• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
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    • 专利摘要:
    sensor assembly, and method of controlling a baling operation a sensor assembly and method are described to determine the position of an alternate motion plunger in a baler. a first sensor can detect at least one location on a crank arm by triggering the plunger when the crank turns. a second sensor can detect a rotation of a crank gear that drives the rotation of the crank arm. a controller can determine a position of the reciprocating piston relative to a compaction chamber based on, at least in part, the detected crank arm location and the detected rotation of the crank gear.
    公开号:BR102015001958B1
    申请号:R102015001958-0
    申请日:2015-01-28
    公开日:2020-06-16
    发明作者:Eric R. Lang；Darin L. Roth
    申请人:Deere & Company；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    SENSOR SET FOR A BALER, METHOD OF CONTROLING A BALING OPERATION, AND LEGIBLE STORAGE MEDIA BY COMPUTER
    DESCRIPTION FIELD
    [001] This description refers to baling, agricultural and other operations, including baling operations that result in large rectangular bales.
    GROUNDS FOR DESCRIPTION
    [002] In various agricultural equipment, and others, it can be useful to form bales of harvest material (and other materials). The bales formed can be of various sizes and, in certain applications, may exhibit generally rectangular (or other) cross sections. Various machines or mechanisms can be used to collect material (for example, from a row along a field) and process it to form bales. In order to create rectangular bales, for example, a square baler can move along a row of harvesting material by collecting the material inside a compaction chamber. A reciprocating plunger can compress the harvest material to form bales, which are wrapped, tied, or otherwise processed before being ejected from the rear of the baler. In such an operation, and others, several mobile components of a baler can interoperate and interact to facilitate the transport of material from the pickup to the compaction chamber, the compaction of the material inside the compaction chamber, and the ejection of the compacted material ( that is, the finished bales) from the rear of the baler.
    DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
    [003] A set of sensor and method, implemented by computer, are described to determine the position of a reciprocating piston of a baler.
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 7/82 / 24
    [004] According to one aspect of the description, a baler can be provided, which has an alternate movement plunger to compress material collected to form bales within a compaction chamber. The reciprocating piston can be driven by a connecting rod connected to a crank arm, the crank arm being rotated about a crank arm geometric axis by a crank gear. The crank gear can be a spur gear rotated by the power of a PTO interface with a tractor.
    [005] In certain embodiments, a first and a second sensor can be mounted on the baler in positions that are fixed in relation to, respectively, the crank arm and the crank gear. The first sensor can detect at least one location of the crank arm when the crank arm rotates about the crank arm geometric axis. The first sensor can detect a proximity of the crank arm to the first sensor, including by detecting the passage of a front or rear edge of the crank arm through a first sensor detecting the location. The second sensor can detect a rotation of the crank gear, including by detecting the passage of one or more teeth of the crank gear through a second sensor detecting the location.
    [006] In certain embodiments, a controller (or other computing device) can determine a reciprocating piston position based on, at least in part, the detected crank arm location and the detected crank gear rotation . For example, the controller can determine a starting position of the crank arm based on data from the first sensor and can determine a degree of rotational displacement of the crank gear based on data from the second sensor. The controller can additionally
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 8/82 / 24 determine a degree of rotational displacement of the crank arm from the starting position, based on the determined rotational displacement of the crank gear and based on the geometric relationships between the crank arm and the piston, thus determining a position of the piston. The controller can additionally determine one or more operating timings for various baler components based on determining the plunger position.
    [007] The details of one or more modalities are described in the attached drawings and in the description below. Other features and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
    FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example baler towed by an agricultural vehicle;
    FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the baler of FIG. 1, with portions of the baler cover removed;
    FIGS. 3A-3C are schematic views of aspects of the baler operation of FIG. 1;
    FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a configuration of a gearbox and associated components included in the baler of FIG. 1;
    FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of another configuration of the gearbox of FIG. 4; and
    FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a baling control method that can be implemented with respect to the baler of FIG. 1.
    [008] The same reference symbols in the various drawings indicate the same elements.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION
    [009] The following describes one or more example modalities of
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 9/82 / 24 sensor set described and the method implemented by computer, as shown in FIGS. attached to the drawings, briefly described above. Various modifications to the example modalities can be contemplated by a person skilled in the art, including the implementation of the method described as a special-purpose computing system that employs one or more processor devices and memory architectures.
