US 11,696,523 B2Granted

System and method for hydraulically leveling a multi-wing agricultural implement

AssigneeCNH Industrial America LLC

InventorsTimothy R. Blunier, Jared Paul Schaffer

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Abstract

A system for hydraulically leveling a multi-wing agricultural implement having a pressure regulating valve and a folding valve fluidly coupled in parallel between a supply line, configured to provide a supply pressure of hydraulic fluid, and an actuator, configured to move an outer-wing section of the implement between a transport position and a fully-extended position. Specifically, when fluid is supplied to the actuator via the pressure regulating valve, only a portion of the supply pressure is allowed through the pressure regulating valve to the actuator such that the outer-wing section may pivot towards a position where the outer-wing section is substantially level with the inner-wing section. When hydraulic fluid is supplied to the actuator via the folding valve, the outer-wing section is actuated towards the transport position. When hydraulic fluid is supplied to the actuator via the leveling valve, the outer-wing section is leveled relative to the inner-wing section.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for hydraulically leveling a multi-wing agricultural implement, the system comprising:

a central frame section;
an inner-wing section pivotally coupled to the central frame section;
an outer-wing section pivotally coupled to the inner-wing section;
an actuator coupled between the inner-wing section and the outer-wing section, the actuator configured to actuate the outer-wing section between a transport position and a fully-opened position;
a valve assembly configured to provide hydraulic fluid at a supply pressure to a supply line;
a leveling valve fluidly coupled between the supply line and the actuator, the leveling valve having an opened position and a closed position, the leveling valve, when in the opened position, allowing the hydraulic fluid to be supplied to the actuator;
and
a folding valve fluidly coupled in parallel with the leveling valve between the supply line and the actuator, the folding valve, when in an opened position, allowing the hydraulic fluid to be supplied to the actuator such that the outer-wing section is actuated relative to the inner-wing section towards the transport position,
wherein, when the folding valve is in a closed position and the hydraulic fluid begins being supplied through the supply line:
the hydraulic fluid is prevented from being supplied to the actuator through the folding valve, and
the leveling valve is movable to the opened position to allow the hydraulic fluid to be directed through the leveling valve at a selected leveling pressure less than the supply pressure to the actuator to maintain the outer-wing section at a desired orientation relative to the inner-wing section.

8 more elements

A method for hydraulically leveling a multi-wing agricultural implement, the multi-wing agricultural implement having a central frame section, an inner-wing section pivotally coupled to the central frame section, an outer-wing section pivotally coupled to the inner-wing section, and an actuator coupled between the inner-wing section and the outer-wing section, a supply line of the agricultural implement being in fluid communication with a valve assembly configured to provide hydraulic fluid at a supply pressure to the supply line, the agricultural implement further including a leveling valve fluidly coupled between the supply line and the actuator, and a folding valve fluidly coupled in parallel with the leveling valve between the supply line and the actuator, the method comprising:

receiving, with a computing device, an input indicative of an orientation of the outer- wing section relative to the inner-wing section or associated with adjusting the orientation of the outer-wing section relative to the inner-wing section;
and
while the folding valve is in a closed position, controlling, with the computing device, an operation of the valve assembly to begin directing hydraulic fluid through the supply line to the leveling valve, the leveling valve being movable to an opened position to allow the hydraulic fluid to be supplied through the leveling valve at a selected leveling pressure less than the supply pressure to the actuator in order to adjust the orientation of the outer-wing section relative to the inner-wing section, and the hydraulic fluid being prevented from being supplied to the actuator through the folding valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.