Abstract:
The apparatus is an electronic speed control for farm machines. A microprocessor is fed data on the tractor engine speed, the tractor ground speed, and the manual speed lever setting, and electronically matches the desired ground speed to the engine speed to prevent stalling the engine. Ground speed is controlled by using the microprocessor to electrically vary a control valve that replaces the usual mechanical linkage between the speed control lever and the hydraulic pumps driving the hydraulic wheel motors.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention deals generally with farm machinery and more specifically with an electronic speed control for self propelled farm machines.  
         [0002]     It is quite interesting that large self propelled farm machines are not all powered or steered in the same manner as the road vehicles with which we are familiar. Such machines are not powered by direct mechanical linkages from the engine to the drive wheels, and are not steered by changing the angle of the vertical planes of the wheels. The wheels of many such self propelled farm machines, including large farm tractors, are coupled to their engines by hydraulic systems. The engine directly drives hydraulic pumps, and those pumps are connected by hoses to hydraulic motors that are located at and turn the wheels. Wheel speed is then controlled by changing the quantity of hydraulic fluid that the pump delivers to the wheel motor. Furthermore, to reverse the motion of the hydraulic motor and thus reverse the direction of the wheel the direction of the hydraulic fluid flow is reversed.  
         [0003]     It is even more interesting to note that the steering of such self propelled farm machines is accomplished by the very same system as the speed and forward and reverse directional control. The very large wheels of such equipment are not steered as automobile wheels are, but instead, the direction of the machine is changed by driving the wheels at different rotational speeds. Thus, for a typical self propelled farm machine with two forward drive wheels and two caster type smaller rear wheels, if the right forward wheel is stopped and the left forward wheel is rotated forward, the tractor will turn toward the right. In fact, if instead of being stopped, the right forward wheel is rotated in reverse at the same speed the left wheel is rotated forward, the tractor will turn right around the center of its own wheel axis.  
         [0004]     Typically, the speeds of the wheels have been controlled by the machine operator using a lever with a direct mechanical linkage to a speed control rod interconnected with the two hydraulic pumps, one each for the right and the left wheels. The steering control also acts on these same two hydraulic pumps. The steering wheel is used to rotate the speed control rod that is connected to the pump interconnection linkages. The rotation of the speed control rod is around its own axis, and the pump linkages themselves are connected to the control rod by oppositely threaded collars. Thus, when the speed control rod is rotated, the pump linkages either come closer together or farther apart, depending upon the direction of rotation. This change in the spacing of the pump linkages changes their response to the motion of the speed control rod, and thus causes the right and left wheels to operate at different speeds and the farm machine to turn.  
         [0005]     There is a significant trend in the farm equipment industry to automate farm equipment. It is particularly advantageous for very large fields to operate these machines under conditions where their speed is held closely to a setting set by the operator. In effect, it means placing self propelled farm machines in a “cruise control” mode. However, farm machines are subjected to rapidly occurring and widely varying load conditions that make any speed control difficult, and automatic speed control particularly difficult. One example is the condition of a machine suddenly coming under full load and therefore causing the engine to slow down, but instead being asked by either an automatic control system or an operator to regain speed. Such a condition is particularly likely when a machine includes an automatic speed control that quickly recognizes only that the machine is slowing down from the selected speed, and therefore automatically attempts to increase the speed. Under such conditions the engine, which is already fully loaded, will stall unless the operator intercedes and actually reduces the speed setting. With automatic speed controls becoming much more common for the large machines, it would be very desirable to have a control system that not only regulates the machine ground speed based on a control setting by the operator, but would also assure that no situation arises that causes the engine to stall because of loading.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The particular system of powering and steering self propelled farm machines by hydraulic motors at the wheels provides an opportunity for much improved vehicle speed control. The preferred embodiment of the invention uses a microprocessor to evaluate all the conditions to which the machine is subjected and to adjust the machine ground speed in a manner and at a rate that prevents stalling the engine. Furthermore, the present invention, although including the ability to accurately return to a desired previous speed, maintains the ground speed based upon the operator&#39;s speed control lever setting.  
         [0007]     It should be appreciated that in the preferred embodiment of the invention the operator&#39;s speed control lever is not what we are accustomed to in an automobile. The farm machinery&#39;s speed control lever is not at all like an accelerator pedal and much more like a console gear shift lever. Thus, the operator actually sets a speed control lever position to set the desired ground speed of the machine, and that lever is not spring loaded, but holds its position until it is manually moved.  
         [0008]     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, this lever setting is read by a speed control position sensor and an appropriate electrical signal is sent to the on-board microprocessor. The microprocessor then sends a related signal to a control valve that controls the hydraulic pressure to and the direction of movement of a speed control hydraulic cylinder that is attached to the prior art speed control rod. This is the same speed control rod which, in the prior art systems, is directly mechanically linked to the operator&#39;s speed control lever and controls the hydraulic pumps that feed the hydraulic motors driving the wheels.  
         [0009]     The significant benefit of the insertion of a system of microprocessor driven electrical and hydraulic controls into the previous direct mechanical linkage is the ability to now control the machine speed based upon multiple parameters. For example, by using a ground speed sensor means with its signal supplied to the microprocessor, the microprocessor can more accurately maintain the ground speed based on the operator&#39;s speed control lever position. Previously, if the machine began slowing down, for instance, because of a hill, it was the operator who was required to adjust the speed control lever to a higher speed. In the present invention, the microprocessor senses the slowing down and quickly, certainly much faster than an operator could, increases the power to the wheels. The benefit of the present invention is that the operator&#39;s speed control lever becomes a control that can be labeled for precise ground speed settings, not merely, as in the prior art, a control to adjust the power output of the engine.  
         [0010]     With the present invention, after a long straight run down a field at a prescribed speed, the speed control lever is typically reset to a lower speed for turning the machine around in the “headlands” at the end of the field. Any movement of the speed control lever outside of a specified narrow range is interpreted by the controller as an operator input requiring a new closed loop speed. Then, once the turn is completed, the operator moves the speed control lever forward to return the machine to a closed loop value near the speed value prior to entering the headlands.  
         [0011]     Thus, by using an intuitive action by the operator, the new speed value as determined by the operator will be maintained as the newly regulated speed value by the controller.  
         [0012]     Another significant benefit of the microprocessor and hydraulically controlled speed is the ability to dynamically adjust to load conditions. Field load condition variations may be crop density variations or terrain elevation changes, but are not limited to these two conditions. Various types of sensors are connected to the controller to report such load conditions during operation.  
         [0013]     If the engine is operating at conditions requiring near maximum power, it is possible that increased field load conditions could stall the engine. In such cases, the controller is programmed to autonomously reduce speed value and thus, engine load, until less demanding field load conditions prevail. When sensors report that lighter load conditions are encountered, the controller will return the speed to the previous value.  
         [0014]     The present invention thereby not only provides a fast response automatic speed control for self propelled farm machines, but also accommodates to all load conditions. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  is a simplified block diagram of the prior art manual steering and speed control apparatus of a typical self propelled farm machine.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a simplified block diagram of the automatic speed control apparatus of the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a simplified block diagram of the manual steering and speed control apparatus  10  of a typical self propelled farm machine. Motive power is delivered to left wheel  12  and right wheel  14  by hydraulic motors  16  and  18 , respectively. Hydraulic motors  16  and  18  are themselves powered from left hydraulic pump  20  and right hydraulic pump  22 , which are mechanically powered from the machine&#39;s engine (not shown) by conventional mechanical linkages (not shown).  
         [0018]     Left pump  20  and right pump  22  supply hydraulic fluid under pressure to wheel motors  16  and  18  through hydraulic lines  24 . Each of pumps  20  and  22  has the capability of rotating its associated wheel motor so that the powered wheel will go forward or in reverse, and if the pump is in its neutral setting, to not power the wheel at all. The three settings of pumps  20  and  22  are indicted in  FIG. 1  as “FWD”, “REV”, and “N”. Moreover, pumps  20  and  22  are not simple on and off devices, but their fluid outputs vary with the position of their control arms  26  and  28 . Thus, the farther each control arm  26  and  28  is moved away from the neutral position, the greater is the power delivered to the associated hydraulic motor and wheel.  
         [0019]     Control arms  26  and  28  are both attached to speed control rod  30 , and speed control rod  30  is displaced axially, in the so called “common mode”, by speed control lever  32  that the machine operator moves. Speed control lever  32  is a simple lever that pivots on pin  34  attached to a point on machine chassis  36  and to a pivoting link on speed control rod  30 . With that simple mechanical linkage, as the operator moves speed control lever  32 , control arms  26  and  28  change the status of pumps  20  and  22  and vary the power delivered to wheels  12  and  14 . When, as shown in  FIG. 1 , control arms  26  and  28  are parallel, pumps  20  and  22  respond equally to movement of speed control lever  32  and wheels  12  and  14  move in the same direction and at the same speed so that the machine moves straight ahead.  
         [0020]     However, typically the steering system of the machine is also controlled by pumps  20  and  22 . To change the direction of such a farm machine, the speeds of drive wheels  12  and  14  are made to be different from each other, with one wheel turning slower than the other. This is accomplished by making left pump  20  and right pump  22  deliver different quantities of hydraulic fluid to their respective wheel motors, which can be accomplished by rotating a conventional steering wheel (not shown).  
