AUTOMATIC PRODUCTIVITY MANAGEMENT CONTROL WITH STANDARD POWER SHIFT TRANSMISSION

• US 20100145581A1
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Hou, Yanming
• Granted Patent: US 8,121,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• 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 2200/221 Tractors
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/0226 for selecting particular shift speeds, e.g. a fast shift speed with aggressive gear change

Abstract

A system and method for managing the power of an engine-powered vehicle is provided. The power of the engine is managed in automatic vehicle speed mode by inputting the desired vehicle ground speed and a measured variable to an electronic controller, which automatically up-shifts the transmission and reduces engine speed to maintain a desired vehicle speed and reduce fuel consumption when a load on the vehicle is reduced and down-shifts the transmission and increases engine speed when the load is applied. The measured variable is (a) the position of a selector switch, which is positionable in a field mode for operating the vehicle in a field, including tillage applications under changing load conditions, and a road mode for operating the vehicle during road hauling or transportation, (b) the position of a brake and ground speed, (c) vehicle slippage and ground speed, (d) an operator set maximum and minimum ground speed, (e) an operator set maximum and minimum gear setting, (f) system sensitivity, and/or (g) change in implement status.

Claims

1. An engine-powered vehicle having an automatic power management feature comprising:

an engine having a rated engine speed;

a transmission with multiple gear ratios driven by the engine;

an electronic controller for controlling both the engine and the transmission;

a mode selector actuatable by an operator for inputting to the electronic controller an operator selection between manual speed control mode and automatic speed control mode; and

a device configured to evaluate a variable during automatic speed control mode and inputting the variable to the electronic controller to control the engine rpm and the transmission gear during automatic speed control mode;

wherein the electronic controller maintains a selected vehicle speed during automatic speed control mode by automatically up-shifting the transmission and reducing engine speed to reduce fuel consumption when a load on the vehicle is reduced and down-shifting the transmission and increasing engine speed when the load is applied;

wherein the variable is selected from the group consisting of (a) the position of a selector switch, the selector switch being positionable in a field mode for operating the vehicle in a field, including tillage applications under changing load conditions, and a road mode for operating the vehicle during road hauling or transportation, (b) the position of a brake and ground speed, (c) vehicle slippage and ground speed, (d) an operator set maximum and minimum ground speed, (e) an operator set maximum and minimum gear setting, (f) system sensitivity, (g) change in implement status, and (h) combinations thereof, and

wherein the maximum allowable vehicle ground speed and the maximum allowable gear are greater in the road mode than in the field mode.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to evaluate the position of the selector switch and wherein the maximum allowable selected ground speed in the field mode is less than the maximum allowable selected ground speed in the road mode.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to evaluate the position of the selector switch and wherein the maximum allowable selected ground speed in the field mode is adjustable.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to evaluate the position of the brake and ground speed and wherein the electronic controller is configured to set the target ground speed less than the actual ground speed.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to evaluate the position of the brake and ground speed and wherein the electronic controller is configured to set the target ground speed equal to or slight higher than the actual ground speed.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to evaluate vehicle slippage and ground speed, and wherein the electronic controller is configured to lower the selected gear when the vehicle slippage exceeds a predetermined value.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the predetermined slippage value is between about 6% and about 13%.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to evaluate the operator set maximum and minimum ground speed or the operator set maximum and minimum gear setting, and wherein the set maximum ground speed or set maximum gear setting corresponds to a control lever being at one end of the control lever movement range and the set minimum ground speed or set minimum gear setting corresponds to a control lever being at the other end of the control lever movement range.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to evaluate system sensitivity and wherein the electronic controller is configured to increase system sensitivity for better efficiency or decrease system sensitivity to provide more stable gear and engine rpm settings.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to evaluate change in implement status and wherein the electronic controller is configured to anticipate load changes resulting from a change in status of the implement by adjusting the gear and engine rpm before the change in the implement status changes the load.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the transmission is a variable transmission.

12. A method of managing power of an engine-powered vehicle having an engine with a rated engine speed, a transmission with multiple gear ratios driven by the engine, an electronic controller for controlling both the engine and the transmission, a mode selector actuatable by an operator for inputting to the electronic controller an operator selection between a manual speed control mode and an automatic speed control mode, and a device for determining a variable and inputting the variable to the electronic controller during automatic mode to control the engine rpm and the transmission gear during automatic speed control mode, wherein the selected vehicle speed in automatic mode is maintained by the electronic controller by automatically up-shifting the transmission and reducing engine speed to maintain a desired vehicle speed and reducing fuel consumption in response to a reduction of a load on the vehicle reduced and by automatically down-shifting the transmission and increasing engine speed when the load is applied;

the method comprising determining the variable and inputting the variable to the electronic controller to control the engine rpm and the transmission gear during automatic speed control mode, wherein the variable is selected from the group consisting of (a) the position of a selector switch, the selector switch being positionable in a field mode for operating the vehicle in a field, including tillage applications under changing load conditions, and a road mode for operating the vehicle during road hauling or transportation, (b) the position of a brake and ground speed, (c) vehicle slippage and ground speed, (d) an operator set maximum and minimum ground speed, (e) an operator set maximum and minimum gear setting, (f) system sensitivity, (g) change in implement status, and (h) combinations thereof, and wherein the maximum allowable vehicle ground speed and the maximum allowable gear are greater in the road mode than in the field mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the position of the selector switch is evaluated and wherein the maximum allowable selected ground speed in the field mode is controlled to be less than the maximum allowable selected ground speed in the road mode.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the position of the selector switch is evaluated and wherein the maximum allowable selected ground speed in the field mode is adjusted.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the position of the brake and ground speed are evaluated and wherein the electronic controller sets the target ground speed to be less than the actual ground speed.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the position of the brake and ground speed are evaluated and wherein the electronic controller sets the target ground speed to be equal to or slight higher than the actual ground speed.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the vehicle slippage and ground speed are evaluated and wherein the electronic controller lowers the selected gear when the vehicle slippage exceeds a predetermined value.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the operator set maximum and minimum ground speed or the operator set maximum and minimum gear setting are evaluated, and wherein the electronic controller sets maximum ground speed or sets maximum gear when a control lever is positioned at one end of the control lever movement range and the electronic controller sets minimum ground speed or sets minimum gear when the control lever is positioned at the other end of the control lever movement range.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the system sensitivity is evaluated and wherein the system sensitivity is increased for better efficiency or the system sensitivity is decreased to provide more stable gear and engine rpm settings.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the change in implement status is evaluated and wherein the electronic controller anticipates load changes resulting from a change in status of the implement by adjusting the gear and engine rpm before the change in the implement status changes the load.