System and method for providing implement-based speed control for a work vehicle

• US 10,308,116 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Czapka, Jason T., McKee, Kevin D., Smith, Kevin M., Longua, Robert J., Wendte, Keith W., Prickel, Marvin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Melton, Todd M
• Application Number:
  US15/416,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20180208058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 67/00 Devices for controlling the tractor motor by resistance of tools preventing overstrain A01B61/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/00 Methods of fertilising , sowing or planting
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/102 Regulating or controlling the seed rate
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/105 Seed sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/205 comprising pressure regulation means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16

Abstract

In one aspect, a system for providing implement-based speed control for a work vehicle may include a planter controller provided in operative association with a planter towed by the work vehicle and a vehicle controller provided in operative association with the work vehicle. The planter controller may be configured to access an input associated with at least one predetermined threshold value for an operating parameter of the planter and monitor the operating parameter relative to the predetermined threshold value(s) as the planter is being towed at a current ground speed of the work vehicle. In addition, when the operating parameter differs from the predetermined threshold value(s), the planter controller may be configured to adjust a speed control request transmitted to the vehicle controller to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically increased or decreased between predetermined maximum and minimum speed values set for the work vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for providing implement-based speed control for a work vehicle, the system comprising:

a planter including a plurality of row units, each row unit being configured to deposit seeds within the ground as the planter is being towed by the work vehicle;

a planter controller provided in operative association with the planter, the planter controller being configured to control the operation of the plurality of row units; and

a vehicle controller communicatively coupled to the planter controller, the vehicle controller being provided in operative association with the work vehicle and configured to control the operation of the work vehicle,

wherein the planter controller is further configured to;

access a planter control input associated with at least one predetermined threshold value for an operating parameter of the planter, the operating parameter being associated with at least one of a depth or a spacing of the seeds deposited by the row units;

monitor the operating parameter relative to the at least one predetermined threshold value as the planter is being towed at a current ground speed of the work vehicle;

compare a current slip ratio for the work vehicle to a maximum slip ratio threshold for the work vehicle; and

when the operating parameter differs from the at least one predetermined threshold value, adjust a speed control request transmitted to the vehicle controller to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically increased or decreased between predetermined maximum and minimum speed values set for the work vehicle; and

wherein the current ground speed of the work vehicle is only configured to be automatically increased when the current slip ratio is less than the maximum slip ratio threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operating parameter corresponds to a down force parameter for at least one row unit of the plurality of row units and the at least one predetermined threshold value corresponds to a down force threshold value for the at least one row unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein, when the down force parameter falls below the down force threshold value, the planter controller is configured to adjust the speed control request transmitted to the vehicle controller to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically decreased.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the planter controller is configured to adjust the speed control request to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically decreased only when the current ground speed of the work vehicle exceeds the predetermined minimum speed value.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein, when the down force parameter exceeds the down force threshold value by a given tolerance value, the planter controller is configured to adjust the speed control request transmitted to the vehicle controller to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically increased.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the planter controller is configured to adjust the speed control request to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically increased only when the current ground speed of the work vehicle is less than the predetermined maximum speed value.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the down force threshold value corresponds to a minimum ground contact percentage for the at least one row unit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the planter controller is configured to receive an input associated with an operator manually adjusting the ground speed of the work vehicle within an operator manual mode and, in response to the input, store a previous ground speed of the work vehicle prior to the manual adjustment, the planter controller being further configured to adjust the speed control request to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be adjusted back to previous ground speed when the operator manual mode is terminated.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operating parameter corresponds to at least one of a vibration parameter for at least one row unit of the plurality of row units or a seed-related parameter for the at least one row unit.

10. A method for providing implement-based speed control for a work vehicle towing a planter having a plurality of row units, the work vehicle including a vehicle controller configured to control the operation of the work vehicle and the planter including a planter controller configured to control the operation of the plurality of row units, the method comprising:

accessing, with the planter controller, a predetermined maximum speed value and a predetermined minimum speed value for the work vehicle;

accessing, with the planter controller, a planter control input associated with at least one predetermined threshold value for a down force parameter for at least one row unit of the plurality of row units;

monitoring, with the planter controller, the down force parameter relative to the at least one predetermined threshold value as the planter is being towed at a current ground speed of the work vehicle;

monitoring a current slip ratio for the work vehicle;

comparing the current slip ratio to a maximum slip ratio threshold set for the work vehicle; and

when the down force parameter differs from the at least one predetermined threshold value, adjusting, with the planter controller, a speed control request transmitted to the vehicle controller to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically increased or decreased between the predetermined maximum and minimum speed values set for the work vehicle,

wherein the current ground speed of the work vehicle is only configured to be automatically increased when the current slip ratio is less than the maximum slip ratio threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the down force parameter corresponds to a ground contact percentage for the at least one row unit and the at least one predetermined threshold value corresponds to a minimum ground contact percentage value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting the speed control request comprises adjusting the speed control request transmitted to the vehicle controller to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically decreased when the ground contact percentage falls below the minimum ground contact percentage value.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising comparing the current ground speed of the work vehicle to the predetermined minimum speed value, wherein the speed control request to automatically decrease the current ground speed of the work vehicle is transmitted by the planter controller only when the current ground speed is greater than the predetermined minimum speed value.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting the speed control request comprises adjusting the speed control request transmitted to the vehicle controller to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically increased when the ground contact percentage exceeds the minimum ground contact percentage value by a given tolerance value.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising comparing the current ground speed of the work vehicle to the predetermined maximum speed value, wherein the speed control request to automatically increase the current ground speed of the work vehicle is only transmitted by the planter controller when the current ground speed is less than the predetermined maximum speed value.

16. A system for providing implement-based speed control for a work vehicle, the system comprising:

a planter including a plurality of row units, each row unit being configured to deposit seeds within the ground as the planter is being towed by the work vehicle;

a planter controller provided in operative association with the planter, the planter controller being configured to control the operation of the plurality of row units; and

a vehicle controller communicatively coupled to the planter controller, the vehicle controller being provided in operative association with the work vehicle and configured to control the operation of the work vehicle,

wherein the planter controller is further configured to;

access a planter control input associated with at least one predetermined threshold value for an operating parameter of the planter, the operating parameter being associated with at least one of a depth or a spacing of the seeds deposited by the row units;

monitor the operating parameter relative to the at least one predetermined threshold value as the planter is being towed at a current ground speed of the work vehicle; and

when the operating parameter differs from the at least one predetermined threshold value, adjust a speed control request transmitted to the vehicle controller to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be automatically increased or decreased between predetermined maximum and minimum speed values set for the work vehicle; and

wherein the planter controller is further configured to receive an input associated with an operator manually adjusting the round speed of the work vehicle within an operator manual mode and, in response to the input, store a previous ground speed of the work vehicle prior to the manual adjustment, the planter controller configured to adjust the speed control request to cause the current ground speed of the work vehicle to be adjusted back to previous ground speed when the operator manual mode is terminated.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operating parameter corresponds to a down force parameter for at least one row unit of the plurality of row units and the at least one predetermined threshold value corresponds to a down force threshold value for the at least one row unit.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the operating parameter corresponds to at least one of a vibration parameter for at least one row unit of the plurality of row units or a seeds related parameter for the at least one row unit.