US-12616094-B2 - Gauge wheel control system for an agricultural system

US12616094B2US 12616094 B2US12616094 B2US 12616094B2US-12616094-B2

Abstract

An agricultural system includes a header comprising a gauge wheel and a frame, in which the gauge wheel and the frame are coupled to a hydraulic cylinder that is configured to adjust the gauge wheel relative to the frame. The agricultural system also includes a hydraulic circuit fluidly coupled to the hydraulic cylinder, in which the hydraulic circuit is configured to control a fluid flow into and out of the hydraulic cylinder to adjust the gauge wheel relative to the frame, and the hydraulic circuit includes an accumulator configured to enable an amount of fluid in the hydraulic cylinder to change during a harvesting operation of the agricultural system such that the gauge wheel may oscillate from a set position during the harvesting operation.

Inventors

Jeffrey C. Trowbridge

Assignees

CNH INDUSTRIAL AMERICA LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210630

Claims (17)

1 . An agricultural system, comprising: a header comprising a gauge wheel and a frame, wherein the gauge wheel and the frame are coupled to a hydraulic cylinder that is configured to adjust the gauge wheel relative to the frame; a first hydraulic circuit fluidly coupled to the hydraulic cylinder, wherein the first hydraulic circuit is configured to control a fluid flow into and out of the hydraulic cylinder to adjust the gauge wheel relative to the frame, and the first hydraulic circuit comprises an accumulator configured to enable an amount of fluid in the hydraulic cylinder to change during a harvesting operation of the agricultural system such that the gauge wheel may oscillate from a set position during the harvesting operation; and a second hydraulic circuit, a fluid reservoir, and a valve, wherein the valve is configured to selectively enable the fluid to flow between the fluid reservoir and the first hydraulic circuit while the valve is in a first position and between the fluid reservoir and the second hydraulic circuit while the valve is in a second position.
2 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the first hydraulic circuit comprises a second valve configured to enable the fluid to flow into and out of the first hydraulic circuit during an adjustment operation of the agricultural system to adjust the gauge wheel relative to the frame.
3 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the second hydraulic circuit is configured to control a reel lift of the header.
4 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the valve is configured to block the fluid from flowing between the fluid reservoir and the first hydraulic circuit in the harvesting operation of the agricultural system.
5 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the first hydraulic circuit is configured to direct the fluid from the hydraulic cylinder to the fluid reservoir to cause the gauge wheel to move toward the frame, and the first hydraulic circuit is configured to direct the fluid from the fluid reservoir into the hydraulic cylinder to cause the gauge wheel to move away from the frame.
6 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic cylinder comprises a first section and a second section, and the first hydraulic circuit is configured to direct the fluid to flow between the fluid reservoir and the first section, between the fluid reservoir and the second section, or both, to adjust the gauge wheel relative to the frame.
7 . A hydraulic system for an agricultural system, the hydraulic system comprising: a hydraulic cylinder comprising a rod coupled to a gauge wheel of the agricultural system, wherein the hydraulic cylinder comprises a first section and a second section; a fluid reservoir; a valve configured to transition between a first position and a second position, wherein the valve is configured to enable a fluid to flow between the fluid reservoir and the first section of the hydraulic cylinder while the valve is in the first position to adjust a position of the rod, and the valve is configured to block the fluid from flowing between the fluid reservoir and the first section of the hydraulic cylinder while the valve is in the second position; a first accumulator configured to receive the fluid from or supply the fluid to the first section of the hydraulic cylinder regardless of the position of the valve; and a second accumulator configured to receive the fluid from or supply the fluid to the second section of the hydraulic cylinder regardless of the position of the valve.
8 . The hydraulic system of claim 7 , wherein the fluid flowing from the fluid reservoir to the first section is configured to increase the respective fluid pressure in the first section to drive movement of the rod in a first direction, and the fluid flowing from the first section to the fluid reservoir is configured to reduce the respective fluid pressure in the first section to drive movement of the rod in a second direction opposite the first direction.
9 . The hydraulic system of claim 7 , wherein the first accumulator is configured to receive the fluid from or supply the fluid to the first section of the hydraulic cylinder while the valve is in the second position, the second accumulator is configured to receive the fluid from or supply the fluid to the second section of the hydraulic cylinder while the valve is in the second position, or both, to facilitate oscillatory motion of the gauge wheel while the valve is in the second position.
10 . The hydraulic system of claim 7 , comprising a service line configured to direct the fluid from the second section to a service system of the agricultural system.
11 . The hydraulic system of claim 7 , wherein the valve is a first valve, the hydraulic system comprises a second valve configured to transition between a third position and a fourth position, the third position of the second valve enables the fluid to flow between the first valve and the first section of the hydraulic cylinder, and the fourth position of the second valve blocks the fluid from flowing between the first valve and the first section of the hydraulic cylinder.
