Cotton harvesting machine with automatically variable drum and spindle speed
AssigneesDeere & Company, Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsBrandon C. Carlson, Charles F. Ostermeier, Nicholas W. Vanlaningham, Jeffrey S. Wigdahl, Kurt D. Gustafson, Jeffrey C. Askey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sensor input is detected on a cotton harvester. A performance characteristic value is identified based upon the detected sensor input. A speed control system controls cotton harvester drum speed and spindle speed, automatically, and separately from the ground speed of the cotton harvester, to improve the performance characteristic value, in a closed-loop fashion.
Claims20
A cotton harvester, comprising:
- a frame;
- ground engaging elements driven by a power source at a drive speed;
- a sensor sensing a sensed variable and generating a sensor signal indicative of the sensed variable;
- a variable drum drive system;
- a variable spindle drive system;
- a drum that is rotatable relative to the frame and that is rotatably driven by the variable drum drive system;
- a first spindle mounted to a spindle support structure, rotation of the drum driving rotation of the spindle support structure, the spindle having a corresponding longitudinal axis and being rotatable about the longitudinal axis, the variable spindle drive system driving rotation of the spindle about the corresponding longitudinal axis;
- and
- a speed control system that:
- identities a current drum speed;
- automatically generates a drum speed signal, based on the sensor signal and the current drum speed, the variable drum drive system driving rotation of the drum at a speed based on the drum speed signal;
- identities a current spindle speed;
- and
- automatically generates a spindle speed signal based on the sensor signal and the current spindle speed, the variable spindle drive system driving rotation of the spindle at a speed based on the spindle speed signal.
A control system on a cotton harvester that travels at a controllable ground speed and that has a rotatable drum that supports spindles that extend radially from the drum along a respective longitudinal axis, the control system comprising:
- a first sensor sensing a first characteristic and generating a first sensor signal indicative of the first characteristic;
- a second sensor sensing a second characteristic, different than the first characteristic, and generating a second sensor signal indicative of the second characteristic;
- and
- a speed control system that:
- automatically generates a drum speed signal, based on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal;
- and
- provides the drum speed signal to a variable drum drive system driving rotation of the drum at a speed based on the drum speed signal.
A control system on a cotton harvester that travels at a controllable ground speed and that has a rotatable drum that supports rotatable spindles that each rotate about a respective longitudinal axis, the control system comprising:
- a sensor sensing a sensed variable and generating a sensor signal indicative of the sensed variable;
- and
- a speed control system that:
- determines whether to increase or decrease a speed of the rotatable spindles based on the sensor signal and a current speed of the rotatable spindles;
- and
- generates a spindle speed signal, based on the determination;
- and
- provides the spindle speed signal to a variable spindle drive system driving rotation of the rotatable spindles about their respective longitudinal axis at a speed based on the spindle speed signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.