Regenerative tailgate circuit
AssigneeCNH Industrial America LLC
InventorKevin Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An agricultural baler tailgate control system having an actuator operatively connected between the baler frame and tailgate, a pump, and a drive circuit. The drive circuit is reconfigurable between a first configuration in which the drive circuit conveys pressurized fluid by a first fluid path from the pump to the actuator to generate a first actuator drive force to move the tailgate from the closed tailgate position to an intermediate tailgate position, and a second configuration in which the drive circuit conveys the pressurized fluid by a second fluid path from the pump to the actuator to generate a second actuator drive force to move the tailgate from the intermediate tailgate position to a bale release position. The second actuator drive force is different from the first actuator drive force.
Claims12
A tailgate control system for an agricultural baler having a frame, a tailgate mounted to the frame and movable relative to the frame through a travel range extending between a closed tailgate position and a bale release position, and a baling chamber defined between the frame and the tailgate, the tailgate control system comprising:
- an actuator operatively connected between the frame and the tailgate;
- a pump;
- and
- a drive circuit configured to convey pressurized fluid from the pump to the actuator, wherein the drive circuit is reconfigurable between
- a first configuration in which the drive circuit conveys the pressurized fluid by a first fluid path from the pump to the actuator to generate a first actuator drive force to move the tailgate from the closed tailgate position to an intermediate tailgate position between the closed tailgate position and the bale release position, and
- a second configuration in which the drive circuit conveys the pressurized fluid by a second fluid path from the pump to the actuator to generate a second actuator drive force to move the tailgate from the intermediate tailgate position to the bale release position, wherein the second actuator drive force is different from the first actuator drive force,
- wherein the drive circuit comprises a fluid path valve that is movable in a first direction to move the drive circuit from the first configuration to the second configuration, and in a second direction to move the drive circuit from the second configuration to the first configuration,
- wherein the actuator includes
- a cylinder having a proximal cylinder end and a distal cylinder end,
- a piston telescopically movable within the cylinder and hydraulically dividing the cylinder into a base chamber and a rod chamber, and
- a rod having a proximal rod end secured to the piston and a distal end extending through the rod chamber and through the distal cylinder end, and
- wherein the fluid path valve is configured to
- in the first configuration, fluidly connect the pressurized fluid from an outlet of the pump to the base chamber and the rod chamber, and
- in the second configuration, fluidly connect the pressurized fluid from the outlet of the pump to the base chamber, and fluidly connect the rod chamber to a fluid return.
A method for operating an actuator configured to move a tailgate of a baler relative to a frame of the baler through a travel path from a closed tailgate position to a bale release position, the method comprising:
- connecting the actuator to a source of pressurized fluid by a first fluid path to generate a first actuator drive force to move the tailgate from the closed tailgate position to an intermediate tailgate position between the closed tailgate position and the bale release position;
- and
- connecting the actuator to the source of pressurized fluid by a second fluid path to generate a second actuator drive force to move the tailgate from the intermediate tailgate position to the bale release position,
- wherein the first fluid path comprises a regenerative fluid path in which a base chamber and a rod chamber of the actuator are fluidly connected to the source of pressurized fluid, and the second fluid path comprises a single-side fluid path in which only the base chamber is connected to the source of pressurized fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.