    [0010] As noted above, it may be useful, in various circumstances, to collect loose material, such as cut crop material, to form compacted bales. In certain embodiments, such material can be collected and compacted to form generally rectangular bales. This gondola can be realized by using various types of square balers. For example, in certain square balers, cut (or other) crop material can be collected from rows along a field and can be passed into a compaction chamber. A reciprocating plunger can move axially through the compaction chamber in order to compress the collected material to form bales of various sizes and densities, depending on the baler configuration.
    [0011] In these and other operations, it may be useful to determine the location of a reciprocating piston with relative precision. For example, when a plunger in a square baler alternatively moves along a compaction chamber, it can interoperate with several other components including feeder forks (which can feed material to the compaction chamber when the piston retracts, insertion sets and mooring (which can tie bales formed with string or other material to keep them together), etc. To ensure that the various interoperable components of a square baler perform their respective functionality effectively and without interference, it can be useful to know the location of the plunger at various points along its reciprocating path. The sensor and method set
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 10/82 / 24, described here, can usefully address this and other needs. [0012] In certain embodiments, a reciprocating plunger of a square (or other) baler can be driven by a gearbox. For example, a crankcase inside a gearbox can cause one or more crank arms to rotate. The crank arm (s) can be attached to a plunger by means of one or more connecting arms, so that when the crank arm (s) rotates (m ), the plunger is caused to move cyclically along a path. For example, when the crank arm (s) rotate, they can cause a plunger to move axially within a compaction chamber between a retracted or initial position, in which the plunger has moved to create maximum space in the compaction chamber (that is, it is in a position that is maximally retracted from, or minimally extended into, the compaction chamber, with respect to the piston displacement operating path), and a maximum compression position, which can be opposed to the starting position. (It will be understood that the initial position of the plunger, in which the plunger is driven by a crank arm, can also correspond to an initial position of the crank arm (ie, a position of the crank arm corresponding to the plunger is maximally retracted). from the compaction chamber).) In this way, by providing rotational power to the gearbox, reciprocating movement can be communicated to the piston to compress harvest material inside the compaction chamber, with harvest material inside the compaction chamber. compaction being generally compressed (and pushed towards the rear of the compaction chamber) when the piston moves from the initial position to the maximum compression position.
    [0013] In order to provide a relatively accurate measurement of the plunger position within the compaction chamber, a sensor assembly can be
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 11/82 / 24 provided. For example, a first sensor can be positioned adjacent to a crank arm, so that the sensor detects the passage of the crank arm after the sensor (for example, it identifies a front or rear edge of the crank arm) as the crank arm rotates. A second sensor can be positioned adjacent to a gear in the gearbox, so that the sensor detects the rotation of the gear. A signal representing the reading of each sensor (for example, a signal representing the passage of the crank arm, and a signal representing the rotation of the gear, can be provided for a general or special computing device, such as a controller The controller can then process the data from both sensors to determine the position of the plunger inside the compaction chamber. For example, if the first sensor detects the passage of the crank arm when the plunger is in the starting position, the controller can translate the detected gear rotation to the piston movement (that is, using known geometric relationships) and add this movement to the starting position to determine the current location of the piston, so even with relatively cheap sensors, the position of the piston plunger can be determined along the entire plunger path with relatively high accuracy. Additionally, once when this plunger position f Once determined, the controller can use the plunger position to determine various operational timings for the baler. For example, using the determined plunger position, the controller can assess whether various components, such as feed forks, lashing needles, retaining teeth, and others, are properly synchronized with the plunger.
    [0014] With reference now to FIG. 1, a large square baler 12 can be towed across a field by means of the agricultural vehicle 10. (It will be understood that several other configurations are also
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 12/82 / 24 possible; for example, the sensor set and method described can be used with a variety of balers or other equipment.) Baler 12 can include housing 14, which can generally shield various internal components of baler 12. When baler 12 moves through from a field (for example, when towed by the agricultural vehicle 10 via connection 10a) and encounters a row or other arrangement of material (not shown), the pickup set 16 can collect the material and move it up and in housing 14 for processing. As a result of this processing, as described in more detail below, bale 18 can be formed, and can be ejected from the rear of the baler 12.
    [0015] In various embodiments, the baler 12 (or agricultural vehicle 10) can include one or more computing devices, such as controller 34. Various reciprocating locations for controller 34 are shown in FIG. 1, including locations on agricultural vehicle 10 and baler 12. It will be understood that one or more controllers 34 can be employed and that controller 34 can be mounted in various locations on agricultural vehicle 10, on baler 12, or any other location . Controller 34 can be hardware, software, or hardware and software computing device, and can be configured to perform various computational and control features with respect to baler 12 (or agricultural vehicle 10). As such, controller 34 may be in electronic communication, or other communication, with the various components and devices of baler 12 (or agricultural vehicle 10). For example, controller 34 inside baler 12 can be in electronic communication with several actuators, sensors, and other devices inside (or outside) baler 12. Controller 34 can communicate with several other components (including other controllers) of various known ways, including by wireless.