12 . The hydraulic system of claim 11 , wherein the hydraulic system comprises a control system communicatively coupled to the first valve and the second valve, wherein the control system is configured to instruct the first valve to transition to the second position and instruct the second valve to transition to the fourth position to substantially maintain a position of the rod, and the control system is configured to instruct the first valve to transition to the first position and to instruct the second valve to transition the third position to adjust the position of the rod.
13 . The hydraulic system of claim 12 , wherein the control system is configured to instruct the first valve to transition to the second position in a harvest mode of the agricultural system to fluidly isolate the hydraulic cylinder from the fluid reservoir.
14 . An agricultural system, comprising: a header comprising a gauge wheel and a frame; and a hydraulic system, comprising: a hydraulic cylinder coupled to the gauge wheel and to the frame; a fluid reservoir; a first hydraulic circuit fluidly coupling the fluid reservoir with the hydraulic cylinder; and a second hydraulic circuit fluidly coupling the fluid reservoir with another component of the agricultural system; a valve configured to selectively enable fluid to flow between the fluid reservoir and the first hydraulic circuit while the valve is in a first position and between the fluid reservoir and the second hydraulic circuit while the valve is in a second position; and a control system communicatively coupled to the valve, the control system is configured to instruct the valve to transition to the first position to transition the hydraulic system to a first configuration, the control system is configured to instruct the valve to transition to the second position to transition the hydraulic system to a second configuration, the hydraulic system is configured to enable the fluid to flow between the fluid reservoir and the first hydraulic circuit while the hydraulic system is in the first configuration to change a respective position of the gauge wheel relative to the frame, and the hydraulic system is configured to enable the fluid to flow between the fluid reservoir and the second hydraulic circuit in the second configuration to change a respective position of the other component.
15 . The agricultural system of claim 14 , comprising an accumulator fluidly coupled to the hydraulic cylinder, wherein the accumulator is configured to enable an amount of the fluid to flow into and out of the hydraulic cylinder such that the gauge wheel may oscillate during the first configuration of the hydraulic system.
16 . The agricultural system of claim 14 , wherein the hydraulic system is configured to block the fluid from flowing between the fluid reservoir and the first hydraulic circuit in the second configuration, and the hydraulic system is configured to block the fluid from flowing between the fluid reservoir and the second hydraulic circuit in the first configuration.
17 . The agricultural system of claim 1 , wherein the second hydraulic circuit is configured to control a reel lift of the header.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/US2021/039906, entitled “GAUGE WHEEL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR AN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM.” filed Jun. 30, 2021, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/046,198, entitled “GAUGE WHEEL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR AN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM,” filed Jun. 30, 2020, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. BACKGROUND The disclosure relates generally to a header for an agricultural system. This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. A harvester may be used to harvest crops, such as barley, beans, beets, carrots, corn, cotton, flax, oats, potatoes, rye, soybeans, wheat, or other plant crops. During operation of the harvester, the harvesting process may begin by removing a portion of a plant from a field using a header of the harvester. The header may cut the plant and transport the cut crops to a processing system of the harvester. Certain headers include a cutter bar assembly configured to cut a portion of each crop (e.g., a stalk), thereby separating the cut crop from the soil. The cutter bar assembly may extend along a substantial portion of a width of the header at a forward end of the header. The header may also include one or more belts positioned behind the cutter bar assembly relative to the direction of travel of the harvester. The belt(s) are configured to transport the cut crops to an inlet of the processing system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally claimed subject matter are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter, but rather these embodiments are intended only to provide a brief summary of possible forms of the disclosure. Indeed, the disclosure may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below. In some embodiments, an agricultural system includes a header comprising a gauge wheel and a frame, in which the gauge wheel and the frame are coupled to a hydraulic cylinder that is configured to adjust the gauge wheel relative to the frame. The agricultural system also includes a hydraulic circuit fluidly coupled to the hydraulic cylinder, in which the hydraulic circuit is configured to control a fluid flow into and out of the hydraulic cylinder to adjust the gauge wheel relative to the frame, and the hydraulic circuit includes an accumulator configured to enable an amount of fluid in the hydraulic cylinder to change during a harvesting operation of the agricultural system such that the gauge wheel may oscillate from a set position during the harvesting operation. DRAWINGS These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an agricultural system, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a header that may be employed within the agricultural system of FIG. 1, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a hydraulic system that may be used to control a gauge wheel that may be employed within the header of FIG. 2, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic system of FIG. 3 in a lowering configuration, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic system of FIG. 3 in a raising configuration, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic system of FIG. 3 in a draining configuration, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; and FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of a portion of the header of FIG. 2 that may employ the hydraulic system of FIG. 3, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering