Gear ratio emulation

• US 8,700,276 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Velde, Todd F., Horstman, Nathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALHARBI, ADAM MOHAMED
• Application Number:
  US13/418,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20130245896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0605 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1882 characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/41 Construction vehicles, e.g. graders, excavators
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/411 Bulldozers, Graders
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for selectively controlling a work machine according to a current power device load response. The work machine includes a power device having a rotary output, a traction element, a transmission configured to provide a transmission ratio between the power device and traction element, an operator input device having a plurality of positions, and a control system. The method includes receiving selected range and a position of the operator input device, determining a no-load ground speed target as a function of selected range and input device position, and determining a desired ground speed load response as a function of the selected range. A desired transmission ratio is determined as a function of current machine ground speed and machine load. The method also includes determining a command to the power device as a function of a current transmission ratio and no-load ground speed target, determining a desired power device load response as a function of desired transmission ratio and desired ground speed load response, and selectively controlling the machine by switching between the current power device load response and the desired power device load response.

Claims

1. A work machine, comprising:

a power device comprising a rotary output,

a range selector input configured to select a range,

a traction element,

a transmission configured to provide a transmission ratio between the power device and the traction element, where the selected range corresponds to a plurality of transmission ratios,

an operator input device selectively configured to have a plurality of positions, and

a control system operatively coupled to the power device, the control system comprising a first performance curve and a second performance curve, each of the first and second performance curves expressing torque of the power device as a function of rotational speed of the rotary output of the power device;

wherein, the first performance curve includes a first no-load speed and the second performance curve includes a second no-load speed which is equal to or greater than the first no-load speed;

further wherein, for a given transmission ratio, a given operator input device position, and given range selector input, the control system is configured to switch the power device between the first performance curve and the second performance curve.

2. The work machine of claim 1, wherein:

the first performance curve comprises a first governor curve having a first slope; and

the second performance curve comprises a second governor curve having a second slope, where the second slope is less than the first slope.

3. The work machine of claim 1, wherein:

the first performance curve comprises a first torque curve having a first peak torque; and

the second performance curve comprises a second torque curve having a second peak torque, where the second peak torque is less than the first peak torque.

4. The work machine of claim 1, wherein:

the first performance curve comprises a first torque curve having a first peak torque and a first governor curve having a first slope; and

the second performance curve comprises a second torque curve having a second peak torque and a second governor curve having a second slope, where the second slope is less than the first slope and the second peak torque is less than the first peak torque.

5. The work machine of claim 1, wherein the control system comprises a ground speed load response curve for a given selected range and position of the operator input device, the first and second performance curves both corresponding to the ground speed load response curve.

6. A method for selectively controlling a work machine operating according to a current power device load response, the work machine including a power device having a rotary output, a traction element, a transmission configured to provide a transmission ratio between the power device and traction element, an operator input device having a plurality of positions, and a control system, the method comprising:

receiving selected range and a position of the operator input device;

determining a no-load ground speed target as a function of selected range and input device position;

determining a desired ground speed load response as a function of selected range;

determining a desired transmission ratio as a function of current machine ground speed and machine load;

determining a command to the power device as a function of a current transmission ratio and no-load ground speed target;

determining a desired power device load response as a function of desired transmission ratio and desired ground speed load response; and

selectively controlling the machine by switching between the current power device load response and the desired power device load response.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing a ground speed load response for the selected range and input device position, the ground speed load response being a function of machine load and machine ground speed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining a no-load ground speed target comprises identifying the machine ground speed from the ground speed load response corresponding to zero machine load.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining desired ground speed load response comprises:

providing a first ground speed load response for the selected range and input device position, the first ground speed load response including a curve with a first slope; and

determining a second ground speed load response including a curve with a second slope, the second slope being less than the first slope;

wherein, the second ground speed load response has a no-load ground speed target equal to or greater than that of the first ground speed load response.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining upshift and downshift shift points in regards to the selected range.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the upshift and downshift shift points are determined as a function of input device position, machine ground speed, power device speed, rate of change of machine ground speed, rate of change of power device speed, or machine load.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising shifting between the current transmission ratio and the desired transmission ratio based on the determined upshift and downshift shift points.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising transitioning from a current power device command to a new power device command.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising substantially matching the ratio of the power device speed to machine ground speed according to the desired transmission ratio.

15. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting the power device to operate between a first performance curve and a second performance curve, each of the first and second performance curves expressing torque of the power device as a function of rotational speed of the rotary output of the power device, wherein the first performance curve includes a first no-load speed and the second performance curve includes a second no-load speed, the second no-load speed being equal to or greater than the first no-load speed.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing the first performance curve having a first slope and the second performance curve having a second slope, the first performance curve corresponding to a first range selection and the second performance curve corresponding to a second range selection; and

achieving two different ground speed load responses for the same transmission ratio.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing the first performance curve having a first slope and the second performance curve having a second slope, the first performance curve corresponding to a first transmission ratio and the second performance curve corresponding to a second transmission ratio; and

achieving the substantially same ground speed load response for the first and second transmission ratios.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selecting the power device to operate according to the second performance curve, where the second performance curve has a maximum torque which is less than a maximum torque of the first performance curve;

limiting tractive effort to avoid wheel slip; and

for a given load, decreasing the power device speed by a greater amount than if the power device were operating according to the first performance curve.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising substantially nulling the effect of the power device load on power device speed by adjusting the no-load speed command based on an estimate of the power device load response and the estimate of load.

19. A method of determining desired ground speed load response for a work machine having a transmission which provides an arbitrary transmission ratio, a power device having a rotary output, an operator input device, and a control system including power device speed control, the method comprising:

receiving a current input position from a operator input device and range selection from a range selector;

determining a desired no-load ground speed based on the current input position and selected range; and

determining desired ground speed load response based on the selected range;

wherein, the desired no-load ground speed and the desired ground speed load response are independent of the transmission ratio.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a desired no-load power device speed based on the desired no-load ground speed and the arbitrary transmission ratio; and

determining a desired power device load response based on the desired ground speed load response and the arbitrary transmission ratio.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising determining a power device command based on the desired no-load power device speed, the desired power device load response, and an estimate of load.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the estimate of load is an estimate of power device torque.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the estimate of load is an estimate of torque applied by one or more devices operatively coupled with the power device.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining desired power device speed as a function of desired ground speed, the arbitrary transmission ratio, and an estimate of load.