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 13/82 / 24
    [0016] With reference now also to FIG. 2, various internal components of an example baler configuration 12 are shown. It will be understood that several other configurations may also be possible. The pickup set 16, for example, can include pickup by rotating teeth 22 for collecting harvest material from the row (not shown). The material collected by the pickup by rotating teeth 22 can be routed to the feed screw 24, which can additionally guide the material towards the compaction chamber 38 for compaction in a baler.
    [0017] The compaction chamber 38, which is shown with the top panel 38a in place, may be a generally rectangular cross-section chamber extending axially along the baler 12 in a direction generally from front to back. The compaction chamber 38 can be configured in several ways to receive material collected by the collection set 16, support the material for compaction, then release the resulting bale from the rear (or other portion) of the baler 12 (for example , as shown for bale 18, in FIG. 1).
    [0018] The compaction chamber 38 can be delimited on one or more sides (for example, to the right and left, from the perspective of the front direction of the baler 12) by tension panels 52, which can be movable in order to control various aspects of a bale-forming operation. For example, several actuators (not shown) can be mounted on baler 12 and one or more of the tension panels 52, so that the actuators can cause the tension panels 52 to vary the cross sectional area of the compaction chamber 38 In certain embodiments, for example, hydraulic pistons (not shown) can be configured to pivot tension panels 52 into (or out of) the compaction chamber 38 in order to decrease (or increase) the section area cross-section of compaction chamber 38 and thus increase (or decrease) the force
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 14/82 / 24 required to push a certain amount of compacted harvest material through the compaction chamber 38 (for example, the pressure required for plunger 54 (see FIGS. 3A-C) to move the bale through the compaction 38). In this way, for example, tension panels 52 can be used to vary the density of the resulting bale 18. [0019] The compaction of the harvest material inside the compaction chamber 38 can be carried out in several ways. For example, as shown in the various FIGS., The plunger 54 (not shown in FIG. 2) can be driven by a crank arm assembly. As shown in FIG. 2, the PTO connection axis (PTO) can be configured to receive rotational power from the PTO axis of the agricultural vehicle 10 (for example, through connection 10a, as shown in FIG. 1). In certain embodiments, therefore, when the PTO output of the agricultural vehicle 10 is engaged, the PTO connection shaft 26 may be receiving rotational power from the vehicle 10. (It will be understood that several other configurations are also possible, such as configurations on which the axle 26 (or various other components of the baler 12) can be selectively disengaged, even if the PTO outlet of the vehicle 10 is engaged).
    [0020] In various embodiments, the PTO connection shaft 26 can provide rotational power to gearbox 28. Through one or more internal gears (not shown in FIG. 2), this power can be routed through the gearbox gears 28 for the crank arms 30, which can be connected to the plunger 54 (see FIGS. 3A-C) via connection bar (s) 32. (The connection bars 32 have been partially removed in Figure 2, for clarity of representation). In this way, the rotational power can be provided from the agricultural vehicle 10 to the crank arms 30. The crank arms 30, therefore, can then trigger the reciprocating movement of the plunger 54 (see FIGS. 3A-C),
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 15/82 / 24 through the connecting rod (s) 32, in order to compact material inside the compaction chamber 38 to form bales 18. It will be understood that several other configurations may be possible. For example, in certain embodiments, gearbox 28 can be powered by an electric or hydraulic machine, rather than by straight mechanical power from a PTO interface.
    [0021] In various modalities, the rotation of the PTO 26 connection shaft (for example, when powered by the PTO output of the vehicle 10), can additionally (or alternatively) provide rotational power for the various components of the baler 12. For For example, the movement of the various components of the collection set 16, of various mooring mechanisms (not shown), pumps for the hydraulic actuation of the tension panels 38 (not shown), and others, can be activated through power connections of various known types (eg chain or belt drives) for the PTO 26 connecting shaft or associated components.
