Agricultural Spraying Equipment Boom Level Control System

• US 20110282554A1
• Filed: 05/19/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topcon Precision Agriculture Pty Ltd. (Topcon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Topcon Precision Agriculture Pty Ltd. (Topcon Corporation)
• Inventors: Keye, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,226,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/0057 with active regulation of the boom position

Abstract

A system and method for controlling the level of a moveable first wing in a vehicle mounted spray system. The vehicle mounted spray system comprises of the moveable first wing and a moveable second wing mounted to a common support structure to form a pair of opposed independently moveable wings extending laterally from the vehicle. The method and system comprise a first step of determining an initial control signal for the moveable first wing based on a position of the moveable first wing 210, then determining a compensating signal; and then controlling the level of the moveable first wing based on the initial control signal and the compensating signal.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method for controlling the level of a moveable first wing in a vehicle mounted spray system that comprises the moveable first wing and a moveable second wing mounted to a common support structure to form a pair of opposed independently moveable wings extending laterally from the vehicle, the method comprising:

a) determining an initial control signal for the moveable first wing based on a position of the moveable first wing;

b) determining a compensating signal for the initial control signal wherein the compensating signal includes a component dependent upon a measurement by a sensor not located on the first wing; and

c) controlling a level of the moveable first wing based on the initial control signal and the compensating signal.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the compensating signal includes a component dependent upon a position of the moveable second wing.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the position of the moveable second wing is defined as a wing height error, the wing height error being a difference between a height of the second wing with respect to the ground and a reference height.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the component is dependent on a control signal for the moveable second wing, the control signal based on the wing height error.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the component is dependent on time delaying the control signal for the moveable second wing to form a time delayed control signal.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the component is of the form

30. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the time delay t₁ is between 0.4 and 0.6 seconds.

31. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein N is 1.

32. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the compensating signal includes a component dependent upon a roll measure of the vehicle.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32, wherein the roll measure is a roll rate of the vehicle {dot over (θ

)}.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein the component is of the form K₁({dot over (θ

)})={dot over (θ

)}×

R where R is a roll rate constant of proportionality.

35. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the position of the moveable first wing is defined as a wing height error, the wing height error being a difference between a height of the first wing with respect to the ground and a reference height.

36. A method as claimed in claim 35, wherein the initial control signal for the moveable first wing includes a component H₁ (Δ

h₁)=Δ

h₁×

G, where Δ

h₁ is the wing height error, and G is a constant termed the proportional gain.

37. A method for controlling the level of a moveable first wing and a moveable second wing in a vehicle mounted spray system that comprises the moveable first wing and the moveable second wing mounted to a common support structure to form a pair of opposed independently moveable wings extending laterally from the vehicle, the method comprising:

a) determining initial control signals for each moveable wing based on the respective positions of each moveable wing;

b) determining respective compensating signals for each moveable wing wherein the respective compensating signal for each moveable wing includes a component dependent upon a measurement by a sensor not located on the respective wing, and compensates the initial control signal of the respective moveable wing; and

c) controlling the level of each moveable wing based on the respective initial control signals and the respective compensating signals.

38. A method as claimed in claim 37, wherein the respective compensating signal for each moveable wing includes a component dependent upon the position of the other moveable wing.

39. A method as claimed in claim 38, wherein the position of the other moveable wing is defined as a wing height error of the other moveable wing, the wing height error being a difference between a height of the other moveable wing and a reference height.

40. A method as claimed in claim 39, wherein the component is dependent on a control signal for the other moveable wing, the control signal based on the wing height error of the other moveable wing.

41. A method as claimed in claim 40, wherein the component is dependent on time delaying the control signal for the other moveable wing.

42. A method as claimed in claim 37, wherein the respective compensating signal for each wing includes a component dependent upon a roll measure of the vehicle.

43. A method as claimed in claim 42, wherein the roll measure is the roll rate of the vehicle {dot over (θ

)}.

44. A method as claimed in claim 43, wherein a component for the first moveable wing is of the form K₁({dot over (θ

)})={dot over (θ

)}×

R and a component for the second moveable wing is of the form K₂({dot over (θ

)})=−

{dot over (θ

)}×

R, where R is the roll rate constant of proportionality.

45. A system for controlling the level of a moveable first wing in a vehicle mounted spray system that comprises the moveable first wing and a moveable second wing mounted to a common support structure to form a pair of opposed independently moveable wings extending laterally from the vehicle, the system comprising:

a) means for determining an initial control signal for the moveable first wing based on a position of the moveable first wing;

b) means for determining a compensating signal for the initial control signal wherein the compensating signal includes a component dependent upon a measurement by a sensor not located on the first wing; and

c) means for controlling a level of the moveable first wing based on the initial control signal and the compensating signal.

46. A system for controlling the level of a moveable first wing and a moveable second wing in a vehicle mounted spray system that comprises the moveable first wing and the moveable second wing mounted to a common support structure to form a pair of opposed independently moveable wings extending laterally from the vehicle, the system comprising:

a) means for determining initial control signals for each moveable wing based on the respective positions of each moveable wing;

b) means for determining respective compensating signals for each moveable wing wherein the respective compensating signal for each moveable wing includes a component dependent upon a measurement by a sensor not located on the respective wing, and compensates the initial control signal of the respective moveable wing; and

c) means for controlling the level of each moveable wing based on the respective initial control signals and the respective compensating signals.