Agricultural system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11246265-B2
Application number	US-202017092579-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2020
Priority date	Nov 8, 2019
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

An agricultural system including an agricultural baler and a control unit. The baler includes a driveline including at least one heat generating component; a rotatable flywheel; a rotary input shaft connectable by the driveline to the rotatable flywheel; and at least one pump for supplying cooling fluid at a cooling fluid pressure to the at least one heat generating component. The control unit is configured to: receive baler-data indicative of one or more operating conditions of the agricultural baler; receive cooling-pressure-data indicative of a flow of the cooling fluid supplied by the at least one pump; set a threshold-condition based on the baler-data; and provide a control-signal to the agricultural baler based on a comparison between the cooling-pressure-data and the threshold-condition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An agricultural system comprising:
an agricultural baler comprising:
a driveline comprising at least one heat generating component;
a rotatable flywheel;
a rotary input shaft connectable by the driveline to the rotatable flywheel; and
at least one pump for supplying cooling fluid at a cooling fluid pressure to the at least one heat generating component; and

a control unit that is configured to:
receive baler-data indicative of one or more operating conditions of the agricultural baler;
receive cooling-pressure-data indicative of a flow of the cooling fluid supplied by the at least one pump;
set a threshold-condition based on the baler-data, the threshold-condition comprising a threshold-duration and a threshold-pressure-level; and

provide a control-signal to the agricultural baler based on a comparison between the cooling-pressure-data and the threshold-condition,
wherein the control unit is configured to provide the control-signal based on whether or not the cooling-pressure-data is greater than the threshold-pressure-level for a period of time that is at least the threshold-duration.

2. The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to adjust the threshold-duration based on a comparison between the cooling-pressure-data and the threshold-pressure-level.

3. The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the control-signal is for disconnecting the rotary input shaft from the flywheel.

4. The agricultural system of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one heat generating component comprises a clutch, the baler-data comprising a current engagement status of the clutch, and wherein the control unit is further configured to set the threshold-duration such that, when the baler-data indicates that the clutch is in a process of being engaged, the threshold-duration is shorter than when the baler-data indicates that the clutch is disengaged or fully engaged, or
wherein the at least one heat generating component comprises a brake, wherein the baler-data includes driveline-data indicative of a current activation status of the at least one heat generating component of the driveline, the driveline-data comprising a current activation status of the brake, and wherein the control unit is further configured to set the threshold-duration such that, when the baler-data indicates that the brake is active, the threshold-duration is shorter than when the baler-data indicates that the brake is inactive.

5. The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the baler-data includes driveline-data indicative of a current activation status of the at least one heat generating component of the driveline.

6. The agricultural system of claim 5 , wherein the driveline-data comprises one or more of the following:
input-power-data indicative of external input power provided to the agricultural baler;
transmission-control-data indicative of a requested change in transmission;
actuation-pressure-data indicative of a hydraulic fluid pressure that is applied to the at least one heat generating component for actuation; and
position-data indicative of movement of the at least one heat generating component.

7. The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the baler-data includes cooling-fluid-data indicative of a status of the cooling fluid provided to the at least one heat generating component.

8. The agricultural system of claims 7 , wherein the cooling-fluid-data comprises:
data relating to the temperature of the cooling fluid;
data relating to the viscosity of the cooling fluid;
data relating to the service time of the cooling fluid; and
data relating to the type of the cooling fluid.

9. The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat generating component comprises a clutch, and wherein the baler-data comprises a current engagement status of the clutch.

10. The agricultural system of claim 9 , wherein:
the control unit is further configured to:
set the threshold-pressure-level to a first threshold-pressure-level value when the baler-data indicates that the clutch is in a process of being engaged; and
set the threshold-pressure-level to a second threshold-pressure-level value when the baler-data indicates that the clutch is disengaged or fully engaged, and

the second threshold-pressure-level value is lower than the first threshold-pressure-level value.

11. The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat generating component comprises a brake, and wherein the baler-data comprises a current activation status of the brake.

12. The agricultural system of claim 11 , wherein:
the control unit is further configured to:
set the threshold-pressure-level to a first threshold-pressure-level value when the baler-data indicates that brake is active; and
set the threshold-pressure-level to a second threshold-pressure-level value when the baler-data indicates that the brake is inactive, and

the second threshold-pressure-level value is lower than the first threshold-pressure-level value.

13. A computer-implemented method for controlling an agricultural baler, said baler comprising:
a driveline comprising at least one heat generating component;
a rotatable flywheel;
a rotary input shaft connectable by the driveline to the rotatable flywheel; and

at least one pump for supplying cooling fluid at a cooling fluid pressure to the at least one heat generating component,
wherein the method comprises:
receiving baler-data indicative of one or more operating conditions of the agricultural baler;
receiving cooling-pressure-data indicative of a flow of the cooling fluid supplied by the at least one pump;
setting a threshold-condition based on the baler-data, the threshold condition comprising a threshold-duration and a threshold-pressure-level; and
providing a control-signal to the agricultural baler based on a comparison between the cooling-pressure-data and the threshold-condition,
wherein providing the control-signal comprises providing the control-signal based on whether or not the cooling-pressure-data is greater than the threshold-pressure-level for a period of time that is at least the threshold-duration.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Bonte Xavier G J M
• De Leener Kenneth

Classifications

• F16H57/0442

  for supply in case of failure, i.e. auxiliary supply · CPC title

• F16H3/089

  all of the meshing gears being supported by a pair of parallel shafts, one being the input shaft and the other the output shaft, there being no countershaft involved · CPC title

• F16H2061/0034

  Accumulators for fluid pressure supply; Control thereof · CPC title

• A01F15/0841 Primary

  Drives for balers · CPC title

• F01P2025/04

  Pressure · CPC title