Vehicle wheel slippage control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017313318-A1
Application number	US-201515528194-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 31, 2015
Priority date	Nov 19, 2014
Publication date	Nov 2, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An agricultural vehicle and method of controlling the same are provided, the vehicle having a motive power unit providing a driving torque to at least one driven wheel and having at least one tyre or track frictionally coupled with the periphery of the driven wheel. A vehicle operating parameter is controlled in dependence on the driving torque and a slippage characteristic relating the respective driving torque at which the frictional coupling between driven wheel and tyre or track begins to slip for a range of vehicle operating parameter values. The operating parameter is suitably a tyre pressure or track tension, and the control may involve reducing driving torque or increasing pressure/tension to prevent slipping.

First claim

1 . A control system for an agricultural vehicle having a motive power unit providing a driving torque to at least one driven wheel and having at least one ground engaging member frictionally coupled with the periphery of the at least one driven wheel;
the control system being arranged to control a vehicle operating parameter in dependence on a performance measurement of the vehicle and a slippage characteristic of the at least one ground engaging member; characterised in that the performance measurement is of the driving torque and the slippage characteristic relates the respective driving torque at which the frictional coupling between the driven wheel and the ground engaging member begins to slip for each of a plurality of vehicle operating parameter values.

2 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the driving torque measurement is calculated from an oil pressure in a hydrostatic circular flow having at least one hydraulic pump driven by the motive power unit and at least one hydraulic motor connected with the at least one driven wheel.

3 . The control system according to claim 2 , where the hydrostatic circular flow is a hydrostatic branch of a hydro-mechanical power-split gear box.

4 . The control system according to claim 2 , where the hydrostatic circular flow is a hydrostatic branch comprising at least one hydraulic motor drivingly connected to one ground engaging member.

5 . The control system according to claim 2 , where the hydrostatic circular flow is a hydrostatic branch comprising at least one hydraulic motor drivingly connected to one vehicle axle which is drivingly connected to at least two ground engaging members.

6 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the motive power unit comprises an electric motor and wherein the driving torque is calculated from the current consumption of said electric motor.

7 . The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one ground engaging member is a pneumatic tyre mounted on a rim of the at least one driven wheel and the vehicle operating parameter is an air pressure in the pneumatic tyre.

8 . The control system as claimed in claim 1 , for a vehicle having at least two ground engaging members each in the form of a pneumatic tyre mounted on a rim of a respective driven wheel on a vehicle axle, wherein the vehicle operating parameter is an air pressure of the pneumatic tyres mounted to the vehicle axle.

9 . The control system as claimed in claim 1 , for a vehicle having at least two ground engaging members each in the form of a pneumatic tyre mounted on a rim of a respective driven wheel on a vehicle axle, wherein the vehicle operating parameter is an air pressure of the pneumatic tyres, and wherein the control system is operable to vary the air pressure in a first tyre independent of the air pressure in a further tyre.

10 . The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one ground engaging member is a friction driven belted track operatively engaging the at least one driven wheel and having a preloading mechanism controllably operable to apply a variable tensioning force to the belted track, and wherein the vehicle operating parameter is the applied tensioning force.

11 . The control system as claimed in claim 1 , being further arranged to adapt the vehicle operating parameter control by reference to a temperature indicating value.

12 . An agricultural vehicle comprising the control system as claimed in claim 1 .

13 . A method of controlling an agricultural vehicle having a motive power unit providing a driving torque to at least one driven wheel and having at least one ground engaging member frictionally coupled with the periphery of the at least one driven wheel, the method comprising controlling a vehicle operating parameter in dependence on a performance measurement of the vehicle and a slippage characteristic of the ground engaging member; characterised in that the performance measurement is of the driving torque and the slippage characteristic relates the respective driving torque at which the frictional coupling between the at least one driven wheel and the at least one ground engaging member begins to slip for each of a plurality of vehicle operating parameter values.

14 . The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the agricultural vehicle has a continuously variable transmission driven by the motive power unit, the method further comprising calculating the driving torque from one or more measured operating parameter values of said transmission.

15 . The method as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising generating a curve of the slippage characteristic by operating the vehicle at each of said plurality of vehicle operating parameter values and, for each, increasing the driving torque and noting the torque value at which slippage between the driven wheel and the ground engaging member commences.

Assignees

• Agco Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Heindl Richard
• Brenninger Martin

Classifications

• B60W2400/00

  Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors · CPC title

• B60W30/18172 Primary

  Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels · CPC title

• B60C23/002

  by monitoring conditions other than tyre pressure or deformation · CPC title

• B60W10/08

  including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators · CPC title

• B60W2530/20

  Tyre data · CPC title