    [0022] With reference also to FIGS. 3A-C, an example material movement through the baler 12, from a row to a formed bale, is shown in a simplified schematic view of the baler 12. Harvest material (or other material) can be collected from the row 72 through the pickup set 16 (for example, picked up by the pickup by rotating teeth 22) and routed through the set 16 (eg, the feed screw 24) into feeder duct 40. Depending on the row configuration 72, such collection and forwarding can be relatively continuous as the baler 12 moves along row 72. Harvest material (or other material) 48 within the feeder duct 40 can be moved by various mechanisms (for example, forks feeder 44 or a separate packing set (not shown)) along the feeder duct
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 16/82 / 24 towards the compaction chamber 38. In certain embodiments, material 48 may not be fed continuously into the compaction chamber 38, but may be kept within the preload chamber 42 of the feeder duct 40 by means of the retaining set 46 (for example, one or more retaining teeth retaining set (not shown)). When feeder forks 44 (or components of a differential packing assembly) continue to move material along feeder duct 40, and the material continues to be prevented from entering compaction chamber 38 (for example, by the retention 46), the material may begin to form an elongated flake within the preload chamber 42 (see FIG. 3B).
    [0023] Once the flake 50 of the appropriate size has been formed (for example, when determined by a flake density sensor (not shown)), the flake 50 can be released by the retaining assembly 46 and moved into the chamber of compaction 37 by feeder forks 44 (see FIG. 3C). As shown in FIG. 3C in particular, the timing of this release and movement of the flake 50 into the compaction chamber 38 may be suitably synchronized with the movement of the plunger 54. For example, it may be appropriate to configure the retaining assembly 46 to release the flake 50, and the feeder forks 44 to move the flake 50 into the compaction chamber 38, only when the plunger 54 has not reached its initial position (i.e., a position that is maximally retracted from, or minimally extended into, compaction chamber 38, with respect to the piston displacement operating path 54, as shown in FIG. 3C). In this way, for example, the flake 50 may not be moved into the compaction chamber 38 until the plunger 54 has been pushed preceding the harvest material in the direction towards the rear of the compaction chamber 38, then properly having been retracted out of the way of flake 50.
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 17/82 / 24
    [0024] It will be understood that several configurations may be possible. For example, although feeder forks 44 may have been described as moving material 48 both along feeder duct 40 and into compaction chamber 38, two or more separate mechanisms can handle these respective material movements. For example, a packing set (not shown) can carry material 48 along feeder duct 40 and a separate feeder set (not shown) can transport flake 50 from the pre-charge chamber 42 into the chamber compaction 38. In certain embodiments, flake 50 can be formed anywhere other than in the preload chamber 42 or can be fed into the compaction chamber 38 from the side of the compaction chamber 38, rather than through the base. Additionally, in various embodiments, various components of the baler 12 can be actuated mechanically, electrically, hydraulically or acted in another way. In this regard, it will be understood that the timing of the operation of the various components can be controlled mechanically (for example, through various gear ratios or other ratios), or one or more sensors (not shown), or controllers (for example, the controllers 34) can be included to measure the coordinated motion of the various components,
    [0025] Once when bale 18 was formed, it can be tied in order to assist bale 18 in maintaining its shape, once when it was ejected from the compaction chamber 38. As such, several lashing mechanisms (not shown) ) may be included for bonding, wrapping, and stringing or other material around the bale 18. For example, several tie needles, knotting sets, and others (not shown) may be included. As noted above, these mechanisms and their components can be operated and controlled in a variety of ways.
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 18/82 / 24
    [0026] As also noted above, because of the complicated interactions of various components of the baler 12, it may be useful to provide a sensor set (and related method) to monitor precisely and, in certain modalities, continuously, the position of the plunger 54. With reference also to FIGS. 4 and 5, for example, a set of two or more sensors (or a single sensor configured to perform various detection features) can be included in baler 12. As also discussed above, gearbox 28 can receive rotational power (directly or indirectly) from the geometric axis of connection of PTO 26, in several known ways. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, gearbox 28 can receive rotational power on the input shaft 56. Through internal gearing 58 of various configurations (for example, for reducing the rotational speed of the PTO connection shaft 26 to ensure the properly timed movement of the plunger 54), this input power can trigger the rotation of the main gear seed bank 60. The main gear 60 can, in turn, trigger the rotation of the crank arms 30 around the geometric axis of the crank arm 36. For example, the crank arms 30 can be attached by a splined connection to the sleeve shafts 62 extending from the main gear 60 out of gearbox 28. In this way, for example, the rotational power from the connecting shaft PTO 26 (or from another source) can be used to trigger the rotation of the crank arms 30 and thus the reciprocating movement of the piston 54.
