Fault tolerant operating method for a cotton packager
AssigneeCNH America LLC
InventorsTracy R. Archer, Yun-Ren Ho, Kevin D. McKee, Kevin S. Richman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fault tolerant operating method for a cotton compactor of a cotton module builder or packager of a cotton harvesting machine, which serves as an alternative to shutting down the compacting process or erratic operation thereof, in the event of indication of a fault or failure condition involving one or more sensors associated with the compactor, or a conductive path in connection with a sensor, all generally identified as a fault or failure condition.
Claims7
A method of operation of a cotton compactor of a cotton packager, comprising steps of:
- determining a first compactor position sensor value as a function of an output of a first compactor position sensor;
- determining a second compactor position sensor value as a function of an output of a second compactor position sensor;
- determining if the first compactor position sensor value is indicative of a failure condition, and, if yes, then setting the first compactor position sensor value equal to the second compactor position sensor value;
- determining if the second compactor position sensor value is indicative of a failure condition, and, if yes, then setting the second compactor position sensor value equal to the first compactor position sensor value;
- setting a compactor position value as:
- a value which is a function of a sum of the first and second compactor position sensor values if neither or only one of the first and second position sensor values is indicative of the failure condition, or
- a default value if both of the first and second position sensor values are indicative of the failure condition;
- and
- setting a compactor tilt value as:
- a value which is a function of a difference between the first and second compactor position sensor values if neither or only one of the first and second position sensor values is indicative of the failure condition, or
- a default value if both of the first and second position sensor values are indicative of the failure condition
- when the compactor is compacting cotton therebeneath, determining whether a compactor pressure signal is present, and, if yes, then
- determining if the compactor pressure signal is within a correct range, and, if yes, then operating the compactor responsive to the compactor pressure signal, and if the compactor pressure signal is not present, or is not within the correct range, then raising the compactor after a compactor operation time period has expired.
A method of operation of a cotton compactor of a cotton packager in a fault tolerant mode responsive to at least one faulty or absent compactor position sensor signal, comprising steps of:
- moving the compactor to compact cotton therebeneath;
- if one compactor position sensor signal is faulty or absent, then substituting a value representative of another compactor position sensor signal for a value of the faulty or absent compactor position sensor signal and calculating a compactor position value using the value substituted for the value of the faulty or absent compactor position sensor signal;
- if more than one compactor signal is faulty or absent, then setting the compactor position value equal to a default value
- if one compactor position sensor signal is faulty or absent, then substituting a value representative of another compactor position sensor signal for a value of the faulty or absent compactor position sensor signal and calculating a compactor tilt value using the value substituted for the value of the faulty or absent compactor position sensor signal;
- and
- if more than one compactor signal is faulty or absent, then setting the compactor tilt value equal to a default value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.