Tractor Driver Assistance System for Balanced Power Distribution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Agricultural working machines face inefficiencies and safety issues due to undersupply of hydraulic oil to power consumers, which can disrupt operations and reduce farming efficiency, as existing systems fail to balance hydraulic and travel drive power requirements effectively.

Innovation Solution

A driver assistance system that automatically regulates drive power by continuously determining power requirements for both hydraulic and travel drive systems, using a hydraulic controller and driving controller to prioritize and distribute power, ensuring no significant impact on either system during increased demands.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the hydraulic controller requests more drive power to prevent insufficient hydraulic oil supply, then the hydraulic power supply is improved, but the drive system may not receive enough power in certain driving situations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehydraulic oil supply reliabilityVSAvoiddrive system power
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the engine speed based on real-time power requirements of both the drive system and hydraulic system. The driver assistance system continuously monitors and regulates drive power, allowing the engine speed to vary automatically to meet changing power demands of either system without manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The control system uses feedback from both the drive system and hydraulic system to automatically regulate drive power. The driver assistance system receives information about power requirements from both systems and adjusts the engine speed accordingly, creating a closed-loop control that balances power distribution between drive and hydraulic functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If individual hydraulic components are supplied with hydraulic oil based on engine speed, then the hydraulic system is simplified, but insufficient hydraulic oil supply occurs when total hydraulic oil requirement exceeds pump capacity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehydraulic control system complexityVSAvoidhydraulic oil supply adequacy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the power requirements of both the drive system and hydraulic system. The driver assistance system uses this feedback to automatically adjust engine speed, ensuring that hydraulic pump capacity matches the actual hydraulic oil demand while preventing insufficient supply to individual components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the operating parameters of the hydraulic system by dynamically adjusting engine speed based on actual power requirements. This allows the hydraulic pump delivery rate to be optimized in real-time, matching the total hydraulic oil requirement without requiring a more complex hydraulic control system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If the drive unit rotational speed is directly linked to hydraulic pump delivery rate, then the control system is simplified, but increased hydraulic power demand significantly impacts drive system function

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol system complexityVSAvoidagricultural work efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system makes the engine speed dynamic rather than directly coupled to hydraulic pump delivery rate. The driver assistance system continuously regulates drive power by adjusting engine speed based on the actual power requirements of both drive and hydraulic systems, allowing independent optimization of both functions without significant impact on agricultural work efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The control system uses feedback from both drive system and hydraulic system power requirements to automatically regulate engine speed. This feedback mechanism decouples the direct link between engine speed and hydraulic pump delivery, allowing the system to maintain optimal performance for both drive and hydraulic functions simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3459331B1Agricultural machine
Publication Date: 2021.12.08 CLAAS TRACTOR
  • EP3459331B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3459331B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2c

AI summary

The invention relates to an agricultural machine, in particular a tractor, with a drive unit (2) comprising at least one drive motor (3) for generating drive power, a first power consumer (5) in the form of a drive system (4), and at least one further power consumer (8) in the form of a hydraulically actuated working element (6, 7) and/or implement (13) of the agricultural machine (1). It is proposed that a driver assistance system (14) of the agricultural machine (1) be configured to perform automatic control of the drive power based both on a determined required power and/or load of the first power consumer (5) and on a determined required hydraulic power and/or hydraulic load of the at least one further power consumer (8).