Method for monitoring payload

Claim 1

A method for predicting and indicating when a subsequent load added to a work vehicle having a frame supported by a plurality of pressurized struts will exceed a preselected percentage of a preselected rated payload capacity of the work vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: sensing an internal pressure of each of the struts, delivering signals each having a magnitude correlative to the respective strut pressure, and calculating a present work vehicle payload in response to the magnitude of each of the strut pressure signals; detecting an initial increase of a preselected magnitude in the calculated present work vehicle payload and thereafter calculating a previous incremental load added to the work vehicle; adding the calculated previous incremental load to the present work vehicle payload to calculate a predicted subsequent payload; comparing the predicted payload to the preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity, delivering a first signal in response to the predicted payload being greater than the preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity, and delivering a second signal in response to the predicted payload being less than a preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity; and energizing one of a first and second indicator in response to receiving the first and second signal respectively.

Claim 2

A method for predicting and indicating when a subsequent load added to a work vehicle having a frame supported by a plurality of pressurized struts will exceed a preselected percentage of a preselected rated payload capacity of the work vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: sensing an internal pressure of each of the struts, delivering signals each having a magnitude correlative to the respective strut pressure, and calculating a present work vehicle payload in response to the magnitude of each of the strut pressure signals; detecting an initial increase of a preselected magnitude in the calculated present work vehicle payload and thereafter calculating a previous incremental load added to the work vehicle; adding the calculated previous incremental load to the present work vehicle payload to calculate a predicted subsequent payload; comparing the predicted payload to the preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity, delivering a first signal in response to the predicted payload being greater than the preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity, and delivering a second signal in response to the predicted payload being less than a preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity; and energizing one of a first and second indicator in response to receiving the first and second signal respectively.

Claim 6

A method for predicting an indicating when a subsequent incremental load added to an off-highway truck having a frame supported by a plurality of struts will exceed a preselected percentage of a preselected rated payload capacity of the truck, the method comprising the steps of: sensing an internal pressure of each of the struts, delivering signals each having a magnitude correlative to the respective strut pressure, and calculating a present truck payload in response to the total of the magnitude of the strut pressure signals; detecting an initial increase in the calculated present truck payload and delivering a payload signal in response to the calculated present truck payload being greater than a preselected magnitude; detecting the payload signal and thereafter performing the following subsequent steps: calculating the previous incremental load added to the work vehicle; adding the calculated previous incremental load value to an existing payload value to calculate a predicted subsequent payload; comparing the predicted payload to the preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity, delivering a first signal in response to the predicted payload being greater than the preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity, and delivering a second signal in response to the predicted payload being less than a preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity; and energizing a first indicator on the truck in response to receiving the first signal and energizing a second indicator on the truck in response to receiving the second signal.

Claim 7

A method for predicting an indicating when a subsequent incremental load added to an off-highway truck having a frame supported by a plurality of struts will exceed a preselected percentage of a preselected rated payload capacity of the truck, the method comprising the steps of: sensing an internal pressure of each of the struts, delivering signals each having a magnitude correlative to the respective strut pressure, and calculating a present truck payload in response to the total of the magnitude of the strut pressure signals; detecting an initial increase in the calculated present truck payload and delivering a payload signal in response to the calculated present truck payload being greater than a preselected magnitude; detecting the payload signal and thereafter performing the following subsequent steps: calculating the previous incremental load added to the work vehicle; adding the calculated previous incremental load value to an existing payload value to calculate a predicted subsequent payload; comparing the predicted payload to the preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity, delivering a first signal in response to the predicted payload being greater than the preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity, and delivering a second signal in response to the predicted payload being less than a preselected percentage of the rated payload capacity; and energizing a first indicator on the truck in response to receiving the first signal and energizing a second indicator on the truck in response to receiving the second signal.