System and method for determining radius of a wheel of a mobile machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12066281-B2
Application number	US-202217810170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2022
Priority date	Jul 7, 2021
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

A distance sensor is used for automatically determining the size of a wheel on a mobile machine. The distance sensor is mounted to detect distance information relating to a distance between the sensor and an outer circumferential surface of the wheel. The distance information is received by a controller configured to determine the radius of the wheel based at least in part on the distance information. The controller may compare the measured radius with data for a range of standard wheel sizes and determine which standard wheel size is fitted. The measured wheel radius and/or the determined standard wheel size can used as an input for a control system on the machine which requires wheel size data, such as an axle height adjustment system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A combine harvester, comprising:
an axle supporting a wheel having a radius;
a height-adjustment system for adjusting a height of the axle;
a distance sensor mounted to the combine harvester and configured to detect distance information relating to a distance between a known datum and an outer circumferential surface of the wheel; and
at least one controller configured to receive the distance information from the distance sensor, to determine the radius of the wheel based at least in part on the distance information, and to use the determined wheel radius as an input to adjust the height of the axle.

2. The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of an ultrasonic sensor and a laser sensor.

3. The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor is configured to detect the distance information between the sensor and the wheel within ±2 mm.

4. The combine harvester of claim 3 , wherein the distance sensor is configured to detect the distance information between the sensor and the wheel within ±1 mm.

5. The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor is mounted to the combine harvester at a known distance from an axis of rotation of the wheel.

6. The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the wheel has a tire and the outer circumferential surface of the wheel is defined by an outer circumferential surface of the tire.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the outer circumferential surface of the tire defines a tread comprising a plurality of tread features arranged in a pattern and separated by grooves, and wherein the at least one controller is configured to determine the distance between the distance sensor and the outer circumferential surface of the tire in at least one of the following two measurement modes:
an absolute mode in which a minimum distance (D min ) between the distance sensor and the tire is measured at outer surfaces of the tread features; and
a relative mode in which differences between the minimum distance (D min ) between the distance sensor and the tire measured at outer surfaces of the tread features and a maximum distance (D max ) measured at a bottom of the grooves as the wheel rotates is used to determine a depth of the tread (TO).

8. The combine harvester of claim 7 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to determine the radius of the wheel using the absolute mode.

9. The combine harvester of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to compare radius determined by the at least one controller with data for a range of standard wheel sizes and to determine which standard wheel size the wheel conforms to.

10. A method of operating a combine harvester having at least one axle, the method comprising:
using a distance sensor mounted to the combine harvester to provide distance information to at least one controller, the distance information relating to a distance between a known datum and an outer circumferential surface of a wheel carried by the at least one axle of the combine harvester;
using the at least one controller to determine a radius of the wheel based at least in part on the distance information; and
using the determined wheel radius to adjust a height of the at least one axle.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising mounting the sensor to the combine harvester at a known distance from an axis of rotation of the wheel.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising comparing the radius of the wheel with data for a range of standard wheel sizes and determining from the comparison which standard wheel size the wheel conforms to.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the wheel has a tire, and wherein the method comprises using the distance sensor to provide the distance information relating to a distance between the known datum and an outer circumferential surface of the tire.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the outer circumferential surface of the tire defines a tread comprising a plurality of tread features arranged in a pattern and separated by grooves, the method further comprising determining the distance between the sensor and the outer circumferential surface of the tire in at least one of the following two measurement modes:
an absolute mode in which a minimum distance (D min ) between the sensor and the tire is measured at the outer surfaces of the tread features; and
a relative mode in which differences between the minimum distance (D min ) between the sensor and the tire measured at the outer surfaces of the tread features and a maximum distance (D max ) measured at the bottom of the grooves as the wheel rotates is used to determine the depth of the tread (TD).

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining a radius of more than one wheel of the combine harvester using a respective distance senor for each wheel to be measured.

Assignees

• Agco Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Turcato Paolo
• Carollo Filippo
• Dal Soglio Andrea

Classifications

• G01B11/026

  by measuring distance between sensor and object (G01B11/0608 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B17/00

  Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic vibrations · CPC title

• G01B11/0608

  Height gauges · CPC title

• G01B11/08 Primary

  for measuring diameters · CPC title

• G01B11/26

  for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes · CPC title