Patent ID: 8914215
Filing Date: 2014-12-16
Classification: B60K,B60W,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A method of optimizing performance in a track-type tractor, the method comprising: receiving inputs from the track-type tractor related to a current operating state; detecting a work cycle, wherein the work cycle is a combination of load, carry, spread, and return operations of the track-type tractor; estimating a work cycle distance from the work cycle; measuring an operating slope; developing a track-soil model corresponding to a current operating environment based on the received inputs; determining the current operating state using the operating slope, a gear, a drawbar pull, and at least one of a groundspeed or a track speed; calculating a performance corresponding to the current operating environment and the current operating state; calculating an optimum operating state and an optimum performance using the track-soil model, the work cycle distance, and the operating slope; normalizing the performance to the optimum performance to produce a normalized performance; and providing the normalized performance and the optimum operating state to a device used in adjusting the current operating state to improve or maintain the performance of the track-type tractor.