    [0027] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a set of two sensors can be mounted in housing 28a of gearbox 28 (or otherwise fixed with respect to the various components of baler 12). For example, the crank arm sensor 64 can be mounted on the mounting bracket 66 (or other feature) on the cover 68 of the
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 19/82 / 24 gearbox 28. The crank arm sensor 64 can be an optical sensor, a Hall effect sensor or another magnetic sensor, or a sensor of several other known configurations. With reference specifically to FIG. 5, the crank arm sensor 64 can be positioned in relatively close proximity to the crank arm 30a, so that the sensor 64 can detect the passage of the crank arm 30a after the sensor 64, when the crank arm 30a rotates in around axis 36. For example, the crank arm sensor 64 can be configured to provide a voltage signal that is higher when there is metallic material present at the detection location 64a, and lower when no metallic material is present in the detection location 64a. In this way, for example, sensor 64 can be configured to provide a voltage signal to controller 34 that will be higher when a portion of the crank arm 30a is in place 64a, but low when the crank arm 30a is at any place. Controller 34 can therefore be configured to identify the passage of the front (or rear) edge of the crank arm 30a when it passes through location 64a by identifying the front (or rear) edge of the associated voltage spikes in the signal from sensor 64. Controller 34 can correspondingly determine, with relatively high accuracy, the location of the crank arm 30a at at least one point in the revolution of the crank arms around geometry axis 36. As shown, sensor 64 can be mounted on cover 68 of gearbox 28 (or other characteristic of baler 12) so that this determined location can correspond to the initial position of the plunger 54. It will be understood, however, that other configurations may also be possible, including configurations in which the sensor 64 detects the crank arm 30a when the plunger 54 is in a different location.
    [0028] Additionally with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 20/82 / 24 gear 70 can be mounted in gearbox housing 28 and can extend into the housing in the direction of main gear 60. Sensor 70 can be an optical sensor, a Hall effect sensor or another sensor magnetic, or a sensor of various other configurations. For example, sensor 70 may be a magnetic sensor, configured to identify the passage of individual teeth of gear 60 through detection site 70a. The sensor 70 can be mounted on the gearbox 28 in relatively close proximity to the main gear 60, so that the sensor 70 can detect the passage of teeth (or other characteristics) of the main gear 60, when the main gear 60 rotates in. from gearbox 28. For example, sensor 70 can be configured to provide a voltage signal that is higher when there is a metallic material present at the detection site 70a, and lower when no material is present at the detection site 70a . In this way, for example, sensor 70 can be configured to provide a voltage signal to controller 34, which will be high when a tooth of gear 60 is in location 70a, but low when a tooth is not in location 70a. Controller 34 can be correspondingly configured to identify the passage of individual teeth of gear 60 and thus determine the degree of rotation of gear 60 with respect to a reference position. Various other configurations may also be possible.
    [0029] Based on data from sensors 64 and gear sensor 70, and using known geometric relationships of crank arms 30, connection bar 32, and plunger 54, controller 34 can therefore determine the position of the plunger 54 with relatively high accuracy. As noted above, for example, a reference location (e.g., initial) of the crank arm 30a can be determined based on data from the crank arm sensor 64. From this point on (and from this plunger location 54) , controller 34 can then
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 21/82 / 24 determine the degree of rotational displacement of the gear 60 based on data from the gear sensor 70 and, correspondingly, the degree of rotational displacement of the crank arm 30a away from the determined reference position. Based on the known geometric relationships noted above, this degree of rotational displacement of the crank arm 30a can be determined to correspond to a translational displacement distance of the plunger 54. Consequently, the use of the known reference position (of the sensor 64) and this translational displacement distance, the current position of the plunger 54 can be determined.
    [0030] Various other configurations may also be possible. For example, although controllers 34 can be represented separately from sensors 64 and 70, in various embodiments, a controller can be included in (or with) one or both of the sensors. As such, for example, sensor 64 can properly determine the reference location of the crank arms 30 and sensor 70 can properly determine the degree of rotation of the 60.
