System and method for controlling oscillations within an irrigation span assembly
AssigneeValmont Industries, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Hanson, John Kastl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a system and method for controlling oscillations within an irrigation span assembly. According to a preferred embodiment, a preferred method may include the steps of: detecting a start/stop event input for a first drive tower within a first time period at a first span location; detecting accelerometer data at the first span location within the first time period; processing accelerometer data to identify any oscillations at the first span location by the first span during the first time period; determining whether a detected oscillation is within a predetermined threshold; and programming a solid state relay timer to add an incremented delay to additional start/stop event inputs.
Claims23
A method for reducing oscillations within an irrigation system having a plurality of connected spans and a plurality of drive towers for moving the connected spans;
- wherein one or more of the plurality of drive towers comprise a drive motor controller and a drive motor for moving one or more connected spans;
- the method comprising:
- detecting accelerometer data at a first span following an initial start/stop event;
- processing the accelerometer data to identify a first oscillation within the first span location during the first time period;
- determining whether a degree of the detected first oscillation exceeds a predetermined threshold;
- receiving a first set of start/stop input instructions;
- wherein the first set of start/stop input instructions comprises signals or instructions affecting the velocity or stability of a supported span;
- calculating a first target time interval for the first drive tower based at least in part on the detected first oscillation;
- wherein the first target time interval is calculated to cause the movement of the first span to be at a frequency which destructively interferes with the first detected oscillation;
- adding the first target time interval to the first start/stop input data;
- and
- transmitting the first start/stop input data to the first drive tower.
A method for reducing oscillations within an irrigation system having a plurality of connected spans and a plurality of drive towers for moving the connected spans;
- wherein one or more of the plurality of drive towers comprise a drive motor controller and a drive motor for moving one or more connected spans;
- the method comprising:
- determining the natural frequency of a first span;
- detecting accelerometer data at a first span following an initial start/stop event;
- processing the accelerometer data to identify a first oscillation within the first span location during the first time period;
- determining whether a degree of the detected first oscillation exceeds a predetermined threshold;
- receiving a first set of start/stop input instructions;
- wherein the first set of start/stop input instructions comprises signals or instructions affecting the velocity or stability of a supported span;
- setting a minimum start-stop cycle frequency as a given percentage of the natural frequency;
- calculating a first target time interval for the first drive tower based at least in part on the detected first oscillation and the detected natural frequency of the span;
- wherein the first target time interval is calculated to cause the movement of the first span to be at a frequency which destructively interferes with the first detected oscillation;
- adding the first target time interval to the first start/stop input data;
- and
- transmitting the first start/stop input data to the first drive tower.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.