Deere + Company

Jeffrey David Dawson

Michael Dean Kollath

Thomas Eugene Boe

Derek Malcolm Eagles

Edwin Roy Kreis

Peter Alan Kosmicki

Robert J White

Joe Lyle Schutte

William Guy Alexander

Byron Keith Miller

Patrick Wilson Cross

Raymond D Thompson

Scott Lisle Cook

Matthew L Spencer

Gregory Joseph Laudick

A control method is provided for an electric motor which drives an apparatus through a gear unit. The method includes generating a gear output and input speed signals, low pass filtering the gear speed signals and subtracting the filtered gear input speed signal from the filtered gear output speed signal to provide a relative speed signal. The method also includes high pass filtering the relative speed signal, multiplying the filtered relative speed signal by damping gain value to generate a backlash compensation torque value, and subtracting the backlash compensation torque value from an apparatus control torque value to generate the desired motor torque value.

Method of backlash compensation

A towed scraper control system automatically lowers the scraper blade to a working position at the start of a scraping operation according to a certain method. The method includes sensing a ground speed of the vehicle and sensing a draft force applied by the scraper to the vehicle. With the vehicle pulling the scraper at or near a target ground speed over terrain with the blade positioned above a surface of the ground, the blade is automatically lowered with respect to the scraper frame at a first rate until the blade begins to engage the surface of the ground. Thereafter, while the vehicle continues to move forward at or near the target ground speed, the blade is lowered with respect to the frame at a second rate and for a duration related to the sensed ground speed so that lowering of the blade stops when the scraper wheel begins to enter a cut produced by the blade. With the blade fixed with respect to the scraper frame, the scraper is moved forward at the target ground speed for a distance determined as a function of the sensed draft force. Thereafter, the blade is raised with respect to the frame at a rate which matches a lowering rate of the wheels as they descend along the cut, and the blade is raised at this matching rate until the position of the blade matches the position of the blade after the first lowering step. Preferably, the second rate is slower than the first rate.

Towed scraper blade control method

A draft force sensor is provided for a coupling member coupled between a towing vehicle and a towed earth engaging implement, such as a scraper. The draft force sensor includes first and second bores extending through the coupling member. Each bore has a horizontal axis which extends perpendicular to a main fore-and-aft axis of the coupling member. The second bore is positioned above the first bore and spaced apart from the first bore. Each of the bores is surrounded by an outer cylindrical wall. Four electrical strain gauges are spaced apart and placed on the wall of each of the bores. A center line bisects an axis line which extends between the axes of the first and second bores. The axis of each bore is spaced apart from the center line by a distance which is less than a diameter of the bores. The strain gauges are connected electrically in a circuit which generates a draft force signal in response to draft forces applied to the coupling member.

Towed implement draft force sensor

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Falls, IA, United States of America

Jeffrey David Dawson