    [0031] Similarly, it will be understood that sensors 64 and 70 can be mounted in various locations, with respect to gearbox 28. For example, sensor 64 is represented in FIGS. 4 and 5 when mounted on the cover 68 to detect the passage of the rear edge 72 of the crank arm 30a, when the plunger 54 is in its initial position. In certain embodiments, the sensor64 can be mounted to detect the leading edge 74 of the crank arm 30a when the plunger 54 is in its initial position, or to detect any of the edges 72 or 74 at various other locations in the rotation of the crank arm 30a about geometric axis 36. Similarly, for example, sensor 70 is shown in FIG. 4 as mounted on gearbox 28 towards the rear of the baler 12. In certain embodiments, sensor 70 can be mounted on the
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 22/82 / 24 gearbox 28 in other locations, such as on cover 68 (as shown in FIG. 5). Additionally, it will be understood that the gear sensor 70 does not necessarily need to detect the rotation of a gear that directly drives the crank arm 30a (that is, gear 60 directly rotating the sleeve shaft 62, in which the crank arm 30a is mounted). For example, the gear sensor 70 can be configured to detect the rotation of the various other gears inside the gearbox 28 (or somewhere in the baler 12 or in the vehicle 10), with the degree of rotation of the detected gear, in a such a case, being modified appropriately to reflect the degree of rotation of the crank arm 30a (for example, modified with respect to the gear ratio that intervenes between the gear detected by the sensor 70 and the crank arms 30). In this case, the gear sensor 70 can generally be viewed as detecting the rotation of a crank gear, which can be a gear that drives the rotation of the crank arm 30a either directly (as with main gear 60) or indirectly. [0032] With reference also to FIG. 6, in light of the example system described above, controller 34 (or other device) can perform bale-forming control method 200. Method 200 may include determining 202 the location of a rotating crank arm on a baler, based on, given 204 from a crank arm sensor. The crank arm sensor can determine data 204, for example, based on detection 206 of the passage of a crank arm (or proximity of a crank arm a) to the crank arm sensor. In certain embodiments, as also described here, the detected passage / proximity 206 may correspond to the initial position 208 of a baler plunger.
    [0033] Method 200 may additionally include determining 210 the rotation of a crank gear. As also noted above, a crank gear can drive a crank arm directly
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 23/82 / 24 example, as with gear 60 in FIG. 4) or indirectly. The rotation of the crank gear can be determined 210 based on data 212 from a crank gear sensor, which sensor can, for example, determine data 212 based on the detection 214 of the passage of one or more gear teeth by (or in the vicinity of one or more gear teeth a) the crank gear sensor. In certain embodiments, as also described above, determining 210 the rotation of the crank gear may include determining 216 a degree of rotational displacement of the crank gear. For example, each gear pass that is detected 214 can be determined 216 to correspond to a particular angular rotation of the detected gear.
    [0034] Method 200 may additionally include determining 218 a current position of a baler plunger. In certain embodiments, determining the current plunger position 218 may include determining 220 a degree of rotational displacement of a crank arm that drives the plunger from an initial position, which may correspond to the particular starting position 208 of the crank arm. As also described above, the determined degree 220 of rotational displacement of the crank arm can correspond, based on known geometric relationships, to a translational displacement distance of the piston, which can be driven by the crank arm. In certain embodiments, this translational displacement distance (which may include displacement in either a compression direction or an extension direction over a full cycle of piston movement) can be added to the reference position of the piston (ie, as determined at the given location 202 of the crank arm), in order to determine the current plunger position 218.
    [0035] Continuing, method 200 may additionally include determining 222 various operating timings of the various baler components, based on the determined position 218 of the motion piston
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 24/82 / 24 alternative. For example, as noted above, a baler plunger can interoperate with several other baler components and can sometimes move in close proximity to several other moving components. As such, it may be useful to compare the determined plunger position 218 with a determined (or expected) position of the various other components to ensure that the plunger and the other components are operating with the complementary timing (that is, they are synchronized in their movement to ensure optimum baler performance). For example, controller 34 can operate in conjunction with several other sensors (not shown) on controller baler 34 to determine the current (or expected) position of feeder fork 224, retaining teeth 226, lashing needles 228, or several others components 232. This determined position can be compared with the determined position 218 of the plunger in order to determine 222, for example, whether the plunger and the other component (s) are operating with the appropriately synchronized timing.
    [0036] As noted above, in certain embodiments, various components of a baler can be controlled in a controlled manner (for example, actuated on the basis of a control signal issued by the controller 34). In such a case, once an appropriate operational timing of the various baler components has been determined 222, control signals for the various components can be adjusted appropriately to ensure that the components are operating with the appropriate timing determined 222. For example, the controller 34 can determine 222 an appropriate timing for the operation of the feed fork 224 based on the determined position 218 of the plunger (for example, a timing that ensures no contact between the feed fork 224 and the plunger), and can send a signal control for feeder fork 224 to control movement of feeder fork 224
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 25/82 / 24 correspondingly. In certain embodiments, the particular operating delay 222 may not necessarily be used to actively control the baler components. In this case, and in others, however, the determined timing 222 can be used for diagnostic, maintenance, or other purposes. For example, during maintenance on a baler, the particular plunger position 218 can be evaluated in order to determine 222 whether the plunger is operating in synchronized timing with the various other components of the baler and, correspondingly, adjust the plunger operational timing or other components when needed.
