One-Handed Joystick For Excavators

Abstract

A one-handed joystick for excavators allows an operator to make all necessary motions with a single hand and arm for manipulating an excavator tool. The one-handed joystick includes a rotatable cylinder bar, a rotatable ring and an industrial joystick base. The rotatable cylinder bar is grasped with a hand. The industrial base is moved front to back, or right to left. The following are preferable hand/arm motions. A downward hand curl is associated with a bucket digging motion; an upward hand curl is associated with a bucket dump; a forearm forward push is associated with a boom/stick extension; a forearm reward pull is associated with a boom/stick retraction; a left-hand movement is associated with swinging the excavator left; a right-hand movement is associated with swinging the excavator right; a clockwise hand twist is associated with a stick/boom extension; and a counter clockwise hand twist is associated with a stick/boom retraction.

1 . A joystick for operating a tool of an excavator, comprising:
 a joystick base providing a first electrical output for left to right movement, a second electrical output for forward to backward movement;   an outer base ring extends from a top of said joystick base; and   a rotatable cylinder bar is rotatably retained in said outer base ring, said rotatable cylinder bar is sized to be grasped, said rotatable cylinder bar includes a lengthwise axis, said rotatable cylinder bar rotates about said lengthwise axis, wherein rotation of said rotatable cylinder bar in one direction causes the tool to have a first movement, rotation of said rotatable cylinder bar in an opposite direction causes the tool to have a second movement.   
     
     
         2 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 1  wherein:
 a left movement of said joystick base is associated with swinging the excavator in a leftward direction. 
 
     
     
         3 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 1  wherein:
 a right movement of said joystick base is associated with swinging the excavator in a rightward direction. 
 
     
     
         4 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 1  wherein:
 a forward movement of said joystick base is associated with a boom extension or a stick extension. 
 
     
     
         5 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 1  wherein:
 a rear movement of said joystick base is associated with a boom retraction or a stick retraction. 
 
     
     
         6 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 1  wherein:
 a SAE-ISO pattern switch is formed in said rotatable cylinder bar for switching from a SAE pattern to an ISO pattern. 
 
     
     
         7 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a hydraulic controller receiving entry from an input device to change a motion association between the tool and said joystick.   
     
     
         8 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 1  wherein:
 the tool is a bucket, said rotation of said rotatable cylinder bar in the one direction is associated with a digging motion of the bucket; and 
 said rotation of said rotatable cylinder bar in the opposite direction is associated with dumping the bucket. 
 
     
     
         9 . A joystick for operating a tool of an excavator, comprising:
 a joystick base providing an electrical output for left, right, forward and backward movement;   an outer base ring extends from a top of said joystick base, wherein moving said joystick base to the left causes a first tool to have a first movement, moving said joystick base to the right causes the first tool to have a second movement, moving said joystick base forward causes a second tool to have a third movement, moving said joystick base backward causes the second tool to have a fourth movement;   an inner base ring is rotatably retained in an inner perimeter of said outer base ring; and   a cylinder bar is retained in said inner base ring, said cylinder bar is sized to be grasped, wherein rotation of said inner base ring in one direction causes a third tool to have a fifth movement, rotation of said inner base ring in an opposite direction causes the third tool to have a sixth movement.   
     
     
         10 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 9  wherein:
 the first tool is an excavator base, a left movement of said joystick base is associated with swinging the excavator base in a leftward direction. 
 
     
     
         11 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 9  wherein:
 the first tool is an excavator base, a right movement of said joystick base is associated with swinging the excavator base in a rightward direction. 
 
     
     
         12 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 9  wherein:
 the second tool is a stick or a boom, a forward movement of said joystick base is associated with a boom extension or a stick extension. 
 
     
     
         13 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 9  wherein:
 the second tool is a stick or a boom, a rear movement of said joystick base is associated with a boom retraction or a stick retraction. 
 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a hydraulic controller receiving entry from an input device to change a motion association between the tool and said joystick.   
     
     
         16 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 9  wherein:
 the tool is a boom or a stick, rotation of said inner base ring in the one direction is associated with extending the stick or the boom; and 
 rotation of said inner base ring in the opposite direction is associated with retracting the stick or the boom. 
 
     
     
         17 . A joystick for operating a tool of an excavator, comprising:
 a joystick base providing a first electrical output for left to right movement, a second electrical output for forward to backward movement;   an outer base ring extends from a top of said joystick base;   an inner base ring is rotatably retained in an inner perimeter of said outer base ring, wherein rotation of said inner base ring in one direction is associated with a first movement of the tool, rotation of said inner base ring in an opposite direction is associated with a second movement of the tool; and   a rotatable cylinder bar is rotatably retained in said inner base ring, said rotatable cylinder bar is sized to be grasped, said rotatable cylinder bar includes a lengthwise axis, said rotatable cylinder bar rotates about said lengthwise axis, wherein rotation of said rotatable cylinder bar in one direction is associated with a third movement of the tool, rotation of said rotatable cylinder bar in an opposite direction is associated with a fourth movement of the tool.   
     
     
         18 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a hydraulic controller receiving entry from an input device to change a motion association between the tool and said joystick.   
     
     
         19 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 17  wherein:
 the tool is a bucket, said rotation of said rotatable cylinder bar in the one direction is associated with a digging motion of the bucket; and 
 said rotation of said rotatable cylinder bar in the opposite direction is associated with dumping the bucket. 
 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 17  wherein:
 said lengthwise axis of said rotational cylinder bar is disposed in a horizontal orientation during rotation. 
 
     
     
         22 . The joystick for operating a tool of an excavator of  claim 17  wherein:
 an axis of said inner base ring rotates parallel with an axis of said outer base ring.