Power take off control system

• US 8,364,363 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kentaro, Hattori, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Joseph C
• Application Number:
  US12/212,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/67, 701/68
• US Class Current: 701/68
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 25/06 from the transmission power take-off transmissions having power-take-off B60K17/28
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/1026 Hydraulic
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/10437 Power Take Off clutch
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/31413 Clutch pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/525 Improve response of control system
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/702 Look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/70406 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/70412 Clutch position change rate
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 48/066 Control of fluid pressure, e.g. using an accumulator F16D48/062, F16D48/068 take precedence

Abstract

A power take-off (PTO) control system for a work vehicle equipped with an implement, comprising a hydraulic multi-plate PTO clutch (6) whereby power from the work vehicle is interruptibly transmitted to the implement; a control valve (15) for adjusting an actuating pressure of the PTO clutch; a manually operable clutch operation tool (17, 21) for sending an operation instruction to the control unit; and a control unit (19) for switching the PTO clutch from a disengaged state to an engaged state by controlling the control valve on the basis of the target control characteristics in response to the operation instruction of the clutch operation tool (17, 21). The target control characteristics are generated and set on the basis of the operational behavior of the clutch operation tool (17, 21).

Claims

1. A power take-off (PTO) control system for a work vehicle equipped with an implement, comprising:

a hydraulic multi-plate PTO clutch whereby power from the work vehicle is interruptibly transmitted to the implement;

a control valve for adjusting an actuating pressure of the PTO clutch;

a manually operable clutch operation tool for sending an operation instruction to a control unit; and

the control unit operatively coupled to the control valve and the manually operable clutch comprising an operation tool operation parameter computing module computing an operation parameter of the clutch operating tool based on a detection signal from a sensor for detecting operational behavior of the clutch operation tool, a target control characteristics generating module, and a target control characteristics setting module,

wherein the control unit switches the PTO clutch from a disengaged state to an engaged state by controlling the control valve on the basis of target control characteristics generated by the target control characteristic generating module based on the operation parameter and set by the target control characteristics setting module in response to the operation instruction of the clutch operation tool, and

wherein the operation parameter comprises one of an operating speed of the clutch operating tool and a rate of change in an operating speed.

2. The PTO control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the target control characteristics generating module generates the target control characteristics in which pre-recorded control characteristics are employed.

3. The PTO control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the target control characteristics generating module generates the target control characteristics in accordance with the speed at which the clutch operation tool is operated.

4. The PTO control system for a work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein:

a sensor for detecting operational behavior of the clutch operation tool is provided, and when the clutch operation tool is operated at a speed that is greater than a previously set control reference speed, the target control characteristics generating module uses pre-recorded control characteristics as target control characteristics.

5. A power take-off (PTO) control system for a work vehicle equipped with an implement, comprising:

a hydraulic multi-plate PTO clutch whereby power from the work vehicle is interruptibly transmitted to the implement;

a control valve for adjusting an actuating pressure of the PTO clutch;

a manually operable clutch operation tool for sending an operation instruction to a control unit; and

the control unit configured, in response to the operation instruction of the clutch operation tool, to generate target control characteristics which is a target value of a control factor for placing the control valve in a target state and to switch the PTO clutch from a disengaged state to an engaged state by controlling the control valve on the basis of the generated target control characteristics, the control unit including;

an operation tool operation parameter computing module computing an operation parameter of the clutch operating tool based on a detection signal from a sensor for detecting operational behavior of the clutch operation tool;

a target control characteristics generating module generating the target control characteristics based on the operation parameter computed by the operation tool operation parameter computing module;

a target control characteristics setting module setting the target control characteristics generated by the target control characteristics generating module; and

a hydraulic pressure control module controlling the control valve for switching the PTO clutch from the disengaged state to the engaged state in accordance with the target control characteristics set by the target control characteristics setting module

wherein the operation parameter comprises one of an operating speed of the clutch operating tool and a rate of change in an operating speed.

6. The PTO control system for a work vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the target control characteristics generating module uses pre-recorded control characteristics to generate the target control characteristics.

7. The PTO control system for a work vehicle according to claim 5,

wherein the operation parameter comprises the operating speed of the clutch operating tool;

and

wherein the target control characteristics generating module generates the target control characteristics depending on the operating speed.

8. The PTO control system for a work vehicle according to claim 5, wherein when the clutch operation tool is operated at a speed that is greater than a previously set control reference speed, the target control characteristics generating module uses pre-recorded control characteristics as target control characteristics.