Automated moldboard draft control system and method
AssigneeCNH Industrial America LLC
InventorScott A. Elkins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A motor grader having a moldboard and tiltable wheels is provided with a sensor system and electronic controller for determining a required wheel tilt to overcome anticipated draft forces resulting from the angle to which the moldboard is adjusted. The wheels are automatically leaned as determined necessary for counteracting the draft forces. An all-wheel-drive system can be controlled together with wheel lean for counteracting draft forces. Inputs from moldboard tilt and roll, motor grader positioning and orientation and the like can be included in determining anticipated draft forces.
Claims17
A ground engaging vehicle, comprising:
- a machine frame having front and rear wheels connected thereto;
- a variable and controllable vehicle drive system;
- a wheel lean control system for tilting a set of the wheels;
- a moldboard adjustably connected to the frame for engaging ground lying material;
- a rotation sensor system for determining a rotation angle to which the moldboard has been adjusted;
- and
- an electronic controller controllably coupled to said wheel lean control system, said rotation sensor system, and said variable and controllable drive system, said electronic controller configured for determining a required adjustment of said variable and controllable drive system for said wheels and said wheel lean control system in response to draft forces resulting from the rotation angle of said moldboard, and for issuing commands to said wheel lean control system and said variable and controllable drive system to make adjustments in response to changes in said draft forces.
A control system for a motor grader with a moldboard adjustably connected to the motor grader and a set of wheels adjustably tiltable from vertical, the control system comprising:
- a first sensor system issuing at least one signal indicative of positional information of the moldboard, wherein the positional information includes a rotation angle of the mold board and at least one of a mold board roll position, a mold board tilt angle, a mold board height;
- a wheel lean control system for adjustably controlling the lean of the wheels and including a second sensor system issuing a signal indicative of the wheel lean;
- an electronic controller coupled to said first and second sensor systems and to said wheel lean control system and configured for;
- receiving the at least one signal from the first sensor system;
- determining a required wheel lean angle to counteract draft forces from operating the motor grader at the position to which the moldboard is adjusted;
- comparing the determined wheel lean angle to the actual wheel lean angle from the second sensor system;
- and
- issuing a command to the wheel lean control system for making an adjustment of wheel lean angle in response to a difference ascertained in said comparing step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.