System and method for actively determining a steering stop angle for a work vehicle

• US 9,561,819 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Tuttle, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US14/548,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20150175195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0162 mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/001 the torque NOT being among the input parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 9/00 Steering deflectable wheels not otherwise provided for steering positon indicators B62D15/02

Abstract

A method for actively determining a steering stop angle for tires associated with a front axle of a work vehicle may generally include receiving an input associated with a tire parameter for the tires, monitoring a suspension travel distance of the front axle and monitoring an oscillation angle of the front axle. In addition, the method may include determining a maximum allowable steering angle for the tires based on both the suspension travel distance and the oscillation angle of the front axle, wherein the maximum allowable steering angle corresponds to a steering angle at which clearance is maintained between the tires and at least one hood-related component of the work vehicle when the tires are moved to the maximum steering angle.

Claims

1. A method for actively determining a steering stop angle for tires associated with a front axle of a work vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, with a computing device, an input associated with a tire parameter for the tires;

monitoring, with the computing, device, a current suspension travel distance of the front axle, the suspension travel distance being associated with a vertical position of the tires relative to at least one hood-related component of the work vehicle;

monitoring, with the computing device, a current oscillation angle of the front axle, the oscillation angle being associated with at least one of the vertical position or a horizontal position of the tires relative to the at least one hood-related component;

dynamically determining, with the computing device, a maximum allowable steering angle for the tires based on both the current suspension travel distance and the current oscillation angle of the front axle, the maximum allowable steering angle corresponding to a steering angle at which clearance is maintained between the tires and the at least one hood-related component when the tires are positioned at the maximum steering angle; and

actively controlling, with the computing device, an operation of a steering cylinder associated with the front axle based on the dynamically determined maximum allowable steering angle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, with the computing device, measurement signals associated with the current suspension travel distance of the front axle from a first sensor communicatively coupled to the computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied to a suspension cylinder of the work vehicle or a position sensor configured to measure a relative position of the front axle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, with the computing device, measurement signals associated with the current oscillation angle of the front axle from a second sensor communicatively coupled to the computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied to a suspension cylinder of the work vehicle, a position sensor configured to measure a relative position of the front axle or an orientation sensor configured to measure an angular orientation of the front axle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically determining the maximum allowable steering angle comprises continuously updating the maximum allowable steering angle based on changes in at least one of the current suspension travel distance or the current oscillation angle of the front axle as the work vehicle operated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one hood-related component comprises at least one of a hood of the work vehicle or an under-hood component of the work vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tire parameter comprises at least one of a tire size of the tires or a tire tread width associated with the tires.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling, with the computing device, an operation of a suspension cylinder of the work vehicle to account for changes in at least one of the current suspension travel distance or the current oscillation angle while the work vehicle is being turned.

10. A system for actively determining a steering stop angle for tires associated with a front axle of a work vehicle, the system comprising:

a steering assembly configured to rotate each of the tires relative to the front axle, the steering assembly including a first steering cylinder and a second steering cylinder;

a controller configured to control an operation of the first and second steering cylinders, the controller including a processor and associated memory, the memory including computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by the processor, configure the controller to;

receive an input associated with a tire parameter for the tires;

monitoring a current suspension travel distance of the front axle, the suspension travel distance being associated with a vertical position of the tires relative to at least one hood-related component of the work vehicle;

monitor a current oscillation angle of the front axle, the oscillation angle being associated with at least one of the vertical position or a horizontal position of the tires relative to the at least one hood-related component;

dynamically determine a maximum allowable steering angle for the tires based on both the current suspension travel distance and the current oscillation angle of the front axle, the maximum allowable steering angle corresponding to a steering angle at which a clearance is maintained between the tires and the at least one hood-related component when the tires are position at the maximum steering angle; and

actively control the operation of at least one of the first steering cylinder or the second steering cylinder based on the dynamically determined maximum allowable steering angle.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a first sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, the first sensor being configured to transmit measurement signals to the controller associated with the current suspension travel distance of the front axle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied to a suspension cylinder of the work vehicle or a position sensor configured to measure a relative position of the front axle.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second sensor communicatively coupled to the controller, the second sensor being configured to transmit measurement signals to the controller associated with the current oscillation angle of the front axle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied to a suspension cylinder of the work vehicle, a position sensor configured to measure a relative position of the front axle or an orientation sensor configured to measure an angular orientation of the front axle.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically determine the maximum allowable steering angle by continuously updating the maximum allowable steering angle based on changes in at least one of the current suspension travel distance or the current oscillation angle of the front axle as the work vehicle operated.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one hood-related component comprises at least one of a hood of the work vehicle or an under-hood component of the work vehicle.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the tire parameter comprises at least one of a tire size of the tires or a tire tread width associated with the tires.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to control an operation of a suspension cylinder of the work vehicle to account for changes in at least one of the current suspension travel distance or the current oscillation angle while the work vehicle is being turned.