Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-07
2001-11-13
Beaulieu, Yonel (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration
C701S050000, C172S002000, C172S004500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317676
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to controlling the operating characteristics of a mobile work machine, and more particularly, to controlling the slip of a mobile work machine having a ground-engaging work implement.
BACKGROUND ART
Wheel or track slippage, i.e., slip, poses a problem for many work machines, such as tractors. A certain amount of slip may be desired for efficient operation in the field, however excessive slip may cause burrowing into the field or even cause the tractor to become stuck.
To control slip, one technique regulates the position of a plow or other tool pulled by the tractor. The plow is raised when an excessive slip is detected, and lowered if more slip is desired. By raising the plow, the amount of drag or draft of the tractor is reduced, thereby causing a reduction in slip, and by lowering the plow it is increased, thereby typically causing an increase in slip.
While considerable variation exists for conventional control schemes for slip, they typically compare the actual slip of the tractor with the desired slip. In general, an error signal equal to the difference between the two is then used as an input to an actuator which raises the plow when the desired slip is greater than the actual slip and lowers the plow when the reverse is true.
Although this technique works, it suffers stability problems because it only reacts after a particular error condition has been sensed (the slip being greater or less than desired). This technique is not able to predictively modify the characteristics of the control algorithm.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for controlling the slip of a work machine having a ground-engaging traction device and a hitch operable to receive a ground-engaging implement. A control system receives an actual velocity signal indicative of an actual velocity of the work machine, an apparent velocity signal indicative of an apparent velocity of the work machine, and a desired slip signal indicative of a desired slip of the work machine. The control system determines an actual derivative of slip of the work machine as a function of the actual velocity signal and the apparent velocity signal, and transmits a control signal as a function of the desired slip signal, the actual velocity signal, the apparent velocity signal, and the actual derivative of the slip. The control signal controls the vertical position of one of the hitch and the ground-engaging implement.
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Gengler Eric P.
Thate Jeffrey M.
Beaulieu Yonel
Caterpillar Inc.
Green Clifton G.
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