    [0037] In various modalities, the determined position 218 of the reciprocating piston (or several determined operational timings 222) can also be used in conjunction with various other measurements, calculations, and parameters related to a particular baler. In various embodiments, controller 34 can use the determined plunger position 218 in combination with torque measurements for the plunger and crank arm in order to control various aspects of baler performance. For example, it will be understood that when a plunger starts to compress harvest material inside a compaction chamber, the pressure inside the compaction chamber (and, correspondingly, the torque on the crank arm driving the plunger) can increase. It may be useful to control the performance of the voltage panels 230 to properly manage this pressure increase, including through the PID or other control links configured to maintain relatively constant pressure (and torque) throughout the compression stroke. In this control (for example, with respect to the PID or other control link), it may be useful to take into account the relative location of the plunger within its compression stroke (or other) (for example, so as not to overcompensate an initial peak of pressure / torque at the beginning of the compression stroke, to take into account changes in mechanical advantage
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 26/82 / 24 at the various angles of the crank arm, and others).
    [0038] As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, various aspects of the subject described can be incorporated as a computer-implemented method, a system, or a computer program product. Consequently, certain modalities can be implemented entirely as hardware, entirely as software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) or as a combination of software and hardware aspects. In addition, certain embodiments may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium, having computer-usable program code incorporated into the medium.
    [0039] Any appropriate switchable or computer readable medium may be used. The computer-usable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-usable, or computer-readable medium (including a storage device associated with a computing device or customer electronic device) can be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic system, device, or device , magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor, or any appropriate combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more metallic wires, a portable computer diskette, and a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a memory read-only (ROM), a programmable, erasable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a read-only portable compact disc (CD-ROM) memory, an optical storage device. In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that can contain, or store, a program for
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 27/82 / 24 use by, or in connection with, the instruction system, device, device.
    [0040] A computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated with computer-readable program code embedded in it, for example, in the baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal can take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electromagnetic, optical, to any appropriate combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium may be non-transitory and may be any computer-readable medium that is not a computer-readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport, a program for use by, or in connection with, a system, apparatus, or instruction execution device.
    [0041] Aspects of certain fashions are described here with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products in accordance with the modalities of the invention. It will be understood that each block of any flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided for a general purpose computer processor, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, so that the instructions, which execute through the computer's processor or other programmable data processing devices, create means to implement the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block or block diagram blocks. These computer program instructions can also be stored in computer-readable memory that can target a computer or other
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 28/82 / 24 programmable data processing to function in a particular way, so that instructions stored in computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions that implement the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block or blocks of block diagram. Computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or another programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that instructions that run on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions / acts in the flowchart and / or block or block diagram blocks.
    [0042] The flowchart and block diagrams in FIGS. illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of computer program systems, methods, and products, in accordance with the various modalities of this description. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams can represent a module, segment, or piece of code, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function (s). . In addition, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the various blocks may occur out of the order noted in FIGS .. For example, two blocks shown in succession can, in fact, be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks can sometimes be performed in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flow chart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flow chart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the functions or special acts, or combinations of hardware and special-purpose computer instructions.
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 29/82 / 24
    [0043] The terminology used here is only for the purpose of describing particular modalities and is not intended to be limiting of the description. When used here, the singular forms one, one and o, a are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms comprise and / or comprise, when used in this description, specify the presence of the aforementioned characteristics, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other characteristics , integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.
    [0044] The description of this description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the description in the manner described. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the description. Modalities explicitly referenced here have been chosen and described to better explain the principles of description and their practical application, and to allow others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the description and recognize many alternatives, modifications, and variations in the example (s) ) described (s). Consequently, several modalities and implementations other than those explicitly described are within the scope of the following claims.
