Disk Gang Load Sensing for Tillage Implement Status Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tillage implements face challenges in determining operational status, such as disk gang plugging and frame levelness, due to field conditions like residue accumulation and soil moisture variations, which current systems fail to accurately assess.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using load sensors and a computing system to determine the total load on a disk gang, normalize the number of disks in contact with soil based on surface area, and calculate average load per disk to assess operational status, including plugging and frame levelness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional operational status detection systems are used, then the system complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of disk gang plugging and frame levelness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical detection systems with a computational approach using load sensors and a computing system. The load sensors measure forces on the disk gang, and the computing system processes this data to detect plugging conditions and frame levelness, substituting mechanical complexity with electronic sensing and computational analysis to achieve higher measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces load sensors as intermediary devices between the disk gang and the detection system. These sensors act as mediators that convert mechanical loads into electrical signals, which are then processed by the computing system to determine operational status, thereby improving detection accuracy without directly complicating the mechanical tillage system.
2Measurement precision
If load sensors and computing system are added to determine operational status, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The computing system performs multiple functions: it processes load sensor data to detect disk gang plugging, determines frame levelness, and can trigger control actions. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate detection systems into a single integrated platform, improving measurement precision across multiple parameters without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by using load sensor measurements to determine operational status and trigger control actions. The computing system continuously monitors load data, compares it against thresholds for plugging and levelness, and provides feedback through control signals, creating a closed-loop system that improves precision through iterative adjustment rather than requiring overly complex open-loop detection.
3Productivity
If the system triggers control actions based on operational status, then the productivity improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically detecting operational status and triggering appropriate control actions without requiring constant operator intervention. The computing system monitors load sensor data, determines when plugging or levelness issues occur, and automatically initiates control actions to correct these conditions, thereby maintaining high productivity through autonomous operation rather than complex manual monitoring and adjustment systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides accurate determination of tillage implement operational status, enabling timely adjustments to improve tillage performance by detecting disk gang plugging and frame levelness.
Implementation Method 1
one or more load sensors configured to generate data indicative of a load being applied to the disk gang
Data Source
AI summary
A tillage implement includes a computing system configured to determine the total load being applied to a disk gang of the implement based on data generated by the one or more load sensors. Additionally, the computing system is configured to determine a normalized number of disks on the disk gang based on the surface area of each disk on the disk gang that is in contact with soil in a field across which the tillage implement is traveling. Moreover, the computing system is configured to determine an average load per disk being applied to the disk gang based on the determined total load and the determined normalized number of disks. In addition, the computing system is configured to determine an operational status of the tillage implement based on the determined average load per disk.