Actively Damped Stabilizer Wheel Control for Ground Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern towable agricultural tillage implements face challenges with stabilizer wheels, including undesirable bouncing and deep digging during operation, which are exacerbated by the wide width of these implements. Current positioning methods lack precision and accuracy, especially at higher operational speeds, and are limited by ground-induced vibration, restricting the ground speed and efficiency of tillage operations.
Innovation Solution
An actively damped remotely positionable stabilizer wheel system that uses a double-acting hydraulic cylinder with electro-hydraulic flow control and sensors to precisely control the stabilizer wheel's position and damping, allowing independent control of multiple wheels and operation with a single hydraulic source, thereby reducing ground-induced vibration and enhancing precision and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If stabilizer wheels are extended too far or press too hard against the ground surface, then bouncing and digging are reduced, but the lifting effect on the implement frame interferes with proper operation of the tillage tools and degrades seedbed quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses position sensors to continuously monitor the actual position of stabilizer wheels and compares it with the desired position. The controller adjusts the hydraulic cylinder based on the position error feedback to maintain precise wheel positioning, preventing both excessive extension that causes bouncing and insufficient extension that allows digging, thereby maintaining seedbed quality
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the stabilizer wheel position parameter based on operating conditions. The controller modifies the desired position setpoint and hydraulic cylinder control parameters to optimize the balance between stability (reducing bounce and digging) and seedbed quality (avoiding frame lifting interference)
2Ease of operation
If manually operated turnbuckles or screw jacks are used to position stabilizer wheels, then the implement can be operated, but positioning precision and accuracy are insufficient especially at higher operational speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical positioning mechanisms (turnbuckles, screw jacks) with an electro-hydraulic positioning system. The controller receives position feedback from sensors and automatically actuates the hydraulic cylinder to achieve precise wheel positioning, eliminating the imprecision of manual operation while maintaining ease of operation through automated control
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-positioning capability where the stabilizer wheel assembly automatically adjusts its own position based on sensor feedback and controller commands. The hydraulic cylinder self-regulates to maintain the desired position without requiring manual intervention, achieving both ease of operation and high precision
3Productivity
If ground-induced vibration is present, then the implement can operate, but ground speed is restricted which limits operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses active vibration control by generating counter-vibrations through the hydraulic cylinder actuation. The controller detects ground-induced vibration patterns and commands the hydraulic system to produce opposing vibrational forces that cancel out the harmful vibrations, allowing the implement to operate at higher ground speeds without being limited by vibration effects
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the harmful ground-induced vibration into useful control information. By sensing the vibration characteristics, the controller adjusts the stabilizer wheel position and hydraulic actuation to not only reduce vibration but also to optimize the wheel's interaction with the ground, transforming the vibration problem into an opportunity for enhanced control and higher operational speeds
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
This solution enables operation at higher ground speeds with improved operational efficiency and effectiveness by providing precise and accurate control of stabilizer wheels, reducing bouncing and deep digging, and minimizing ground-induced vibration without requiring complex hydraulic systems or additional control channels.
Implementation Method 1
a stabilizer wheel positioning arrangement including a double-acting hydraulic cylinder having an internal cylinder bore divided by a piston into a base end and a rod end of the bore, the cylinder also having first and second ends thereof operatively attached within the wheel positioning arrangement for extension and retraction of the wheel positioning arrangement with respect to the frame by corresponding movement of the piston within the bore of the hydraulic cylinder
Implementation Method 2
a vibration sensor configured and operatively connected for detecting a present ground-induced vibration of the stabilizer wheel
Implementation Method 3
an electro-hydraulic flow control arrangement operatively connected in fluid communication with both the base end and the rod end of the bore of the hydraulic cylinder and adapted for simultaneous and cooperative control of the flow of hydraulic fluid to and from both the rod and base ends of the bore of the hydraulic cylinder
Data Source
AI summary
A stabilizer wheel arrangement is actively damped when remotely positioning a stabilizer wheel of a towable agricultural implement by detecting an onset of ground-induced vibration and automatically introducing a phase-shifted vibration-countering or cancelling/damping modulation pattern into a signal that simultaneously and cooperatively controls the flow of hydraulic fluid to and from both the rod and base ends of the bore of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, to hold the piston of the hydraulic cylinder at a target position determined from a desired position input signal corresponding to a desired position of the stabilizer wheel with respect to a frame of the agricultural implement.