Steering controller for precision farming

• US 10,131,376 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2015
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agjunction LLC (Kubota Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Agjunction LLC (Kubota Corporation)
• Inventors: Mortimer, Raymond, Miller, Steven R., Ganz, Brian, Hutchings, James, Syverson, Charles D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutchinson, Alan D
• Application Number:
  US14/918,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20160039454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/286 Systems for interrupting non-mechanical steering due to driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/04 electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0409 Electric motor acting on the steering column
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0415 the axes being coaxial
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/043 characterised by clutch means between driving element, e.g. motor, and driven element, e.g. steering column or steering gear
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/10 in agriculture

Abstract

A steering controller can control steering of a vehicle and is suitable for precision farm controlling. The steering controller can rotate the steering shaft of the vehicle direct the vehicle on a desired path, for example, using a satellite positioning system. Components of the steering controller are environmental protected by a housing that has an opening extending between its front and rear surfaces. The opening is lined by a shaft. A hub located near the front of the opening can be coupled to the steering shaft of the vehicle. A motor has a stator fixed to the housing and a rotor fixed to the hub. When the housing is attached to a fixed location on the vehicle, the motor can rotate the steering shaft by rotating the hub with respect to the housing. A control module drives the motor based on commands from a guidance module.

Claims

1. A steering assembly for attaching to a steering wheel and automatically steering a vehicle, comprising:

a housing to receive a shaft of the steering wheel; and

an electronic control module located inside of the housing, the control module configured to;

test for an override indication;

establish an rpm error magnitude threshold as equal to an absolute value of a latest command velocity rpm multiplied by an RPM Percentage parameter value divided by 100;

set the rpm error magnitude threshold equal to a velocity error count threshold limit parameter when the rpm error magnitude threshold is greater than a velocity error count threshold limit parameter;

establish a current rpm error equal to the absolute value of a latest commanded velocity rpm minus a latest motor reported velocity rpm;

increase a parameter associated with a number of consecutive rpm errors by one when an absolute value of a motor reported torque percent is greater than or equal to a torque threshold;

set the override indication to true and disengage the steering assembly when the rpm errors are greater than or equal to the velocity error count threshold limit parameter; and

set the number of consecutive rpm errors to zero when the number of consecutive rpm errors is less than the velocity error count threshold limit parameter.

2. The steering assembly of claim 1, wherein the control module receives at least one of a Velocity Error Count Threshold parameter, an RPM Percentage parameter, and a Torque Threshold parameter.

3. The steering assembly of claim 1, wherein the control module adjusts the torque threshold based on a torque threshold parameter.

4. The steering assembly of claim 1, wherein the control module operates an override algorithm and disengages the steering assembly based upon a determination according to the override algorithm.

5. The steering assembly of claim 1, including a paddle shifter assembly having a first paddle and a second paddle, each coupled to a respective first arm and second arm via a respective first hinge and second hinge, wherein each of the first and second arms extend from a baseplate of the paddle shifter assembly;

and

wherein the paddle shifter assembly activates one or more switches in electronic communication with the control module, and the one or more switches are paired with one or more actions performed by the vehicle.

6. The steering assembly of claim 1, wherein the control module includes one or more relays that disconnect power to a motor located inside of the enclosure when the magnitude of a torque applied by an operator to the steering wheel exceeds the torque threshold.

7. The steering assembly of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a front section and a rear section fixed together with the shaft.

8. The steering assembly of claim 7, wherein a cylindrical opening of the housing extends through a front section and a rear section of the housing and is coaxially aligned with the shaft.

9. A steering assembly comprising:

a housing having a cylindrical opening extending from a front surface of the housing to a rear surface of the housing, the cylindrical opening to receive a shaft;

a donut located inside of the housing having an annular shape, the donut disposed around and rotatably coupled to the shaft;

a hub including a first portion extending outside a front end of the housing and a second portion extending inside of the housing disposed concentrically with the cylindrical opening proximate the front surface of the housing and arranged for coupling to a steering shaft of a vehicle;

a motor comprising a stator fixedly coupled inside the housing and a rotor fixedly coupled to the donut inside the housing;

an electronic control module located inside of the housing and having an annular shape with a central opening to receive the shaft and arranged to control the motor based on commands received via a connector extending out of the housing, the control module including a monitor module to sense torque on the hub applied by an operator of the vehicle and disengage the steering controller from controlling steering of the vehicle when the magnitude of the torque exceeds a torque threshold, wherein the control module;

tests for an override indication;

establishes an rpm error magnitude threshold as equal to an absolute value of a latest command velocity rpm multiplied by an RPM Percentage parameter value divided by 100;

sets the rpm error magnitude threshold equal to a velocity error count threshold limit parameter when the rpm error magnitude threshold is greater than a velocity error count threshold limit parameter;

establishes a current rpm error equal to the absolute value of a latest commanded velocity rpm minus a latest motor reported velocity rpm;

increases a parameter associated with a number of consecutive rpm errors by one when an absolute value of a motor reported torque percent is greater than or equal to the torque threshold;

sets the override indication to true and disengages the steering assembly when the rpm errors is greater than or equal to the velocity error count threshold limit parameter; and

sets the number of consecutive rpm errors to zero when the number of consecutive rpm errors is less than the velocity error count threshold limit parameter.