Automatic driveline calibration for an agricultural machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10973166-B2
Application number	US-201916257439-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2019
Priority date	Jan 25, 2019
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

By using various feedback data on a sprayer system, such as engine speed, wheel speed, sensed temperatures and/or sensed pressures, an onboard logic controller can be used to fine tune parameters of the driveline system in an automatic calibration process. In one aspect, a controller can drive up engine speed and manipulate electrical current being sent to coils of propel pumps and/or wheel motors as current reaches a point where there is no more change in wheel speed as detected by the system, thereby achieving a. calibration setpoint. Additionally, during the automatic calibration process, the machine as a whole can be monitored with respect to several sensors, such as pressures, temperatures, and the like, so that if any parameter being monitored is out of a predetermined range, the calibration can be stopped and not set.

First claim

We claim:

1. An agricultural machine, comprising:
a chassis supporting a cab and having a plurality of wheels;
a hydrostatic drivetrain system for delivering power to the wheels and including:
an internal combustion engine supported by the chassis,
a hydrostatic pump system receiving torque from the internal combustion engine and converting the torque from the internal combustion engine into hydraulic power for use by the hydrostatic drivetrain system, and
hydraulic motors receiving hydraulic power from the hydrostatic pump system and arranged for delivering power for rotating the wheels, each hydraulic motor being configured to receive hydraulic fluid from the hydrostatic pump system for driving rotation of a wheel and return hydraulic fluid to the hydrostatic pump system; and

a processor executing a program stored in a non-transient medium, the processor executing the program to:
receive an input from a user operable to automatically calibrate the hydrostatic drivetrain system so that a magnitude of an electrical signal for controlling a minimum or a maximum amount of hydraulic power that is usable by the hydrostatic drivetrain system is determined.

2. The agricultural machine of claim 1 , wherein the hydrostatic pump system comprises a tandem pair of variable displacement hydrostatic pumps with a front pump of the tandem pair arranged forward of the machine and a rear pump of the tandem pair arranged rearward of the machine.

3. The agricultural machine of claim 2 , wherein the magnitude of the electrical signal is a first magnitude of a first electrical signal for controlling a minimum amount of hydraulic power from the front pump, and further comprising the processor executing to determine a second magnitude of the first electrical signal for controlling a maximum amount of hydraulic power from the front pump, a first magnitude of a second electrical signal for controlling a minimum amount of hydraulic power from the rear pump, and a second magnitude of the second electrical signal for controlling a maximum amount of hydraulic power from the rear pump.

4. The agricultural machine of claim 1 , further comprising the processor executing to calibrate the hydrostatic drivetrain system so that a magnitude of a wheel signal for controlling a minimum or a maximum amount of power delivered to a wheel that is usable by the wheel is determined.

5. The agricultural machine of claim 4 , wherein the magnitude of the wheel signal is a magnitude of a first wheel signal for controlling a maximum amount of power delivered to a first wheel of the plurality of wheels, and further comprising the processor executing to determine a magnitude of a second wheel signal for controlling a maximum amount of power delivered to a second wheel of the plurality of wheels, a magnitude of a third wheel signal for controlling a maximum amount of power delivered to a third wheel of the plurality of wheels and a magnitude of a fourth wheel signal for controlling a maximum amount of power delivered to a fourth wheel of the plurality of wheels.

6. The agricultural machine of claim I, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the hydraulic fluid, and further comprising the processor executing to calibrate the hydrostatic drivetrain system only when the temperature is above a predetermined minimum value.

7. The agricultural machine of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined minimum value is at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

8. The agricultural machine of claim 6 , further comprising the processor executing to calibrate the hydrostatic drivetrain system only when the temperature is between the predetermined minimum value and a predetermined maximum value.

9. The agricultural machine of claim 1 , further comprising a Human Machine Interface (HMI) provided in the cab, wherein the HMI is operable to receive the input operable to calibrate the hydrostatic drivetrain system.

10. The agricultural machine of claim 1 , wherein the processor determines the minimum amount of hydraulic power that is usable by the hydrostatic drivetrain system by continuously incrementing the magnitude of the electrical signal until an initial speed of a wheel of the plurality of wheels is detected.

11. The agricultural machine of claim 10 , wherein the processor determines the maximum amount of hydraulic power that is usable by the hydrostatic drivetrain system by continuously incrementing the magnitude of the electrical signal until a change in speed of the wheel is no longer detected.

12. The agricultural machine of claim 11 , further comprising a wheel speed sensor arranged with respect to the wheel, wherein the processor executes to continuously monitor the wheel speed sensor for the initial speed and the change.

13. The agricultural machine of claim 1 , wherein the electrical signal controls a coil controlling displacement of hydraulic fluid in the hydrostatic pump system.

14. A self-propelled agricultural vehicle, comprising:
a chassis supporting a cab and having a plurality of wheels for moving the vehicle;
an application system supported by the chassis and including at least one storage container storing a volume of product for delivery onto an agricultural field;
a hydrostatic drivetrain system for delivering power to the wheels and including:
an internal combustion engine supported by the chassis,
a hydrostatic pump system receiving torque from the internal combustion engine and converting the torque from the internal combustion engine into hydraulic power for use by the hydrostatic drivetrain system, the hydrostatic pump system comprising first and second pumps arranged as a tandem pair of variable displacement hydrostatic pumps, and
hydraulic motors receiving hydraulic power from the hydrostatic pump system and arranged for delivering power for rotating the wheels, each hydraulic motor being configured to receive hydraulic fluid from the hydrostatic pump system for driving rotation of a wheel and return hydraulic fluid to the hydrostatic pump system;

operator controls provided in the cab, the operator controls including a touch screen Human Machine Interface (HMI); and
a processor executing a program stored in a non-transient medium, the processor executing the program to:
receive an input from a user operable to automatically calibrate the hydrostatic drivetrain system so that a magnitude of a first electrical signal for controlling a minimum or a maximum amount of hydraulic power from the first pump that is usable by the hydrostatic drivetrain system and a magnitude of a second electrical signal for controlling a minimum or a maximum amount of hydraulic power from the second pump that is usable by the hydrostatic drivetrain system are each determined.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the first pump is arranged forward of the vehicle and the second pump is arranged rearward of the vehicle.

16. The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the magnitude of the first electrical signal is a first magnitude for controlling a minimum amount of hydraulic power from the first pump, and further comprising the processor executing to determine a second magnitude of the first electrical signal for controlling a maximum amount of hydraulic power from the first pump, and wherein the magnitude of the second electrical signal is a first magnitude for controlling a minimum amount of hydraulic power from the second pump, and further comprising the processor executing to determine a second magnitude of the second electrical signal for controlling a maximum amount of hydraulic power from the second pump.

17. The vehicle

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Brooks Nathan
• Winkel Steven

Classifications

• F16H2342/00

  Calibrating · CPC title

• E02F9/265

  with follow-up actions (e.g. control signals sent to actuate the work tool) · CPC title

• B60Y2200/224

  Boom carrying vehicles, e.g. for irrigation · CPC title

• F16H61/472

  for achieving a target output torque · CPC title

• E02F9/2041

  Automatic repositioning of implements, i.e. memorising determined positions of the implement (for dipper-arms or bucket-arms E02F3/434, E02F3/437, E02F3/438, E02F3/439 take precedence) · CPC title