         [0021]     The rotation of such a steering wheel is mechanically transmitted to rotational drive  38  attached to and capable of rotating speed control rod  30 . Rotational drive  38  can typically be a gear linked to the steering wheel. As previously described, axial motion of speed control rod  30  moves control arms  26  and  28  that control the power that pumps  20  and  22  deliver to their respective wheel motors, and as long as control arms  20  and  22  are oriented in parallel, the power delivered to the wheel is equal. However, control arms  20  and  22  are attached to speed control rod  30  by threaded collars  40  and  42  that engage thread sets  41  and  43  respectively, and thread sets  41  and  43  have oppositely directed threads. Thus, the rotation of speed control rod  30 , referred to as the “differential mode”, changes the effect of the axial position of speed control rod  30  on pumps  20  and  22 , and thus changes the speed of wheels  12  and  14 .  
         [0022]     For example, assuming a farm machine has its manual steering and speed control apparatus  10  set as shown in  FIG. 1 , that is, both control arms have their pumps set in Neutral position. Then, rotating speed control rod  30  in the direction indicated by arrow “A” would cause control arm  26  to move toward the “Forward” setting of left pump  20  and control arm  28  to move toward the “Reverse” setting of right pump  22 . If engine power were then applied to both pumps, left wheel  12  would rotate for forward movement and right wheel  14  rotate for reverse movement. This action would actually cause the machine to rotate to the right around the central point of the axle between the right and left wheels. This same effect will occur when both pumps are set for forward motion, except that rotating speed control rod  30  will then cause one wheel to rotate faster and the other to slow down. This will then cause the machine to turn.  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a simplified block diagram of automatic speed control apparatus  50  of the preferred embodiment of the invention which is used in conjunction with the prior art steering and speed control apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 . To operate automatic speed control apparatus  50  with the prior art apparatus of  FIG. 1 , automatic speed control apparatus  50  is inserted between speed control rod  30  and speed control lever  32  to the left of the separation point indicated by the dashed line B-B in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , speed control rod  30  is then moved axially by hydraulic cylinder  52 , and speed control lever  32  is interconnected with speed control position sensor  54 . Speed control position sensor  54  indicates the position at which speed control lever  32  has been set, and speed control position sensor  54  is only one of several sensors from which microprocessor  56  derives information. Two other sensors interconnected with and supplying signals to microprocessor  56  are ground speed sensor means  58  and engine speed sensor  60 .  
         [0025]     These sensors are all conventional devices. For instance, in the preferred embodiment of the invention speed control position sensor  54  is a dual hall effect rotary position sensor, ground speed sensor means  58  is a reluctance sensor on each wheel, and engine speed sensor  60  for four cylinder engines is an alternator signal and for six cylinder engines is a magnetic sensor. Each of these devices supplies an appropriate electronic signal to microprocessor  56 , which then interprets the conditions of the machine and takes action according to its internal program.  
         [0026]     When the machine operator sets speed control lever  32  to any particular position for a specific machine speed, speed control position sensor  54  provides a signal to microprocessor  56 , and under normal conditions, microprocessor  56  provides appropriate signals to control valve  62 . Based on the signals received from microprocessor  56 , control valve feeds hydraulic pressure to hydraulic cylinder  52 , and speed control rod  30 , which is attached to hydraulic cylinder  52  is moved accordingly.  FIG. 2  depicts a typical hook up in which pressure from control valve  62  moves hydraulic cylinder  52  and speed control rod  30  toward the right, and thus, based on the previous description of  FIG. 1 , reduces the wheel speed of the machine. Similarly control valve  62  causes hydraulic cylinder  52  and speed control rod  30  to move to the left to increase wheel speed.  
         [0027]     Programmed microprocessor  56 , with information received from ground speed sensor means  58  and engine speed sensor  60 , actually controls the ground speed to maintain the speed set by the operator and it also controls the engine speed of the machine to assure that there is enough power to do so. However, when, due to increasing load conditions, more power is needed than the engine can supply, a condition that would normally cause the engine to stall, rather than attempting to increase the speed of the engine, microprocessor  56 , based on its program, lowers the ground speed of the machine to counteract the increased load. This is exactly what a well experienced operator would do in regard to engine overloading based on his own sensory inputs for sound and vibration in the machine.  
         [0028]     Of course, the present invention can be used by even an inexperienced operator, and automatic speed control apparatus  50  also has the advantage of automatically returning to the preset ground speed as soon as load and engine conditions will permit.  
         [0029]     Another feature available by the use of microprocessor  56  is that a previous speed setting is retained in memory.  
         [0030]     The present invention thereby not only provides a fast response automatic speed control that does not require the skill of a highly trained operator, but also provides an automatic speed control that adjusts to varying load conditions.  
         [0031]     It is to be understood that the form of this invention as shown is merely a preferred embodiment. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of parts; equivalent means may be substituted for those illustrated and described; and certain features may be used independently from others without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. For example, different sensors could be used for any of the parameters as long as the sensor output can be modified to furnish appropriate input signals to microprocessor  56 . Furthermore, hydraulic cylinder  52  and control valve  62  could be replaced by an electrical speed control power apparatus to provide and control the axial motion of speed control rod  30 . Moreover, speed control lever  32  can also be replaced with some other type of control.