto which the loader may be driven while camying a payload, or a large object having a precisely-known weight sufficient for loading the actuators and/or linkages associated with the work tool. Often, however, neither a large enough scale nor a large object of known weight is present at the worksite. In order to calibrate the payload system in such situations, it may be necessary to determine the weight of a payload carried by work tool using other means. U.S. Patent No. 5,929,389 to Keuper, issued July 27, 1999 ("the “389 patent"), describes an exemplary system for determining the weight of a Josed in the 389 patent load carried by a mobile vehicle. The system includes a hydraulic cylinder used to raise and lower the load, a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the hydraulic cylinder, and a position sensor for measuring the position of a linkage associated with the cylinder. The system of the *389 patent also includes a pitch sensor for measuring the pitch of the vehicle and a processor in communication with the pressure, pos ion, and pitch sensors. According to the ‘389 patent, the processor may be able to determine the weight of the load carried by the vehicle based on signals received from the respe sensors, Although the system of the *389 patent may be capable of determining the weight of a load carried by a vehicle, such systems may not be relied upon to provide an accurate measurement of weight. For example, the disclosed system measures only a single pressure associated with a single hydraulic cylinder of the vehicle. Additionally, the disclosed system and/or weight determination method does not include provisions minimizing the effects of system friction, cylinder seal resistance, and/or other sources of measurement error. Moreover, the disclosed method does not locate the linkages of the vehicle at a repeatable reference position when measuring the various pressures, positions, ete, Due to these factors, the resulting weight determination made by the system of the ‘389 patent may not be sufficiently accurate for calibration purposes. The disclosed embodiments are directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.WO 2014/160566 PCT/US2014/031169 20 30 3 ‘Summary In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a payload determination method associated with a machine includes raising a boom of the machine from a first position at a minimum lift angle of the boom to a second position at a maximum lift angle of the boom. The method also includes determining first head-end and first rod-end pressures of a first actuator operably connected to the boom as the boom is raised across a third position at a reference lift angle of the boom between the minimum and maximum lift angles. The ‘method further includes determining first head-end and first rod-end pressures of a second actuator operably connected to a work tool of the machine as the boom is raised across the third position. The method also includes lowering the boom from the second position to the first position, determining second head-end and second rod-end pressures of the first actuator as the boom is lowered across the third position, and determining second head-end and second rod-end pressures of the second actuator as the boom is lowered across the third position. The method further includes determining a weight of a payload carried by the work. tool based on the first and second head-end pressures of the first actuator, the first and second rod-end pressures of the first actuator, the first and second head- end pressures of the second actuator, the first and second rod-end pressures of the second actuator, and a determined pitch angle of the machine. In such an exemplary method, the payload is carried by the work tool during at least one of the determining steps described above. In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a payload determination method associated with a machine includes lowering a boom of the machine to a first position at a minimum lift angle of the boom, unracking a bucket of the machine connected to the boom, and racking the bucket. The method also includes raising the boom from the first position to a second position at a maximum lift angle of the boom, and determi ing first head- end and first rod-end pressures of a first hydraulic cylinder operably connected to the boom as the boom is raised across a third position at a reference lift angle of the boom between the minimum and maximum lift angles. In such embodiments, the reference lift angle comprises a target lift angle modified by a determined pitch angle of the machine. The exemplary method also includes determining first head-end and first rod-end pressures of a second hydraulic