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Agricultural tool with electronically controlled downpressure system

  • US 9,462,744 B2
  • Filed: 02/27/2014
  • Issued: 10/11/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An agricultural tool for mounting on a tool bar, the tool bar being operatively carried on or attached to a tractor, which comprises:

  • (a) a unit that performs an action on a farm field to change a state of the farm field as the unit is moved over the farm field;

    (b) a linkage for movably mounting the unit on the tool bar for up and down movement of the unit relative to the farm field;

    (c) a system for applying downpressure to the unit to maintain the unit in a desired operational position relative to the ground, wherein the downpressure system comprises;

    (i) an air operated air shock that combines a downpressure air bag and a shock absorber, the air shock having first and second telescopic portions, wherein the first portion of the shock is attached to the tool bar and the second portion of the shock is attached to the linkage, the shock being extensible and contractible in length dependent upon a pressure level of the air inside the shock;

    (ii) a source of pressurized air;

    (iii) at least one valve between the source of pressurized air and the shock for supplying pressurized air to the shock or for removing the pressurized air from the shock; and

    (iv) an electronic controller connected to the valve for automatically operating the valve as the unit is moved over the farm field to add and remove as need be the pressurized air to the shock in a feedback control loop to substantially maintain the length of the shock at a predetermined length to establish and maintain a desired downpressure on the unit, further including a sensor in operative communication with the controller for sending to the controller an output signal that is representative of an actual downpressure on the unit, wherein the controller comprises a storage device for storing a reference output signal that corresponds to the desired downpressure on the unit, and wherein the controller further comprises;

    a user selectable setting for establishing an output signal change threshold comprising how far the output signal must vary from the reference output signal before the controller takes corrective action in the feedback control loop; and

    a user selectable setting for establishing an output signal time threshold comprising how long the output signal change threshold must be continuously present before the controller takes corrective action in the feedback control loop.

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