Blade Pitch Control via Tractive Force Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bladed work vehicles, such as crawler dozers and motor graders, face inefficiencies due to the complexity of manually adjusting blade pitch, which affects productivity and fuel consumption, as optimal blade pitch angles vary with dynamic factors like cut depth and material conditions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for automatically adjusting blade pitch using onboard controllers that estimate tractive force and determine optimized pitch angles, transmitting commands to the blade actuation system to maintain optimal pitch, thereby improving efficiency and reducing operator workload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual blade pitch adjustment is used, then operator control flexibility is maintained, but operator workload increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade pitch control system automatically adjusts blade pitch based on sensed operating conditions (cut depth, material type, blade position) without requiring manual operator input. The system serves itself by autonomously determining and implementing optimal pitch angles, thereby reducing operator workload while maintaining or improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control of blade pitch with an automated electronic control system that uses sensors and processors to determine optimal pitch angles. This substitution eliminates the need for continuous manual adjustment while maintaining precise control over blade orientation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple degrees of freedom in blade movement are provided, then blade positioning flexibility increases, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated pitch control system integrates multiple functions into a single control mechanism. It simultaneously considers cut depth, material type, blade position, and other parameters to determine optimal pitch, thereby managing complex multi-DOF blade movement through a unified automated system rather than separate controls for each degree of freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to continuously monitor blade position, cut depth, and material conditions, then feeds this information back to the control processor. This closed-loop feedback mechanism automatically adjusts pitch based on real-time conditions, simplifying the control of multiple blade degrees of freedom by relying on continuous environmental feedback rather than complex manual coordination.
3Use of energy by moving object
If automatic blade pitch control is implemented, then fuel consumption decreases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically adjusts blade pitch angle based on sensed parameters such as cut depth, material type, and blade position. By dynamically changing the pitch parameter in response to operating conditions, the system optimizes tractive force requirements and reduces fuel consumption without requiring overly complex mechanical modifications to the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an electronic control system as an intermediary between the operator and the blade actuation system. This intermediary automatically processes sensor data and translates it into appropriate pitch adjustments, thereby achieving fuel efficiency improvements through intelligent control rather than through complex mechanical modifications to the propulsion or blade systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for automatically adjusting blade pitch in crawler dozers, motor graders, and other bladed work vehicles includes estimating a current tractive force of the work vehicle utilizing one or more controllers that establish whether the current tractive force of the work vehicle can be reduced by rotating the blade to an optimized pitch angle. A command is transmitted from the one or more controllers to a blade actuation system to rotate the blade to the optimized pitch angle. The method may be performed iteratively to repeatedly adjust the blade pitch to optimized angles as the work vehicle operates and conditions affecting the optimal blade pitch angle vary.