Deere + Company

One3 Design, Inc.

Thomas Eugene Boe

Mark Allen Bergene

Felix Nagelin

Carl E Kittle

Derek Malcolm Eagles

Gregory E Sparks

Terry L Zwart

William Guy Alexander

Daniel Joseph Huegerich

Richard James Livdahl

Ryan Pecinovsky

Vijay Manilal Dharia

Alex Kish

Parker Wells

James Thomas Noonan

Bruce Craig Newendorp

David Joseph Easton

Paul David Parker

Thomas C Boe

Robert E Fox

Shane Julius Brueggen

Matthew T Miller

Kyle Boe

Jeffrey David Dawson

James Edward Sabelka

William L Smith, Jr

Forrest R Beeler

Gregory Joseph Laudick

Jianming Yu

Richard L Sweet

Mark J Deutsch

Nancy Esther Post

Alan Alfred Larson

Work vehicle

Work vehicle and body assembly thereof

A pair of wheels coupled together by an adjustable axle mechanism. A right straight-line linkage coupled to a right wheel and a left straight-line linkage coupled to a left wheel. The right straight-line linkage and the left straight-line linkage are connected together and each move independently from each other between an extended position and a retracted position.

Adjustable vehicle axle

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 method is provided for automatically determining a hitch raise rate calibration value for a hitch control system having a hydraulic actuator for moving the hitch, a valve for controlling flow of hydraulic fluid to the actuator and an electronic hitch control unit. The method includes applying a first control signal to the valve to cause the hitch to raise, determining a first hitch velocity as the hitch moves in response to the first control signal, and repeating these steps for a second control signal. The raise rate calibration value is then calculated as a function of a desired raise velocity, the first and second control signals and the first and second velocities.

Hitch raise rate calibration method

Implement depth control and display

A vehicle/implement hitch control system is responsive to a wheel slip signal indicative of the slippage of the driven wheels of the vehicle. The control system generates an integrated slip signal using an integration function, generates a proportional slip signal using a proportional function, and generates a combined slip signal as a combination of the integrated slip signal and the proportional slip signal. An operator-controllable slip response adjuster generates slip response signals. A hitch control signal is generated as a function of the slip response signal and the combined slip signal, so that the operator can vary the response of the hitch control signal to the integrated slip signal, to a mixture of the integrated slip signal, and to various multiples of the proportional slip signal only.

Hitch control system with adjustable slip response

A hydraulic rockshaft control circuit which includes a three-way valve that normally operates the rockshaft is connected to the lift cylinder on a trailing implement. A hitch lock valve connected to the rockshaft control valve maintains the rockshaft in a preselected position regardless of changes in pressure at the valve output. The extend side of the lift cylinder is connected to the control valve output so that the tractor hitch control is used to operate the trailing implement cylinder. To overcome the inability of the three-way valve to positively retract the trailing implement cylinder, a reducing/relieving valve is connected to the retract side of the cylinder and is adjusted to provide just enough pressure to retract the cylinder and raise the implement wheels from ground contact when the extend side is connected to return pressure. A position feedback system on the implement is connected to the hitch control unit (HCU) on the tractor. When the HCU senses a feedback signal from the implement, the HCU control mode changes from rockshaft control to trailing implement control wherein implement position is set and maintained in a manner similar to that for the conventional rockshaft control. A voltage readout from the feedback signal provides a visual indication of implement position.

Hydraulic system for a towed implement

A microprocessor-based control system includes an automatic calibration and configuration feature. A calibration and configuration algorithm operates to establish the sensor ranges of all sensors installed and disables certain configurable features if the associated sensors are not present. The algorithm also provides a functional test of the control system during the calibration process.

Control system calibration

A hitch control system includes a draft force sensor, a hitch position sensor, an operator command lever, an upper hitch position limit setter, a mixer setter, a drop rate setter and a control unit which generates control signals as a function thereof. The control system includes a first (load) control mode wherein the hitch is controlled as a linear function primarily of sensed draft force and a second control mode wherein the hitch is controlled purely as a non-linear function of sensed hitch position. In the load control mode, a reference position value is used as a set point representing only the lower range of positions of the hitch. Draft force sensitivity and system gain values are derived from the mix setter so that increasing the sensitivity also increases the system gain. The sensitivity value is limited within a predetermined range.

Hitch control system

A hitch control system includes various sensors, an operator command lever, a spring-centered three position raise/lower switch, a control unit which generates control signals as a function thereof and an actuator which moves the hitch in response to the control signals. The control system permits the operator to move the hitch to a working position via manipulation of the command and a single manipulation of the raise/lower switch. The control system ignores switch manipulation unless the manipulation persists for at least a certain time period, or if the switch is manipulated in a different manner within a certain time of the earlier manipulation. In a failure mode the control system permits the hitch to be moved to a working position via manipulation of the raise/lower switch when the command lever cannot be so used.

A solenoid current control system includes a microprocessor which periodically generates a desired peak current value and which energizes the solenoid coil. Current through the coil is sensed via a series resistor and the sensed current is compared to the desired peak current by comparator. The comparator generates an interrupt signal when the sensed current reaches the desired peak value. The interrupt signal is applied to the microprocessor which responds by de-energizing the coil.

Solenoid valve driver

A hitch control system includes an algorithm which prevents undesired and/or unexpected hitch movement upon start-up of the control system, depending upon the actual hitch position, the commanded hitch position and an operator set limit position.

Hitch control system with start-up lock-out

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Falls, IA, United States of America

Thomas Eugene Boe