Motor control system and method for agricultural spreader

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9763384-B2
Application number	US-201213619341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2012
Priority date	Sep 14, 2012
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

An agricultural spreader system includes a first motor, a second motor, and a valve system coupled to the first motor and to the second motor. The first motor is configured to be driven by a working fluid and to drive a first spreader disc in rotation. The second motor is configured to be driven by the working fluid and to drive a second spreader disc in rotation. The valve system is configured to transition between a series flow arrangement and a parallel flow arrangement. The series flow arrangement is configured to direct the working fluid to the second motor through the first motor. The parallel flow arrangement is configured to direct a first portion of the working fluid to the first motor, and to direct a second portion of the working fluid to the second motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An agricultural spreader system, comprising:
a first motor configured to be driven by a working fluid and to drive a first spreader disc in rotation;
a second motor configured to be driven by the working fluid and to drive a second spreader disc in rotation; and
a valve system comprising:
a first proportional valve coupled to the first motor; and
a second proportional valve coupled to the first proportional valve and to the second motor, wherein the valve system is configured to transition between a series flow arrangement and a parallel flow arrangement, the series flow arrangement is configured to direct the working fluid to the second proportional valve through the first proportional valve and the first motor, and the first proportional valve in the parallel flow arrangement is configured to direct a first portion of the working fluid to the first motor, and to direct a second portion of the working fluid to the second proportional valve, wherein the second proportional valve is configured to direct a fraction of the second portion of the working fluid to the second motor.

2. The system of claim 1 , comprising a controller configured to instruct the valve system to transition between the series flow arrangement and the parallel flow arrangement.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller comprises an input device configured to manually control the valve system.

4. The system of claim 2 , comprising a torque sensor configured to output a signal to the controller indicative of a torque of the first motor or the second motor, wherein the controller is configured to instruct the valve system to transition between the series flow arrangement and the parallel flow arrangement based at least in part on the signal.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the series flow arrangement of the valve system is configured to direct the working fluid to drive the first motor with a first torque and to drive the second motor with a second torque, the parallel flow arrangement of the valve system is configured to direct the working fluid to drive the first motor with a third torque and to drive the second motor with a fourth torque, the third torque is greater than the first torque, and the fourth torque is greater than the second torque.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first proportional valve comprises a first electro-proportional valve configured to divide the working fluid into the first portion and the second portion, and the second proportional valve comprises a second electro-proportional valve configured to divide the second portion into the fraction for the second motor and a remainder.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the valve system is configured to control the first motor independently of the second motor.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the valve system is configured to synchronize a first speed of the first motor with a second speed of the second motor.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first flow rate of the first portion of the working fluid is substantially equal to a second flow rate of the fraction of the second portion of the working fluid.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the valve system comprises a check valve and a blocking valve, wherein the check valve is configured to direct the working fluid from the first motor to the second proportional valve in the series flow arrangement, the blocking valve is configured to direct the working fluid from the first motor to a tank line in the parallel flow arrangement, and the check valve is configured to prevent the working fluid from passing to the first motor from the second motor in the parallel flow arrangement.

11. An agricultural spreader system, comprising
a first hydraulic motor configured to drive a first spreader disc;
a second hydraulic motor configured to drive a second spreader disc;
a valve system comprising:
a first proportional valve coupled to the first hydraulic motor; and
a second proportional valve coupled to the first proportional valve and to the second hydraulic motor; and

a controller coupled to the first proportional valve and the second proportional valve, wherein the controller is configured to control the first proportional valve and the second proportional valve to independently control the first hydraulic motor and the second hydraulic motor, and the controller is configured to control a first torque of the first hydraulic motor and a second torque of the second hydraulic motor, wherein the controller is configured to control the first torque and the second torque to a low torque for normal operation, the controller is configured to control the first torque to a first high torque for clearing a material from the first spreader disc, and the controller is configured to control the second torque to a second high torque for clearing the material from the second spreader disc.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the valve system is configured to transition between a series flow arrangement and a parallel flow arrangement, the series flow arrangement is configured to direct a first flow of a hydraulic fluid to the second proportional valve through the first proportional valve and the first hydraulic motor, the first proportional valve in the parallel flow arrangement is configured to divide the hydraulic fluid into the first flow and a second flow, the parallel flow arrangement is configured to direct the first flow to the first hydraulic motor, the parallel flow arrangement is configured to direct the second flow to the second proportional valve, and the second proportional valve is configured to direct a fraction of the second flow to the second hydraulic motor.

13. The system of claim 11 , comprising a sensor configured to output a signal to the controller indicative of a speed of the first hydraulic motor, wherein the controller is configured to control the first torque of the first hydraulic motor based at least in part on the signal.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to synchronize the first torque with the second torque.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the working fluid directed to the first motor is less than half of the working fluid received by the first proportional valve.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the fraction of the second portion of the working fluid directed to the second motor is less than half of the working fluid received by the first proportional valve.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second proportional valve in the series arrangement is configured to divide the working fluid into a working portion and a remainder, wherein the second proportional valve is configured to direct the working portion of the working fluid to the second motor, and to direct the remainder to a tank line.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first flow directed to the first hydraulic motor in the parallel arrangement is less than half of the hydraulic fluid received by the first proportional valve, and the fraction of the second flow directed to the second hydraulic motor is less than half of the working fluid received by the first proportional valve.

19. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second proportional valve in the series flow arrangement is configured to divide the first flow of the hydraulic fluid into a working portion and a remainder, wherein the second proportional valve is configured to direct the working portion of the hydraulic fluid to the second hydraulic motor, and to direct the remainder to a tank line.

Assignees

• Hessler Charles Andrew
• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Hessler Charles Andrew

Classifications

• A01D41/1274

  for drives · CPC title

• A01D69/03

  fluid · CPC title

• A01D41/1243 Primary

  Devices for laying-out or distributing the straw · CPC title

• F16H61/452

  Selectively controlling multiple pumps or motors, e.g. switching between series or parallel · CPC title