Work vehicle with operator selected load control and fuel economy control
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsTrent Lynn Goodnight, Timothy Joel Kilworth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A work vehicle such as an agricultural tractor includes means for the operator to select between manual or automatic engine speed control and to select among multiple automatic modes each having a different amount by which the engine speed is reduced when the load is reduced and the transmission is up-shifted to maintain the vehicle ground speed. This enables the operator to match the degree of engine speed reduction to the particular task at hand for improved performance and productivity. Preferably, the transmission is an infinitely variable transmission whereby the engine speed and the transmission can both be varied infinitely.
Claims17
A work vehicle comprising:
- an engine having a rated engine speed;
- a transmission having multiple gear ratios driven by the engine;
- an electronic controller for both the engine and the transmission;
- and
- a mode selector actuatable by an operator for inputting to the controller an operator selection between manual mode and automatic mode engine speed control wherein in manual mode the engine speed is maintained at an operator selected level and in automatic mode the controller will automatically up-shift the transmission and reduce engine speed to maintain a desired vehicle speed and reduce fuel consumption when a load on the vehicle is reduced and to down-shift the transmission and increase engine speed when the load is subsequently reapplied.
A work vehicle having:
- an engine;
- a transmission driven by the engine;
- an electronic transmission and engine speed controller in communication with the engine and transmission;
- a multiple position operator actuated selector switch having four positions, one position designating a manual mode while the other three positions each designate one of three different automatic modes, the three different automatic modes comprising a minimum engine speed reduction mode, an intermediate engine speed reduction mode and a maximum engine speed reduction mode, wherein in the automatic mode, the electronic controller will automatically up shift the transmission and reduce engine speed to maintain a desired vehicle speed and reduce fuel consumption when a load on the vehicle is reduced and to down shift the transmission and increase engine speed when the load is reapplied, each mode having a different amount by which the transmission is up shifted and the engine speed is reduced when the load is reduced, the amount of reduction for each mode being:
- in the minimum engine speed reduction mode 95 to 100 percent of the rated engine speed;
- in the intermediate engine speed reduction mode 62 to 86 percent of the rated engine speed;
- in the maximum engine speed reduction mode 57 to 81 percent of the rated engine speed;
- wherein the reduction in each mode is proportional to the amount of the load reduction and the speed reduction in each of the three automatic modes is set in the electronic controller, which speed can be reprogrammed by use of a computer connected to the controller via a releasable coupling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.