    权利要求:
    Claims (12)
    [1]
    1. Sensor assembly for a baler, the baler (12) having a reciprocating plunger (54) to compress collected material (48) to form bales (18) within a compaction chamber (38), the movement plunger alternative (54) being driven by a crank arm (30, 30a), the crank arm being rotated about a crank arm geometric axis (36) by a crank gear (60), the sensor assembly featured by the fact that it understands:
    a first sensor (64) to detect at least one location of the crank arm (30, 30a) when the crank arm (30, 30a) rotates about the crank arm geometric axis (36); and a second sensor (70) for detecting rotation of the crank gear (60); and a controller (34) for determining a position of the reciprocating piston (54) in relation to the compaction chamber (38) based, at least in part, on at least one location of the crank arm (30, 30a) detected by the first sensor (64) and the detected rotation of the crank gear (60) by the second sensor (70).
    [2]
    Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first sensor (64) detects a proximity of the crank arm (30, 30a) to the first sensor (64).
    [3]
    Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first sensor (64) detects at least one location of the crank arm (30, 30a) by, at least in part, detecting the passage of a rear edge (72) of the crank arm (30, 30a) through a first sensor (64) to detect the location.
    [4]
    4. Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first sensor (64) detects at least one location of the crank arm (30, 30a) by, at least in part, detecting the
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 31/82
    2/4 passing a leading edge (74) of the crank arm (30, 30a) through a first sensor (64) to detect the location.
    [5]
    5. Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one location of the crank arm (30, 30a), detected by the first sensor (64), corresponds to a minimum operational extension of the movement piston alternative (54) into the compaction chamber (38).
    [6]
    Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the first sensor (64) and the second sensor (70) is mounted in a housing (28a) of the crank gear (60) in a position that is fixed in relation to, respectively, the crank arm (30, 30a) and the crank gear (60).
    [7]
    7. Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the second sensor (70) detects the rotation of the crank gear (60) by, at least in part, detecting the passage of one or more gear teeth crank (60) through a second sensor to detect the location.
    [8]
    Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the crank gear (60) is a spur gear rotated by, at least in part, power from a power take-up interface (26) with a tractor (10).
    [9]
    Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that determining the position of the reciprocating piston (54) in relation to the compaction chamber (38) is based, at least in part, on the controller (34 ):
    determining an initial position of the crank arm (30, 30a) based, at least in part, on the first sensor (64) to detect at least one location of the crank arm (30, 30a);
    determine a degree of rotational displacement of the
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 32/82
    3/4 crank gear (60) based, at least in part, on the second sensor (70) to detect rotation of the crank gear (60); and determining a degree of rotational displacement of the crank arm (30, 30a) from the starting position based on, at least in part, the determined degree of rotational displacement of the crank gear (60).
    [10]
    10. Sensor assembly according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the controller (34) is additionally configured for:
    determine an operational delay for one or more baler components, other than the crank arm (30, 30a) and the reciprocating piston (54), based, at least in part, on the determined position of the reciprocating piston ( 54) in relation to the compaction chamber (38).
    [11]
    11. Method of controlling a baling operation for a baler (12) using the baler sensor set defined in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by the fact that it comprises:
    determine at least one location of the crank arm (30, 30a) when the crank arm (30, 30a) rotates around the geometric axis of the crank arm (36) based on, at least in part, data from a crank arm sensor;
    determining a rotation of the crank gear (60), based on, at least in part, a crank gear sensor; and determining a position of the reciprocating piston (54) in relation to the compaction chamber (38), based on, at least in part, at least a certain location of the crank arm (30, 30a) and the determined rotation of the crank gear (60).
    [12]
    12. Computer-readable storage medium,
    Petition 870190109841, of 10/29/2019, p. 33/82
    4/4 characterized by the fact that it contains stored instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as defined in claim 11.
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    同族专利:
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    US20150208586A1|2015-07-30|
    BR102015001958A2|2015-12-15|
    EP2901845A1|2015-08-05|
    PL2901845T3|2017-06-30|
    US9736988B2|2017-08-22|
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    法律状态:
    2015-12-15| B03A| Publication of an application: publication of a patent application or of a certificate of addition of invention|
    2018-02-27| B06F| Objections, documents and/or translations needed after an examination request according art. 34 industrial property law|
    2019-08-13| B06U| Preliminary requirement: requests with searches performed by other patent offices: suspension of the patent application procedure|
    2020-05-05| B09A| Decision: intention to grant|
    2020-06-16| B16A| Patent or certificate of addition of invention granted|Free format text: PRAZO DE VALIDADE: 20 (VINTE) ANOS CONTADOS A PARTIR DE 28/01/2015, OBSERVADAS AS CONDICOES LEGAIS. |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    US14/168,343|2014-01-30|
    US14/168,343|US9736988B2|2014-01-30|2014-01-30|Baler plunger-position sensor assembly and method|
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