System and method for remotely controlling hydraulic components of an agricultural implement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10813269-B2
Application number	US-201816111864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2018
Priority date	Aug 24, 2018
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A system for remotely controlling hydraulic component of an agricultural implement towed by a work vehicle may include a vehicle-based valve assembly that selectively supplies hydraulic fluid to one or more supply lines of the implement. Specifically, a first supply line may be fluidly coupled to an implement-based valve assembly that regulates the supply of hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic actuator through a first actuator line. A second supply line may be fluidly coupled to the first actuator line downstream of the implement-based valve assembly such that when a user provides a control input at a remote interface, the vehicle-based valve assembly may instead regulate the supply of hydraulic fluid to the actuator. The supply of the hydraulic fluid through the supply lines may additionally be controlled by first and second override valves fluidly coupled to the first and second supply lines, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for remotely controlling hydraulic components of an agricultural implement, the system comprising:
a vehicle-based valve assembly configured to regulate a supply of hydraulic fluid to the agricultural implement through first and second supply lines, the vehicle-based valve assembly configured to supply the hydraulic fluid through the first supply line when a hydraulic system of the implement is operating in an automatic control mode;
an implement-based valve assembly fluidly coupled to the first supply line, the implement-based valve assembly configured to regulate the supply of the hydraulic fluid received via the first supply line to a first actuator line fluidly coupled to a first hydraulic actuator of the agricultural implement when in the automatic control mode, the second supply line being fluidly coupled to the first actuator line downstream of the implement-based valve assembly;
a first override valve supported on the agricultural implement and fluidly coupled to the first supply line between the vehicle-based valve assembly and the implement-based valve assembly; and
a second override valve supported on the agricultural implement and fluidly coupled to the second supply line between the vehicle-based valve assembly and the first actuator line; wherein:
when operating in the automatic control mode, the first and second override valves are actuated to respective positions such that the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the first hydraulic actuator through the first actuator line is regulated via control of the implement-based valve assembly; and
when a control input is received to override the automatic control mode, the first and second override valves are actuated to respective positions such that the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the first hydraulic actuator through the first actuator line is regulated by the vehicle-based valve assembly.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second override valves correspond to pilot-operated valves such that each of the first and second override valves are actuated to an open position when the hydraulic fluid is supplied through the first and second supply lines, respectively, and to a closed position when the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the first and second supply lines, respectively, is discontinued.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the vehicle-based valve assembly is configured to discontinue the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the first supply line and to initiate the supply of the hydraulic fluid through the second supply line when the control input is received to override the automatic control mode.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pressure sensor configured to detect a fluid pressure of the hydraulic fluid supplied through the second supply line; and
an implement controller configured to monitor the fluid pressure within the second supply line based on sensor data received from the pressure sensor.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein, when the vehicle-based valve assembly initiates the supply of the hydraulic fluid through the second supply line upon receipt of the control input, the implement controller is configured to detect a change in the fluid pressure within the second supply line and to actuate the second override valve to an open position to allow the hydraulic fluid to be supplied to the first actuator line via the second supply line.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein, when the implement controller detects the change in the fluid pressure within the second supply line, the implement controller is further configured to actuate the first override valve to a closed position.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein, when the vehicle-based valve assembly initiates the supply of the hydraulic fluid through the second supply line upon receipt of the control input, the implement controller is configured to detect a change in the fluid pressure within the second supply line and to actuate the first override valve to a closed position to prevent the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the implement-based valve assembly through the first supply line.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the implement-based valve assembly is further configured to regulate the supply of the hydraulic fluid through the first supply line to a second actuator line fluidly coupled to a second hydraulic actuator of the agricultural implement when in the automatic control mode, and wherein the vehicle-based valve assembly is further configured to regulate the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the agricultural implement through a third supply line fluidly coupled to the second actuator line downstream of the implement-based valve assembly, the system further comprising:
a third override control valve supported on the agricultural implement and fluidly coupled to the third supply line between the vehicle-based valve assembly and the second actuator line.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein:
when operating in the automatic control mode, the first override valve is disposed at an open position and the second and third valves are disposed at closed positions such that the supply of the hydraulic fluid to at least one of the first hydraulic actuator or the second hydraulic actuator is regulated via control of the operation of the implement-based valve assembly; and when the control input is received to override the automatic control mode, the first override valve is actuated to a closed position and at least one of the second override valve or the third override valve is actuated to an open position such that the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the at least one of the first hydraulic actuator or the second hydraulic actuator is regulated by the vehicle-based valve assembly.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control input is transmitted based on an operator input received from an input device within a cab of a work vehicle to which the agricultural implement is coupled.

11. A method for remotely controlling hydraulic components of an agricultural implement towed by a work vehicle, the agricultural implement including first and second supply lines configured to receive pressurized hydraulic fluid from a vehicle-based valve assembly of the work vehicle, the first supply line being fluidly coupled to an implement-based valve assembly configured to regulate a supply of the hydraulic fluid supplied via the first supply line to a first actuator line fluidly coupled to a first hydraulic actuator of the agricultural implement, the second supply line being fluidly coupled to the first actuator line downstream of the implement-based valve assembly, the agricultural implement further comprising a first override valve fluidly coupled to the first supply line upstream of the implement-based valve assembly and a second override valve fluidly coupled to the second supply line, the method comprising:
supplying the pressurized hydraulic fluid to the agricultural implement through the first supply line when operating in an automatic control mode such that the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the first actuator line is regulated by the implement-based valve assembly, the first override valve being in an open position and the second override valve being in a closed position when in the automatic control mode;
receiving a control input associated with transitioning control from the automatic control mode to a manual override mode; and
supplying the pressurized hydraulic fluid to the agricultural implement through the second supply line when operating in the manual override mode such that the supply of the hydraulic fluid to the first actuator line is regulated by the vehicle-based valve assembly of the work vehicle.

1

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Blunier Timothy R
• Endsley John C

Classifications

• F15B2211/895

  Manual override · CPC title

• F15B21/082

  with different modes · CPC title

• A01B49/027

  with a rotating, soil working support element, e.g. a roller · CPC title

• F15B2211/6336

  representing a state of the output member, e.g. position, speed or acceleration · CPC title

• A01B49/02

  with two or more soil-working tools of different kind · CPC title