Patent ID: 11917952
Assignee: FIELDBOT, LLC
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 9:
10. An irrigation system having a movement direction over a ground surface of a field, the irrigation system comprising:
a plurality of spans, each having a longitudinal axis, said plurality of spans being connected at a flexible juncture and having a state of alignment of the respective longitudinal axes of the plurality of spans;
an intermediate tower structure between the plurality of spans configured to support the plurality of spans above the ground surface;
a variable-speed drive assembly of the intermediate tower structure having:
(a) a wheel configured to contact the ground surface below the irrigation system;
(b) a span motor configured to drive the wheel so as to propel the intermediate tower structure over the ground surface;
(c) a variable-speed drive controller controlling the speed of the span motor; and
(d) an alignment detector configured to detect and output the state of alignment of the respective longitudinal axes of the plurality of spans indicating: (i) a lagging state of misalignment; (ii) a leading state of misalignment; or (iii) a state of alignment that is neither lagging nor leading;
said variable-speed drive controller monitoring and processing the output of the alignment detector and based on the state of alignment detected by the alignment detector configured to: (a) vary aspects of the supply power furnished to the span motor using a predetermined increasing speed profile to continue to increase the speed over time of the span motor while in the lagging state of misalignment, regardless of magnitude of the misalignment; (b) vary aspects of the supply power furnished to the span motor using a predetermined decreasing speed profile to continue to decrease the speed over time of the span motor while in the leading state of misalignment, regardless of magnitude of the misalignment; and (c) maintain the current speed of the span motor achieved at the moment a change to the state of alignment that is neither lagging nor leading is detected, to thereby evolve a speed of the span motor that maintains substantial straight alignment of the respective longitudinal axes of the plurality of spans.