Agricultural Steering System with Spatial Offset Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wheeled agricultural applicator machines, such as sprayers and fertilizer distributors, experience significant crop damage during headland turns due to the trailing wheels straying from the track of the leading wheels, as existing steering control systems fail to account for the distance between the leading and trailing wheels, leading to increased crop loss.
Innovation Solution
A steering control system that logs the history of the leading wheels' track and generates a steering signal for the trailing wheels based on the spatial offset between them, allowing for controlled steering that minimizes the area outside the leading wheel track during turns, thereby reducing crop damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the trailing wheels are steered to follow the leading wheels' track during headland turns, then crop damage is reduced, but the trailing wheels still cut the corner and extend outside the wheel track due to the distance between axles
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates and applies a spatial offset based on the distance between leading and trailing axles before the trailing wheels reach the turning point. This preliminary adjustment ensures that when the trailing wheels begin to turn, they are already positioned to follow the correct path, preventing them from cutting the corner and damaging crop that would otherwise be protected by the leading wheels' track.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system introduces an intermediary calculation layer that processes the spatial relationship between leading and trailing wheels. By computing the offset distance and applying it as a corrective factor to the steering angle, the system mediates the natural tendency of trailing wheels to cut corners, transforming the direct steering response into a compensated response that accurately follows the leading wheels' track.
2Ease of operation
If the track width of trailing wheels is matched to leading wheels, then the applicator follows the trodden track, but the trailing wheels cut the corner more pronouncedly with larger axle separation
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the steering parameter (steering angle) of the trailing wheels based on the spatial offset distance between axles. By changing the steering angle parameter in response to the detected offset, the system compensates for the corner-cutting effect that occurs with larger axle separations, allowing the trailing wheels to follow the leading wheels' track accurately even during headland turns.
3Reliability
If steering control is applied to trailing wheels based on sensed angle between leading and trailing wheels, then the applicator wheels are steered in the opposite direction to match turning radii, but the trailing wheels still tread down standing crop material at the commencement of headland turns
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies a preliminary counter-steering action by calculating the spatial offset and applying it as a corrective factor before the trailing wheels complete their turn. This preliminary anti-action counteracts the natural corner-cutting tendency of the trailing wheels, preventing them from treading down standing crop material at the commencement of headland turns while maintaining reliable steering control throughout the maneuver.
Data Source
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AI summary
A steering control system (100) and method for a wheeled agricultural material applicator machine (10;110) is provided. Suitable for both trailed applicators and self-propelled applicators, the system comprises a pair of leading wheels (25;125) which tread a first track, and a pair of trailing wheels (26;126) which tread a second track. Steering means (38,41) are configured to steer the trailing wheels so as to follow the first track. Control means (40) are configured to log a history of the first track and then calculate a steering signal for controlling the steering means. The calculation takes account of the logged history and of the spatial separation (d) between the pairs of leading and trailing wheels so that the latter are not steered away from the first track prematurely at the commencement of a headland turn for example.